Does Vicks Really Work On Nail Fungus

Why Does Vinegar Soak Work

The idea behind taking a vinegar foot soak for toenail fungus is relatively simple: vinegar is acidic, which gives it antifungal and antibacterial properties.

To explain a bit further, vinegar is a diluted form of acetic acid . As a result, it is an antifungal agent meaning it slows down the growth of some types of foot fungus and may kill fungus entirely.

It might also make your body less hospitable to fungus because the acidity affects the pH level of your skin. This makes fungal overgrowth and infection much more unlikely.

Its worth noting though, that there is no scientific evidence that shows vinegar soaks is a reliable method for treating toenail fungus.

When To See A Doctor

In most cases, toenail fungus is considered a cosmetic problem. Still, it may cause serious complications for some people.

If you have diabetes, toenail fungus may lead to foot ulcers or other foot problems. According to a 2012 study, chronic toenail fungus is a significant risk factor for bacterial cellulitis of the leg.

If you have diabetes or a weakened immune system, you shouldnt use home remedies for toenail fungus. Contact your doctor for the appropriate course of action.

Continue Using Treatment Until Infection Is Gone

Continue daily use until your nails are healthy. The length of treatment depends on the severity of the infection. Please keep in mind that nail fungus is inherently tricky to deal with. Fungi are extremely good at adapting and thriving in environments. This is why it is vital you apply the treatment every day!

After continued application, the fungi under your nails will turn black. Although this might seem scary at first, it is actually a good thing Vicks Vaporub is killing the fungi! Eventually, the blackened nail will be pushed out by a healthy new nail, and you can clip off the dead part. Do not be discouraged if the treatment takes upwards of a year to treat nail fungus is tricky, especially for more severe cases.

We highly recommend continuing the treatment for a duration of time after the nail fungus infection has subsided. This will ensure that the fungus is completely destroyed, and will minimize the chance of reinfection.

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What Is Vicks Vaporub

All this talk about Vicks VapoRub, but what actually is this stuff in the first place?

In short: Vicks VapoRub is a #1 selling branded children and adult cough cold product. Well… That is the main use of it anyhow. However, this Proctor & Gamble Company product is a very versatile and also is commonly used for pain relief when applied topically to aching muscles and joints.

Using it as a way to treat toenail fungus is much lesser-known, but nonetheless is something that people are using it for and finding some success with.

And one of the many good things about it is that you can trust it. There are plenty of toenail fungus treatment “scammy” products that have been exposed on this site, like Fungus Hack for example, and VICKS is definitely not one of them.

For Moderate To Severe Cases Of Fungal Infections Use Emuaidmax

If you have a moderate to severe fungal infection, your best bet is to utilize a topical solution such as EmuaidMAX. We are huge fans of EmuaidMAX because it utilizes medical grade essential oils such as Tea Tree Oil, Camphor, Castor Oil, Vitamin E, and more.

In fact, it shares many of the same ingredients are Vicks Vaporub but in a significantly more concentrated and powerful form. It is one of our top recommended products on this site, and we seriously recommend considering it to treat your fungal infection.

In short, if you have a mild case of nail fungus, you may be able to get away with using Vicks Vaporub. However, if you have a moderate to severe case of nail fungus, or even if you are just worried about your fungal infection spreading, we highly recommend utilizing EmuaidMAX.

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Direction On How To Use It

Before applying Vicks Vapor Rub on your toenails there are a few things you need to do. First of all, you should clip your affected nails as short as you can. Second of all, clean your feet thoroughly especially those areas that are affected by nail fungus. Third of all, make the feet completely dry. Then apply the cream on affected nails and also make sure that the cream would be applied as deep under the bed of nails as possible. In order for the cream to stay longer on affected area use a bandage to wrap your fingers. Repeat this process daily until nail fungus disappears completely.

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What Other Treatment Options Do You Recommend For Mild Cases Use Tiger Balm

Vicks Vaporub is a fantastic treatment option for someone suffering from the beginning stages of nail fungus. However, we highly recommend looking into Tiger Balm Ultra. Tiger Balm utilizes similar ingredients, such as Camphor and Menthol, but has nearly twice the potency, meaning that it can treat your nail fungal infection in a more timely fashion.

If you already own Vicks Vaporub and have a very mild case of nail fungus, it is worth trying to treat your fungal infection with the topical treatment. However, if you are searching for a more powerful formula, we highly recommend utilizing EmuaidMAX to treat your fungal infection.

