Why Diagnosing Fungal Nails Was Challenging Before
Have you ever had a discoloured nail? Testing to see if it is fungal infection is pretty tricky. In the past, we would have taken a specimen, you would have had to then make an appointment with the GP for a referral, take your referral and specimen to a testing centre, and then wait 6 weeks for results to come through. Unfortunately, there is also a high ‘false negative’ rate with this form of testing, which can delay proper treatment.
Introducing the Diafactory Dermatophyte Test Strip
At Leading Edge Podiatry, we are always offering our patients the latest, most up to date treatment options. That is why we are excited to introduce the Diafactory Dermatophyte Test Strip, a 5 minute in-clinic test for onychomycosis (fungal infection of the nail). This in-clinic test tests for 8 of the most common organisms present in fungal nails and will enable us to diagnose more accurately a fungal infection and therefore provide treatment during your appointment.
Key Benefits of the Diafactory Test
This test is 97% accurate. It detects 99% of all common dermatophytes (most common infecting organism in fungal nails) Is done in the clinic, during your appointment. Allows treatment to commence straight away.
Understanding Fungal Nail Infections
Fungal infections not only effect nails, but it can also affect the exterior surfaces of the foot. Most people wear closed in footwear regularly, this provides the perfect environment for fungal infection – a warm, dark place. Whereas your arms & legs for example get more ultraviolet radiation from sunlight and are far less likely to get fungal infections.
Fungal nail infections are a very common problem. These infections often cause a yellow-ish discolouration in the nail plate, and often thickening and deformity. Although these infections don’t generally cause any great problems, they do cause embarrassment for many people.
Effective Treatment Options for Fungal Nails
Fungal nail infections are often very hard to treat and cure. Because the infection resides within and underneath the nail plate, it is often difficult for topical antifungal preparations to penetrate enough and kill off the fungal spores. If the infection is confined to the end part of the nail, we will often remove the infected area of nail (which is usually painless), to allow for topical treatments to be more effective. However, when the infection has spread to the base of the nail and affects the nail root, topical treatments are generally not effective.
Sometimes for more severe fungal nail infections they may require oral antifungal medications to treat the problem successfully.
If you’d like a formal assessment and have the Diafactory test, please contact us at 08 7120 6063 or book online. At Leading Edge Podiatry, we are here to help kee your feet healthy and active.