In order to prevent your nails getting prone to frequent fungal attacks and reduce the recurrence of infections to a considerable extent, one is expected to follow healthy hygiene practices. This requires an individual to keep good care of his hands and foot. You can initiate the same by following some of these healthy practices; for instance, keep the nails short, dry and clean. One must always trim the nails to give it a decent shape and restrict its growth so that it does not collect germs. This should be followed by filing down thickened areas so that the cuticles are not hurt. After bathing, thoroughly wipe off your hands and feet along with the area between the toes and the fingers. This prevents accumulation of germs that can cause fungal growth.
Always wear clean and dry socks. It is also important to wear appropriate socks as per the skin and the environment. For instance, synthetic socks takeaway the moisture and keeps the feet dry as compared to cotton or woollen socks. You can even try wearing the synthetic socks underneath socks made out of other fabrics. Make it a practice to change socks alternatively especially if your feet tend to sweat excessively. Try to take off the shoes whenever you get an opportunity to warm up and definitely after exercising. If you prefer donning a casual style, then try open-toed shoes instead of the closed ones.
Introduce an antifungal spray or powder to your shoe rack and use it frequently to keep away fungal spread. Just spray or sprinkle some on the feet and the insides of the shoe. You can even wear rubber gloves. This is new in trend but definitely protects the hands from over exposure to water. You can turn the gloves inside out to dry in between some intervals. Certainly, do not trim or pick at the skin around your nails. This is important because getting used to this practice may give the germs access to skin and nails. Never step out barefoot in public places, public pools, showers or locker rooms. These are public places and prone to infection at a relatively higher grade as compared to home or office cabin.
Pay regular visits to a reputable manicure and pedicure salon. However, it is your duty to ensure that the salon sterilizes its instruments. Minimize and soon put an end to the use of nail polish and artificial nails. These might be helpful in hiding nail fungal infections under a coat of pretty pink polish but this can trap unwanted moisture and worsen the infection. Immediately wash your hands with an antiseptic hand wash after touching an infected nail as nail fungus can spread from nail to nail.