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How Do I Know If My Toenail Fungus Is Going Away

Nail fungus can be resistant to treatment and nails take a long time to grow out, so it can take several weeks or months for an infection to be fully resolved. You will know that the treatment is working and the infection is clearing up when you see growth of a new, healthy nail from the base of the nail bed.

How Well Does Vicks Vaporub Work

A. Over the years we have heard from many people who have had success with Vicks VapoRub in the treatment of nail fungus. You will read some of their stories below. Others tell us this remedy is totally worthless.

That is not surprising. Many people report failure with pricey prescription anti-fungal products too. Some people spend quite a bit of money on oral antifungal medicine and take it for many months, only to have the fungus return after a temporary cure.

It seems as if nail fungus is surprisingly variable. This may be due both to the range of fungal pathogens that can affect nails and to differences among the hosts immune systems. Some people never get nail fungus even though they walk barefoot in the garden, in the shower or at a locker room. Others find all their toenails are thick, yellowish-brown and misshapen. Not only do they look ugly, but they are hard to clip. One treatment may work for awhile, but the fungus seems to come back relentlessly.

We often wonder whether there are different fungi at work or if the relationship between the immune system and the fungi have something to do with this problem.

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The Facts About Vicks Vaporub For Toenail Fungus

The truth of the matter is, toe nail fungus is extremely difficult to treat and even the best treatments have less than stellar results, particularly when the infection is severe. Research has shown that the best likelihood of obtaining a cure is to begin treatment very early and at the first signs of infection.

There are currently two types of treatment approved by the FDA for treating fungal nail infections: oral and topical. The traditional option that has shown the best success rate is Lamisil, an oral prescription medication. It has about a 50% cure rate, but it also has unpleasant and potentially serious side effects. Permanent liver damage is one such side effect. Prescription medications must also be used for extended periods of time and often interferes with other commonly used medications, such as antibiotics and antidepressants.

Compared to prescription medications, Vicks is even less promising as a cure despite treatment that can last over a year. Several studies have been conducted in an attempt to ascertain the effectiveness of Vicks Vaporub for toenail fungus. The results revealed that when Vicks was applied to the infected area on a daily basis, 65% of the participants said it was ineffective. It also seems that once you quit using the Vicks treatment, the infection is very likely to return.

Treatment Options For Nail Fungus

Interviewer:

Most of my conversation is usually discussing medical therapy, so things that are available by prescription only. And those come in two main forms, which are topical antifungal medications, and then oral antifungal medications. There are other surgical or procedural options, so you can remove nails as well. And then there’s starting to be more interest in technologies like lasers for nail fungus.

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Vicks Vaporub Works As Treatment For Foot Fungus In Hiv

Vicks VapoRub may be a cheap, effective and safe topical treatment for foot fungus among people living with HIV, according to results from a pilot study presented at ID Week 2012.

Onychomycosis is common in both the general population and among those living with HIV. Studies have shown about 15% to 40% prevalence in people living with HIV, but data is limited, according to study author Mariea Snell, M.S.N. “Infection is associated with more advanced immunodeficiency and usually presents as proximal onychomycosis, which is often harder to diagnose and treat than other forms of this disease,” Snell told TheBodyPRO.com.

Snell, from BJK People’s Health Center and Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., and colleagues followed 20 patients with toenail fungus for 48 weeks, with patient visits every 12 weeks. The patients were 90% male and 55% African American, with an average age of 46 years. Ninety-five percent were on antiretroviral therapy, with 60% having a viral load below 50 copies/mL. The median CD4 count was 399 cells/mL.

The participants self-treated by topically applying Vicks VapoRub to affected toenails for a maximum of 24 weeks. At each visit, a digital photograph of the affected toenail was taken and a clinical assessment was made. For the first two visits, treatment adherence and tolerability were determined.

Warren Tong

Destroy The Fungi In Your Shoes Or Risk Getting Reinfected

One of the most important aspects of treating your nail fungus is disinfecting your shoes, sheets, and other surfaces. Unfortunately, If you have placed your infected nails into a pair of shoes, there are now fungal spores living in those shoes. This means that even if you successfully treat your fungal nails, you will most likely reinfect yourself unless you destroy the fungi in your shoes.

Fortunately, there are a number of great solutions on the market. Although there are many different antifungal sprays and powders, our top recommendation is utilizing an LTE system. Ultraviolet Shoe Sanitizer is a fantastic option that kills 99.9% of bacteria in your shoes. Simply place the ultraviolet bulbs in your shoes, and the system will automatically get to work destroying the fungi in quick 15 minute intervals. The bulbs each last up to 8000 hours and are easy to replace, so you can finally get rid of your nail fungus and prevent reinfections.

