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(08) 6110 0570admin@pdchealthhub.com.auA fungal nail infection is a fungus growing on or in the nail, showing as yellow or brown discolouration, thickening and crumbling. Confirming it matters, because other nail conditions look the same.
A toenail infection (onychomycosis) can happen when a fungus grows on or in your toenail, and it is common, especially in older people.1 The signs are yellow or brown discolouration, white spots, thickening, crumbling when cut, the nail lifting from the nail bed, and sometimes pain or odour.1 Nail infection is one form of tinea, and fungi spread through contact with infected skin and wet surfaces such as public pools and showers.3 Sweaty feet, long periods in closed shoes, repeated nail injury, diabetes and a weakened immune system all raise the risk.1,2
Confirming the diagnosis comes first, because many other nail diseases mimic the clinical signs of onychomycosis, including psoriasis, lichen planus and traumatic nail separation, and samples should be taken before starting any treatment.2 Your doctor can scrape a sample from your toenail, it may take five to six weeks to get the results, and it is important to wait for the test results before you start treatment.1 The same principle applies to the skin: samples should be taken before any treatment starts, and a skin scraping may be needed.2
Most people need to take an oral antifungal medicine, treatment can take three to six months and sometimes longer, and blood tests may be needed to check liver function.1 Antifungal creams and ointments do not usually work well on toenail infections.1 Prescribing sits with your GP, and our pharmacists can check interactions and help you stay the course. Relapse after treatment is not unusual, and poor circulation, older age and diabetes make it more likely.2 If you live with diabetes or a weakened immune system you should also see a podiatrist, and foot checks are part of your diabetes care.1,4,5
PHOTO NEEDED · Add a Hero Image to this condition in the CMS: a PDC clinician with a client, natural light, no identifiable health information on screen
Symptoms are a guide, not a diagnosis. Your GP confirms the diagnosis; our team helps you manage it day to day.
The teams and services that most often support people with this condition. They work from one shared plan, and one GP referral reaches all of them.
This page follows Australian guidance from Healthdirect on toenail infection and tinea, including the advice to wait for test results before starting treatment, with NDSS foot health guidance for people living with diabetes. The detail on nail conditions that mimic onychomycosis, and on taking samples before any treatment, follows DermNet, which is New Zealand guidance.
Often you cannot tell by looking, which is the point. Nail injury, psoriasis, lichen planus and other nail conditions mimic the same signs, so a sample should be taken before treatment starts. Your doctor can scrape a sample from the nail, results can take five to six weeks, and it is important to wait for them before beginning treatment.
Longer than most people expect. Treatment can take three to six months and sometimes longer, and even then the nail can look abnormal for months afterwards, because a healthy nail has to grow out from the base. Progress is judged on the new growth, not on how the old nail looks.
Usually not for toenails. Antifungal creams and ointments do not usually work well on toenail infections, and most people need an oral antifungal medicine. Topical treatment is sometimes reasonable for mild changes in one or two nails, or where tablets are not suitable, and that decision sits with your GP.
No. PDC clinicians do not prescribe, so oral antifungal medicines come from your GP, who also arranges any blood tests to check liver function during treatment. Our pharmacists can review interactions with your other medicines and help you keep going through a long course, and our podiatrists manage the nail itself.
Relapse is not unusual, and poor circulation, older age, diabetes and a weakened immune system make it more likely. The skin is often the reservoir, so treating tinea on the feet, drying between the toes, changing socks daily, airing and treating shoes, and wearing footwear in public showers all matter. So does finishing the course rather than stopping when the nail starts to look better.
Tell us what is going on and we will point you to the right discipline, or to more than one. Most people start with a single appointment and leave with a plan the rest of the team can see.
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