Nail Fungal Infection Treatment
Prescription medicines can treat a fungal nail infection. Oral antifungal medicines help a new nail grow. This will replace the infected nail. You may need to take antifungal medicine for 6 to 12 weeks. Some oral medicines are not safe for people who have liver problems. They are not safe for people who have a history of congestive heart failure. Tell your doctor if you have one of these conditions. Your doctor will decide which medicine is right for you.
Apply topical treatments to the top of your nail. Topical medicines usually do not cure fungal nail infections.
In severe cases, a doctor might remove the nail completely. It can take several months to a year for the infection to go away.
Nail Removal Home Remedies And Laser Treatment
In the most serious instances of toenail fungus infection, the toenail may be removed surgically or dissolved with acid. This can be done to just a portion of the nail in the hope that the remaining nail will grow back healthy. In cases where the entire toenail has to be removed, artificial nails and products using light-cured resins to form a temporary covering can be used to protect the underlying tissue until the nail grows back.
If you prefer to go the home-remedy route, such as applying tea tree oil or Vicks VapoRub to your nails, keep in mind that the effectiveness of these products for treating toenail fungus hasn’t been well studied, and they are not recommended by podiatrists.
Finally, the Food and Drug Administration has approved several laser devices for temporary increase in clear nails in patients with onychomycosis. But while laser treatments are vigorously marketed, clinical trials of lasers have reported mixed results, and the treatments may not be covered by health insurance. If you wish to try laser treatment of toenail fungus, speak to your doctor about what to expect from the treatment, and call your insurance carrier to find out whether the treatment will be covered.
Additional reporting by Susan Jara.
When To Contact A Doctor
Toenail fungus is typically not a significant problem for most people. However, if there are no improvements or complications occur as a result of home remedies, people should speak with a doctor and stop using the home remedy as soon as possible. It is also advisable to contact a podiatrist if a person notices any discoloration, thickening, or abnormality of the toenails.
Furthermore, people at higher risk for complications should seek medical treatment for their toenail fungus and avoid home remedies altogether. This includes those with diabetes or with weakened immune systems.
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When Should I Call The Doctor
In rare cases, toenail fungus can cause an infection called cellulitis. Without prompt treatment, cellulitis may pose a serious danger to your health.
You should seek treatment guidance from a trusted healthcare provider if you have:
- Circulation problems.
- Redness, pain or pus near the toenail.
- Weakened immune system.
A Pharmacist Can Help With Fungal Nail Infections
Speak to a pharmacist if the look of your nail bothers you or it’s painful.
They may suggest:
- antifungal nail cream it can take up to 12 months to cure the infection and does not always work
- nail-softening cream it’s used for 2 weeks to soften the nail so the infected part can be scraped off
The infection is cured when you see healthy nail growing back at the base.
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Getting Rid Of Nail Fungus For Good
- Getting Rid of Nail Fungus for Good
If youre dealing with nail fungus, rest assured that you are not alone. It can be quite a common condition that many people struggle with. You will likely notice symptoms of nail fungus yourself, but it can also be diagnosed by a dermatologist, which will examine your nails and nearby skin. Its important to check the skin because the fungus can spread. You may already have a skin infection caused by fungus, like athletes foot. In order to get rid of the infection, you will need to treat all infected areas. Keep reading to learn more about foot and nail fungus and how to treat it. You can do yourself a solid by trying out SteriShoe, a podiatrist-recommended UV shoe sanitizing insert that works by using its UV light to kill bacteria and germs that cause foot infections, shoe odor, and more. Learn more by touring our site and by shopping our products.
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Causes Of Toenail Fungus
Toenail fungus is usually a sign of an imbalance of bad bacteria to good bacteria. In other words, bad bacteria such as yeast and fungus are more compared to the good bacteria. As a result, you may develop fungal infections which can show on your skin i.e. toenail fungus. Other factors that may lead to development of toenail fungus include having athleteâs foot, psoriasis, circulation problems, coming into contact with fungi, say in the swimming pool, damaged nail beds and putting on dirty or poor fitting shoes and socks. Types of fungus that can cause fungal nail infections include dermatophytes â fungus that grows on skin, hair and nails, yeast, and non-dermatophytes such as mold which often grow in soil.
