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Nail fungus

127 Dermatology & Venereology doctors in Hong Kong →

Also known as: Onychomycosis · Tinea unguium · Tinea ·

The Elderly Health Service describes nail fungus as a fungal invasion of the toenails or fingernails which discolours, deforms, thickens and embrittles the nail, with the whole nail or part of it lifting away in severe cases. It notes that Hong Kong’s humid, close summer favours fungal growth and is the peak season for tinea; ordinary tinea can be treated with topical antifungals, while stubborn or severe infection requires oral antifungal medicine to clear it.

Hong Kong has 127 registered Dermatology & Venereology doctors.

Source: Medical Council of Hong Kong register · read 2026-09-21

ok.med editorial team ·
Compiled by the editorial team from the sources listed below. Not reviewed by an individual doctor.

What is nail fungus, and how is it recognised?

The Elderly Health Service states that nail fungus — clinically tinea unguium — is a fungal invasion of the toenails or fingernails, discolouring, deforming, thickening and embrittling the nail, with the whole nail or part of it lifting away in severe cases.

Those four changes — colour, shape, thickness, brittleness — usually appear gradually rather than overnight. That is why it gets left: early on one or two nails simply look slightly discoloured, with no pain or itch, and it is put down to a knock or to age. Nails grow slowly in any case, so by the time the deformity is obvious the fungus is typically well into the nail plate.

The Elderly Health Service classes it as one of the tineas — fungal infections of the skin, especially common in humid, close conditions. The same group of fungi causes tinea elsewhere on the body, which is why nail fungus so often appears alongside tinea of the feet.

Why is it so common in Hong Kong?

Because the climate itself is the risk factor. The Elderly Health Service states plainly that Hong Kong’s humid, close summer favours fungal growth and is the peak season for tinea.

That sentence turns a normally abstract piece of advice into something concrete. Warmth and damp together suit fungi best, and a Hong Kong summer supplies both; add the sweat produced moving between air conditioning and the street, and shoes and socks that never quite dry, and the conditions are complete. It also explains why prevention is less about washing harder than about staying dry.

Who is more likely to get it?

The Elderly Health Service lists poor nutrition, poor personal hygiene, broken skin and lowered immunity; and names people with chronic disease, such as diabetes, as more susceptible because immunity is lowered.

It also lists a habit-related group:

  • Sweating heavily
  • Skin that is often wet
  • Not showering, drying off and changing promptly after exercise or heavy sweating
  • Habitually wearing close-fitting clothes, shoes and socks

What these share is skin left damp for long stretches.

The diabetes point deserves separate attention. A fungal foot infection in someone with diabetes is not only a cosmetic matter — a thickened, deformed nail can press on the nail bed, and where sensation in the foot is reduced, damage may not be noticed promptly. A separate page covers diabetes and the long-term follow-up arrangements.

Medical Council of Hong Kong register

127 Dermatology & Venereology doctors in Hong Kong

All 127 ›

The doctors below are listed from the Medical Council of Hong Kong register. This is not a recommendation, and says nothing about outcomes for this condition. Ask the doctor directly.

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Is it contagious?

Yes. The Elderly Health Service’s prevention advice is built around how it spreads: do not share clothes, shoes, socks, towels or personal items; avoid walking barefoot in public places such as changing rooms and public showers; and wash your hands after touching an affected area.

The instruction to wash after touching an affected area points to something else: it also spreads on the same person — from one nail to the next, or from the feet elsewhere. That is why dealing with tinea of the feet at the same time as the nails is the sensible approach.

How is it treated — is a topical enough?

The Elderly Health Service divides treatment in two: ordinary tinea can be treated with topical antifungals, while stubborn or severe infection requires oral antifungal medicine to clear it fully. It adds that a doctor prescribes according to the individual case.

That division matters particularly here. The nail is thick, dense keratin, and a topical may not reach fungus beneath the nail plate — so nail infections fall more often than most into the stubborn category. Oral antifungals are prescription medicines requiring assessment and follow-up.

