You remove your nail polish (finally) and, even after a good scrubbing with nail polish remover, your toenails are kind of yellow . . . and they seem thicker than usual. What’s wrong? Sounds like toenail fungus . . . yuck! What do you do about that? Here are a few tips for dealing with toenail fungus.

The first thing you should do is trim your nails as short as possible, and keep them short – trim a couple times per week. This will help keep your toenails clean – shorter toenails can’t harbor as much dirt, sock lint, general grime, and of course fungus.

Now that your toenails are short, give them a good scrub. Use a nail brush, warm water, and strong soap, and scour around the edges, underneath, and on top. While you’re at it, get out a pumice stone and give your heels a little attention – if you’ve got fungus under your toenails, you’ve probably got callouses on your heels as well. Scrub your feet carefully every night before you go to bed, even if you normally shower in the morning – you want to get that fungus-causing grime off as soon as possible. Be sure to dry your feet carefully – moisture encourages fungus growth, so dry your toenails thoroughly every time you shower, before you put socks on.

Next you’ll want to treat the fungus – try an over-the-counter antifungal cream. If you aren’t sure which one to buy, ask your pharmacist for advice. You may feel a little embarrassed by your toenail fungus, but you can be certain that lots of other people have the same problem; the pharmacist has heard it all before. Use the cream as directed. And if that doesn’t do the job . . . call your podiatrist!