What Should A Woman Do If Toenail Fungus Treatments Are Not Working?

Dr. Jacob explains what women can do if treatments for their toenail fungus are not working.

Dr. Jacoby:
Well, first of all, is it toenail fungus? So sometimes what we do besides the clinical exam is to do a culture. If the culture is positive, then we have proof positive that it is. If it is present on all toenails, it certainly most likely is toenail fungus, but some people have a condition called lichen planus, which is a stress-related skin disease that looks like mycotic nail infection.

Another aspect of toenail fungus is sometimes it looks like psoriasis, and psoriasis is another skin condition that can get into the toenail bed. So those two are the differential diagnoses.

The third one in trauma-related toenail problems doesn’t necessarily mean you have fungus. So the best thing to do is seek out the care of a podiatrist or a dermatologist who also treats this condition, and make a clinical diagnosis first, and if need be, get a culture to substantiate and prove that it is toenail fungus.

About Dr. Jacoby, D.P.M.:
Dr. Richard Jacoby, D.P.M., graduated from the Pennsylvania College of Podiatric Medicine. He completed his residency at Parkview Hospital, Philadelphia, specializing in foot and ankle surgery. Board certified by the American Board of Podiatric Foot and Ankle Surgeons, he is currently president of Valley Foot Surgeons in Scottsdale, Arizona. In addition, Dr. Jacoby is chairman of the board of Healthcare Networks of America.

Dr. Jacoby has been named the 2010 President of The Association of Extremity Nerve Surgeons.

Visit Dr. Jacoby at Valley Foot Surgeons