Fungal infections, especially in areas that are as active as feet, are both painful and extremely disturbing to look at.
They worry you, make you fearful of your health, and are a constant distraction when you’re going about your day.
In circumstances where you can no longer go out in public without stressing over your nails, you might want to try fake toenails for fungus.
Are Fake Nails A Permanent Solution?
For starters, there are some things you need to know.
When your toes initially start turning yellow, getting acrylics to cover the change in color can be considered.
If the issue is simply a cosmetic one, then an acrylic will do the job.
However, if you’re looking for a permanent solution to nail infections, using fake nails will not stop the spread of the fungus.
They are only a temporary cover if you need to hide the unpleasant look of your feet, for example, if you need to wear open-toed shoes for a formal occasion.
That being said, because the majority of people attacked by the foot fungus are men, acrylic nails are hardly ever a feasible option for them anyway.
What Are The Drawbacks Of Fake Nails?
If you’re considering the use of fake nails for your fungal infection, there are some negative aspects to them you need to take into account.
They Create An Environment For The Fungus To Grow
Not only do fake nails encourage you to avoid the actual solution, but they also make the environment of your feet even more appealing to the fungus.
Infections, especially fungal infections, need warm, moist conditions to grow and spread.
Your feet have that environment inbuilt already, but adding a layer on top that traps this moisture in and helps the fungus go deeper into your skin is a horrible idea.
This layer is the acrylic nail that you glue on top of the infected nail.
It lets the moisture stay trapped under it, stopping your body from naturally expelling the fungus through your pores.
Getting a nail infection is usually caused by poor foot hygiene, like not wearing footwear at a public pool or shower.
It can also be from wearing shoes that don’t fit properly and are too tight.
When you’re covering your fungus ridden nail with an acrylic nail, you’re essentially making no changes to the reasons why the infection happened in the first place.
They Make The Infection Worse
The longer you keep fake toenails on, the more time you are allowing for the fungus to build a whole, thriving environment.
This makes an otherwise treatable fungal growth become uncontrollable, sometimes needing surgical procedures to be dealt with.
Fungus does not only grow on the top of your nail. It goes through to the bottom and becomes embedded in your nail bed.
When you paste fake nails on top of the infection, they don’t allow the nail to receive any oxygen. This helps the germs spread to more parts of your nail.
When you take the fake nails off, you’re going to see a far worse off nail than you had before.
What Are Other Ways To Make Your Feet Look Better?
If you’re looking for options that will help you in the long-run and are not just temporary solutions, you’ll need to invest a little more time and money.
Getting Treatment
Get your nail treated by a podiatrist.
This might seem like an obvious answer, but not many people are willing to go the extra mile and seek proper treatment for their nail fungus infection.
It might be a scary thought to have to get your nail removed, or surgically treated, but keep in mind that surgery is not the immediate response to fungal growth.
Having a nail that has been treated to eliminate the infection altogether is always a better option.
The more you delay the treatment, the more the chances of needing surgery increase.
If you contact a specialist as soon as you see the beginnings of an infection, they will be able to prescribe you some topical antifungal creams.
Using Foot Soaks
If you do plan on using acrylic nails, even for a short period of time, you need to make sure you’ve tried to disinfect your feet as much as possible beforehand.
Use a foot soak with essential oils and creams that will clean out the infection from places that you can’t reach.
Use soap and trim your nails as neatly as you can.
Then, blow-dry your feet to get rid of any excess moisture before applying the acrylics, because leaving any moisture trapped inside can worsen the infection.
What Can You Do To Reduce The Infection?
There are some measures you can take to limit infection from spreading and returning once you’ve already gotten it.
Wear Proper Footwear
Wear footwear that gives your toes space to move around and breathe, so that there are lesser chances of moisture being crammed into a small space.
Wear breathable shoes and socks that don’t make your feet sweaty.
If you’re going to public pools or showers, wear shower shoes or sandals instead of walking barefoot on the wet floor.
This is a sure-fire way of picking up someone’s infection or contracting it because of the moisture and germs present in these public places.
Use Foot Powder
Using medicated foot powder keeps your feet feeling fresh and dry.
If you regularly wear shoes, sprinkle some powder on your feet before putting your shoes on.
Even when you aren’t wearing any footwear at home, keeping your feet dry with medicated powder helps them stay cleaner.
Final Words
While using fake toenails for fungus isn’t entirely a bad idea if you’re doing it for only a small amount of time, it is definitely not an option for the long-run.
Opting for permanent solutions that also remove the fungal infection altogether is always a safer and more responsible action to take.
Don’t leave acrylics nails on for too many hours and be very careful while taking them off to make sure they don’t further break your nail.
You should also use gloves to remove them, to prevent the infection from spreading to your hands.
Pin This Image
This account is run by a team of writers, researches, and more who simply love contributing to the site.