Have you seen a white or yellowish spot under the tip or anywhere your fingernail or toenail? That is an early sign of nail fungus infection as the infection progresses you can see great discoloration, or you may see thickening and crumbling of your nails at the edge and it can affect not just one nail.

Nail fungus is a common condition and if yours is just mild and not bothering you, you can opt-out for any treatment. But once it causes you painful or thickened nails, self-care treatments should be done. Remember it can come back any time even you have been successful treating it.

Let us break down the common symptoms of nail fungus, it can appear on any nails but it is more common in toenails:

• Thickened 
• Whitish to yellow-brown discoloration
• Brittle, crumbly or ragged
• Distorted in shape
• A dark color, caused by debris building up under your nail
• Smelling slightly foul

What causes fungal nail infection?

It can be caused by various fungi, yeast, and molds. Age is not an identifying factor as anyone can develop this at any age but as we age, our nails can become brittle and dry making it more common for older people to experience this. Toenail fungal infection can start from an athlete's foot (foot fungus), and it can spread from one nail to another. But it is uncommon to get an infection from someone else, you can be more at risk with these factors:

• As already mentioned, old age has reduced blood flow, brittle nails more years of exposure to fungi and nails tend to grow slower
• Heavy sweaters like athletes
• Walking barefoot in damp communal areas, such as swimming pools, gyms, and shower rooms
• Having a minor skin or nail injury or a skin condition, such as psoriasis
• Having diabetes, circulation problems or a weakened immune system

When you should see a doctor?

You can try Fungus Nail Remover Pen as an easy self-care for thickened, discolored nails or even the deformed one. But if you have diabetes and immune system problems that are affected by the fungus infection you can call your doctor. It takes time to remove the infection but most of the time it is manageable.