So many of us are familiar with that thick and crumbly appearance to our toenails. And believe me, as a foot doctor, I am more familiar to it than most. I know that this can be a disheartening problem; and one that many come to the office seeking professional help for. Fungus that infects your toenail can be very difficult to remove. The purpose of this article is to show you how to keep toe nail fungus at bay.

The first few points relate directly to your shoegear. Toe nail fungus grows in dark, moist places; and what better environment than your own shoes? This is why toenail fungus is more common than finger fungus--it's just so much darker down here. First, remember to never wear the same pair of shoes two days in a row. In other words, keep a rotation going so that in the very least, you are rotating two pairs of shoes every other day. Secondly, use a commercial fungus spray and liberally spray the insides of your shoes BEFORE you insert your foot.

Next, and this is true in most medical problems, you need to jump on the problem early. Fungus usually gets a "ahem" foothold in the skin. You might know this as athlete's foot. It literally jumps from the skin where fungus is easy to eradicate, to the nails where it is tough to remove. If you hit the athletes foot with a little Lotrimin, you can nip that problem before it becomes chronic.

If you are one of those who sweat a lot, it is helpful to use anti-perspirant spray. Few people realize that in a given day, an average person gives off nearly a half a gallon of sweat from their feet alone! Remember, fungus loves moisture. Why not give it less moisture?

The final three ways relate to areas you need to avoid. If you have a genetic predisposition to attracting fungus (not much you can do about that), you really need to be careful about the following areas when you are in your bare feet. The three areas most fulminating in fungus are: public showers, public swimming pools, and hotel carpets. Wear protective shoegear in these areas.