What's wrong with my toe nail (warning - gross picture attached)

[Dingdong99]

I've just removed my nail varnish to find part of my toenail has gone brown, sort of looks like dead wood

Does anyone know what this is? Could it just be a bruise perhaps? The nail is still smooth to touch so I don't think it's fungus

It is indeed fungus.

Fungal infection?

Oh no! How do I get rid?!

Fungal nail treatment?

Many products on the market to paint on to nail frequently. It will take ages as toe nails are slow growing - but be patiently and paint it on regularly and you will see a difference in a few months

Should I ashamedly avoid going to nail bars until I've got rid of it? Or is it the kind of thing they always see?

Gah

100% fungal infection, you can get treatment from the chemist that you paint on to kill it!

Nail bars won't thank you for bringing that in to them!

Covering with nail varnish will only make it much worse, so keep it open to the air as much as possible (no sweaty shoes/slippers) and treat with a solution from the chemist. No nail bars, sorry!

Thanks all. Pedi cancelled and fungus treatment ordered!! At least it's too cold for sandals

I had the same after a gel pedicure, tried loads of remedies you paint on but nothing worked. What did work miracles was Vicks vaporub put on the nail twice a day (it had been years trying to get rid of it at this point, I was desperate!)

I had to use the paint on stuff (on prescription so it must have been the right gear my gp gave me) for over six months for it to work.

I thought it had worked after three (and I was fed up not wearing nail varnish) but it came back.

So be prepared to not wear nail varnish on it and just use the paint on fungal nail varnish stuff twice a day for six months.

There’s pills you can swallow but although they sound tempting they can cause you problems with your liver or something as my gp said I’d need bloods done regularly if I did that. Sod that. Danger to internal organs! Too scared. So I declined and did the paint on stuff.

I've had one for years that wouldn't budge. Started going to a chiropidist last year. I go every six weeks and after my third visit it's starting to clear up. The fungus is under the nail so thats what you need to treat also it can spread to your other nails and cause athletes foot 😨.

The other thing that is helpful is to soak your feet in hot water with a couple of sterilising tablets chucked in. I found this worked very well after a year of trying to get rid of a fungal infection in just one nail. I only developed it after having a pedicure in a beauty salon!
Also, try to expose your feet to the air whenever possible. Difficult in cold weather, but fungus loves warm, moist conditions to grow.

You must keep your nail as short as possible and keep it varnish free.

Keep specific clippers and files for this toe to stop the spread of the fungus to other nails.