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Nail Fungus Sufferers: What Works And What Doesnt

Are you tired of suffering from stubborn and ugly nail infections? Do you long for letting your once beautiful toes see the sunlight again? Do you wonder what its going to take to get rid of the fungus?

Over the years weve had the opportunity to collect testimonials from people who left comments on ToenailFungusTreatments.com, who have used different types of nail fungus remedies. After analyzing them, weve created some useful suggestions for those who want to eliminate nail fungus.

Of course, nothing is ever 100% guaranteed, but if we can learn from others with similar problems, we have a better chance of crossing off one more problem we have from the list that seems to accumulate many problems as we age.

How Doctors Heal Patients

In fact, I was thinking about doctors and how they learn. I know that if you ask any doctor who he or she learned the most from, they will say their patients. In the practice of medicine, a doctor who pays the most attention to the results that their patients are receiving, and makes appropriate adjustments is often the most successful both with people and against disease.

Recognizing this feedback loop was very valuable, we started collecting reports on remedies from our readers and have been able to create some basic guidelines for anyone with nail fungus problems who wants to use these treatments to get clear nails again.

Guidelines From Our Readers about Nail Fungus Remedies

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Does Vicks Vapor Rub Really Help Cure Toe Nail Fungus

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Why Try Home Remedies

Home remedies are inexpensive. Even though prescription drugs and over-the-counter products may be available for some conditions, home remedies may also be effective at a fraction of the cost. For example, the retail price of a years supply of the medication for toenail fungus called efinaconazole is several thousand dollars, compared with $24 for Vicks VapoRub.

Home remedies are also readily available when you need them. You may already have them in your kitchen cabinet or on your bathroom shelves. If not, theyre likely to be as close as the nearest supermarket.

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Can I Treat Toenail Fungus With Nail Polish On

Your doctor may prescribe an antifungal nail polish called ciclopirox . You paint it on your infected nails and surrounding skin once a day. After seven days, you wipe the piled-on layers clean with alcohol and begin fresh applications. You may need to use this type of nail polish daily for almost a year.

Is There Any Real Proof That It Works

Let’s get right to the point here… is there any proof that this stuff actually works? Because I’m sure a lot of people reading this have wasted a lot of time, patience and money trying things that simply turn out to be complete duds.

Does it really work?

Well… when it comes to the effectiveness of VICK’s specifically dealing with nail fungus, there unfortunately isn’t much research out there. That said, there is some…

A study published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine in 2011 took a look at the effects of VICKS on 18 patients who were suffering from onychomycosis over a period of 48 weeks .

The results were measured in 3 ways. They measured its effectiveness as a cure both mycologically and clinically, as well as on a personal assessment by the patients themselves.

The results: 15 of the 18 patients, or a whopping 83%, showed positive effects. And… 5 of the patients, or 27.8%, had been cured based on mycological and clinical results after the 48 weeks were up. 10 patients, or 55.6%, had infections that cleared up partially and only 3 had no change.

All in all… pretty good results.

Lack of proof?

As stated, there really isn’t much information and research out there specifically on VICKS VapoRub’s effectiveness when it comes to this.

The study mentioned above definitely proves some effectiveness and has some positives, however there has been some criticism as to the way this study was conducted, which might make it carry a little less weight.

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Apply Vicks Vaporub To Your Nails

Apply the formula directly to the nails, nail bed, and skin surrounding it. We recommend using a cotton ball or q-tip. Please do not use your hands you do not want to expose your fingernails to the infection and risk contaminating your hands or fingernails.

Wait upwards of 30 minutes and then wash off and dry nails completely. If you experience a mild burning sensation, stop treatment immediately and consult your doctor.

Why Vicks For Toenail Fungus

Now that we know how someone could get toenail fungus, lets talk a possible treatment: Vicks Vapor Rub. What is it about this cough and cold medicine that helps with infected toenails? Good question.

One of the ingredients in Vicks is thyme oil and it has been shown to remove fungus from underneath toenails.

In the January-February 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, a study was printed in which eighteen people who were dealing with toenail fungus applied Vicks to the affected area.

Five of the participants were cured, ten saw their symptoms improve, and three participants experienced no changes at all.

Of the five people who were cured, only two kinds of fungus were identified Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Candida parapsilosis. This suggests that the treatments effectiveness may depend on the type of fungus that someone has on their toe.

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