How to Tell If You Have Nail Fungus?

How to tell if you have nail fungus? Simple! If the symptoms of nail fungus infection are present, there is a pretty good chance that you have a nail fungus. But how sure are you that it is nail fungus? In fact, there are some infections or diseases that have the same symptoms with nail fungus. As stated by MedicineNet, these are some other conditions you may have instead of fungal nails:

1.   Lines and ridges

These are common and may be considered normal.

2.   Whitish or yellowish nails

It is due to Onycholysis. This means separation of the nail from the nail bed. The color you see is air. The treatment is to trim the nail short, don't clean under it, polish if you want to hide the color, and wait 2 to 3 months.

3.   Red or black nails

This is due to a Hematoma, or blood under the nail, usually from trauma (like wacking yourself on the thumb with a hammer). The red or black color will go away by itself.

4.   Green nails

It can be caused by Pseudomonas bacteria, which live silently under many nails minding their own business. These bacteria grow under a nail that has partially separated from the nail bed, thereby producing a green pigment. No antibiotics are needed. The treatment is to trim the nail short, don't clean it, polish if you want to hide the color, and wait 2 to 3 months.

5.   Pitted nails

This may be associated with psoriasis or other skin problems that affect the nail matrix, the area under the skin just behind the nail. This is the area from which the nail grows.

6.   Swelling and redness of the skin around the nail

It is commonly called Paronychia. This condition occurs when yeast infects a damaged cuticle. Applying a topical anti-yeast cream (such as one containing clotrimazole, miconazole, and terbinafine, which are available over-the-counter) for 2 months or so will usually work.

To be sure what kind of disease you have got, you can go see a doctor for some diagnostic tests. As indicated in the site of Medline Plus, your doctor will suspect a fungal infection based on the appearance ofthe nails. The diagnosis can be confirmed by scraping the nail and:

• Looking at it under a microscope to identify the type of fungus
• Sending it for a culture (however, it may take up to 3 weeks to get results)