This page recommends no medicine, dose or course and compares no products. Nail changes have causes other than fungus — psoriasis, injury and other nail bed conditions can look similar — and telling them apart needs examination. As the Department puts it, prescribing is for a doctor to decide case by case.

How is it prevented?

The Elderly Health Service groups prevention into three: personal hygiene, clothing and footwear, and household cleanliness. Attending to these three, it says, effectively prevents tinea and avoids passing it to others.

The specifics it gives:

  • Wash carefully, including the feet
  • Keep the body dry, particularly between the fingers and toes
  • Wear dry, ventilated shoes and clean absorbent cotton socks
  • Avoid tight or unbreathable underwear
  • Do not share clothes, shoes, socks, towels or personal items
  • Do not walk barefoot in public places
The three areas of prevention set out by the Elderly Health Service
AreaAdvice
Personal hygieneWash the skin and feet carefully; keep dry, especially between fingers and toes; wash hands after touching an affected area
Clothing and footwearDry, ventilated shoes and clean absorbent cotton socks; avoid tight or unbreathable underwear; do not share clothes, shoes, socks, towels or personal items
Public places and the homeAvoid walking barefoot in public places such as changing rooms and showers; keep the home clean

At a glance

Nail fungus in Hong Kong: the Department

Nail fungus in Hong Kong: the Department of Health states that the humid, close summer favours fungal growth and is the peak season for tinea. Fungus invading the toenails or fingernails discolours, deforms, thickens and embrittles the nail, with the whole nail or part of it lifting away in severe cases. Risk factors include lowered immunity and diabetes. Ordinary tinea is treated with topical antifungals; stubborn or severe infection requires oral antifungal medicine.
Data: Elderly Health Service, Department of Health · Read the original ›

Which specialty deals with nail fungus?

Dermatology and venereology. The Department of Health also runs dermatology clinics, whose fees and attendance arrangements sit in the same published fee schedule as the social hygiene clinics.

The Department of Health runs nine dermatology clinics, in Sai Ying Pun, Chai Wan, Wan Chai, Yau Ma Tei, Kwun Tong, Sham Shui Po, Tuen Mun and Fanling. The access rules are the opposite of the social hygiene clinics: every new case needs a doctor’s referral letter, all new and follow-up cases need an appointment, and a first attendance requires identity documents and a referral from a registered Hong Kong doctor. By the published fee schedule the charge is $250 for an eligible person and $850 for a non-eligible one, effective 1 January 2026.

There are two reasons to be seen, and neither is appearance. First, nail changes are not necessarily fungal, and the diagnosis changes the whole approach. Second, as the Department puts it, stubborn or severe infection needs oral antifungal medicine, which is prescribed and followed up by a doctor. Anyone with diabetes or lowered immunity has more reason to deal with it early rather than wait.

What do the Hong Kong authorities say?

Nail fungus is one of the few skin problems on which the Department of Health publishes directly, and Hong Kong’s own climate is named as a risk factor. Each item below carries its source and the date it was read.

  • The Elderly Health Service states that tinea unguium, commonly called nail fungus, is a fungal invasion of the toenails or fingernails which discolours, deforms, thickens and embrittles the nail, with the whole nail or part of it lifting away in severe cases.Elderly Health Service, Department of Health: tinea · read · (source)
  • The Elderly Health Service states that Hong Kong’s humid and close summer weather favours fungal growth and is the peak season for tinea, which is a fungal skin infection particularly common in humid, close conditions.Elderly Health Service newsletter, issue 47 · read · (source)
  • The Elderly Health Service lists as personal risk factors: poor nutrition, poor personal hygiene, broken skin, lowered immunity, and chronic disease such as diabetes; adding that those who sweat heavily, whose skin is often wet, who do not shower, dry and change promptly after exercise, and who habitually wear close-fitting clothes, shoes and socks are more prone to tinea.Elderly Health Service newsletter, issue 47 · read · (source)
  • The Elderly Health Service states that a doctor prescribes according to the case: ordinary tinea can be treated with topical antifungals, while stubborn or severe infection requires oral antifungal medicine to clear it fully.Elderly Health Service, Department of Health: tinea · read · (source)
  • The Department of Health lists nine dermatology clinics, in Sai Ying Pun, Chai Wan, Wan Chai, Yau Ma Tei, Kwun Tong, Sham Shui Po, Tuen Mun and Fanling. The list states that every new case requires a doctor’s referral letter, that all new and follow-up cases require an appointment, and that a first attendance requires identity documents and a referral from a registered Hong Kong doctor.Department of Health: list of clinics and health centres — dermatology · read · (source)
  • By the Department of Health’s summary of public health service fees, attendance at a dermatology clinic costs $250 for an eligible person and $850 for a non-eligible one, under the schedule effective 1 January 2026.Department of Health: summary of fees for public health services — outpatient · read · (source)
  • The Elderly Health Service advises keeping the body dry, particularly between fingers and toes; wearing dry, ventilated shoes and clean absorbent cotton socks; not sharing clothes, shoes, socks, towels or personal items; not walking barefoot in public places such as changing rooms and showers; and washing the hands after touching an affected area.Elderly Health Service, Department of Health: tinea · read · (source)

