Dermatophytes, Candida, and non-dermatophytic moulds enter your body in different ways, as per the type of fungus in question. As the fungi develop, they bring about a host of symptoms, which correspond with the kind of damage they inflict on your nails.
The most common form of nail fungus is Distal Subungual Onychomycosis, where the microorganisms, or tinea unguium enter the nail bed and the underside of the nail plate. This form of infection especially afflicts the part of your nail that meets the nail bed. As a result, the nail plate turns thick, and cloudy, and gradually begins to look opaque. In time, as the fungus grows, the nail becomes discolored, and appears a pallid white or a murky brown. The edges of your nail will turn craggy, and your nail will now separate from the nail bed.
The second most prevalent form of nail fungus is Endonyx Onychomycosis, where your nail will assume a milky white color, but will not separate from the nail bed. In this case, the area under your nails does not thicken or harden either.
White Superficial Onychomycosis is more partial to your toenails and causes small white specks, or powdery patches on the surface of your nails. With time, your nail will become rough and brittle, crumbling easily.
Proximal Subungual Onychomycosis causes the area near the cuticle to develop white spots, streaks, and eventually discolor. Here, the end of your nail appears to look healthy, while the base of your nail turns white.
Candida inflames the area near your cuticles, leading your nail to eventually separate from the nail bed. Gradually, the nail bed thickens and hardens. If allowed to grow uninhibited, Candida can also affect the fingers, or toes it afflicts, making them look swollen and rounded.
In its most advanced stage, nail fungus brings about a condition known as Total Dystrophic Onychomycosis, where your entire nail turns thick, opaque, and a distasteful yellow-brown color.
Certain other kinds of yeast-related infections called Mycoses usually target your fingernails, making them green in color. The nails may also separate from the nail bed, and you will find a creamy yellow-white coating under the nail plate. In some cases, the base of your nail may also be inflamed, with a red, painful roll of flesh surrounding it.
Nail fungal infections are often preceded by an injury to your nail, where the slight opening between your nail and the nail bed unwittingly attracts the fungi. On the other hand, sometimes a mere barefoot stroll down the corridors of a damp locker room is all it takes for the fungus to sneak in. These disparate, and often surreptitious ways in which nail fungi enter your body, are also another reason why this condition usually goes undetected during its initial stages.
With the gamut of symptoms that Nail Fungus brings about, it may seem fair to attribute any, and all, irregularities in your fingernails or toenails, to fungal infection, and hence treat them accordingly. However, there are several other conditions that appear deceptively similar to Nail Fungus in terms of their symptoms, but can actually be other, more complicated diseases that call for immediate medical attention.
To avoid presumptions, and hence misdiagnoses, take a closer look at your symptoms to ascertain whether nail fungus is indeed the culprit responsible for them.
Arguably, the most efficient way to determine that your nail irregularities go beyond nail fungal infections is to check if the symptoms are present on all your finger and toe nails. If they are, then in all probability, your condition is more severe than merely Nail Fungus.