When should a doctor be seen?

  • Diabetes or lowered immunity, with any change in the toenails or feet — the Department names people with chronic disease such as diabetes as more susceptible.
  • Redness, pain, discharge or warmth around the nail, which may indicate an added bacterial infection.
  • The whole nail or part of it lifting away — the Department lists this among the severe presentations.
  • No improvement after a period of topical treatment. The Department states that stubborn or severe infection requires oral antifungal medicine, which is a prescription matter — do not add to treatment yourself.
  • Only one or two nails affected but with unusual shape or colour, or a rash on the skin alongside — nail changes are not only caused by fungus and a doctor should distinguish them.

Each has its own page and doctor list

Conditions related to Nail fungus

By district

Which districts have Dermatology & Venereology doctors?

Frequently asked questions

Is a topical enough for nail fungus?
The Department states that ordinary tinea can be treated with topical antifungals while stubborn or severe infection requires oral medicine to clear it. The nail is thick and dense, and a topical may not reach fungus beneath the plate. Prescribing is for a doctor; this page recommends no medicine.
Does it clear up on its own?
The Department’s position is that it needs treating — topical for ordinary tinea, oral medicine to fully clear stubborn or severe infection. It also sets out how the infection spreads and how to prevent it, which indicates persistence and spread rather than spontaneous resolution.
Why is it so common in Hong Kong?
The Department states that Hong Kong’s humid, close summer favours fungal growth and is the peak season for tinea. Warmth plus damp is what suits fungi best, and a Hong Kong summer supplies both.
What should someone with diabetes watch for?
The Department names people with chronic disease such as diabetes as more susceptible because immunity is lowered. A fungal foot infection in someone with diabetes is not only cosmetic and should be assessed early rather than left. A separate page covers diabetes and its long-term follow-up.
Can it be passed to the household?
Yes. The Department advises against sharing clothes, shoes, socks, towels or personal items, and against walking barefoot in changing rooms and public showers; the instruction to wash after touching an affected area also indicates spread on the same person.
Does a discoloured nail always mean fungus?
Not necessarily. Nail changes have causes other than fungus — psoriasis, injury and other nail bed conditions can look similar, and are managed quite differently. Diagnosis needs examination; comparing against pictures is not reliable.

Sources

  1. Elderly Health Service, Department of Health: tinea — the definition and signs of nail fungus, the cause, risk factors, treatment categories and the three areas of prevention. Elderly Health Service, Department of Health ()
  2. Elderly Health Service newsletter, issue 47: Hong Kong’s humid summer as the peak season for tinea, with the personal risk factors and prevention advice. Elderly Health Service, Department of Health ()
  3. Department of Health: list of clinics and health centres — addresses and attendance arrangements for the dermatology clinics. Department of Health ()
  4. Department of Health: summary of fees for public health services (outpatient) — charges at social hygiene and special dermatology clinics, with the effective date. Department of Health ()

This page is compiled from the Hong Kong official sources listed above. It is general information only — not a diagnosis, a treatment recommendation or medical advice, and no substitute for seeing a doctor. If you are unsure or your condition changes, consult a registered doctor.