Can I Wear Nail Polish If I Have Toenail Fungus
You may feel tempted to cover up a discolored toenail with nail polish. If you are using a topical antifungal, you probably should not use polish. Some providers may tell you not to wear it in any case. Polish traps in moisture from the nailbed . Because fungi thrive in moist environments, wearing nail polish may make a fungal infection worse. However, the nail continues to grow with or without polish.
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Treatment From Your Gp
Your GP can prescribe antifungal tablets. You’ll need to take these every day for up to 6 months.
Tablets can have side effects including:
- headaches
- loss of taste
- diarrhoea
You cannot take antifungal tablets if you’re pregnant or have certain conditions. They can damage your liver.
If your nail has a very bad infection, you may need to have it removed. This is a small procedure done under local anaesthetic.
When To See A Bethesda Md Or Springfield Va Podiatrist
If you try several of these remedies and see no results, its time to see a podiatrist. Toenail fungus is notoriously stubborn, so dont be too surprised if home remedies dont quite work. It can also take quite a long time for these home remedies to work because you have to continue doing them consistently until the new nail has fully grown out.
If youve tried the homeopathic route and arent satisfied with the results, you can always come see Bethesda, MD & Springfield, VA Podiatrist, Dr. Paul Ross! If you have moderate to severe foot fungus, it is recommended that you see a doctor anyway because there can be complications if the infection is left untreated. Call us at . We offer same day appointments if you dont want to wait.
The Podiatry Centers treat all medical and surgical foot and ankle conditions. Licensed Bethesda, MD Podiatrist, Dr. Paul Ross can help bring you foot and ankle pain relief.
Our Bethesda, Maryland and Springfield, Virginia Podiatry offices offer the most effective and state-of-the-art, quality podiatry care services with a smile to patients in our local community, including: Woodbridge VA, Fairfax VA, Annandale VA, Arlington VA, Alexandria VA, Burke VA, Gaithersburg MD, Potomac MD, Silver Spring MD, Rockville MD and Chevy Chase MD.
Return to a pain-free life and get back to the things you love!
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Softening And Scraping Away The Nail
As it can take a long time for antifungal medication to work, some people may prefer to use a treatment that involves softening and removing infected parts of nail over a few weeks.
Treatment kits are available from pharmacies that contain a 40% urea paste, plasters and a scraping device. The paste softens the infected parts of the nail, allowing them to be scraped away so they can be gradually replaced with healthy nail.
To use the treatment:
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How Can I Prevent Toenail Fungus
Theres no way to guarantee that you wont get toenail fungus. But you can take several steps to help prevent it:
- Avoid going barefoot in communal areas such as hotel rooms / showers, public showers, locker rooms and swimming pools. Most people pick up fungus in these situations. It helps to wear flip flops in these public areas.
- If you have a family member with foot fungus or nail fungus, try to use different shower or wear flip flops in the shower to avoid coming in contact with it.
- Trauma due to accidental or aggressive clipping of the nails can turn into portals of entry for the fungus.
- Clean your nail trimmer before using it.
- Do not tear or rip your toenails on purpose.
- If you have diabetes, follow all foot care recommendations from your healthcare provider.
- Keep your feet dry. Make sure to fully dry your feet after a shower.
- Soak toenails in warm water before cutting them. Or you can cut your nails after a shower or bath.
- Trim toenails straight across .
- Wear shoes that fit correctly. They should not be too loose or tight around the toes.
What Is The Big Deal With Toenail Fungus
Toenail fungus can easily be diagnosed. In fact, you don’t have to be an expert to notice discoloration on your toenails. The fungus often goes deep under your nails, which makes it nasty.
People hate this issue because of the visual effect. However, the fact it is hard to remove makes it so much more troublesome. It also quickly spreads, which means that it needs constant attention.
Unfortunately, antifungal drugs are powerful and can cause various side effects.
Perhaps the biggest issue is how these drugs impact the liver. They are very dangerous for people who have any liver issues, which is why you have to test your blood before taking drugs for toenail fungus. Even if everything looks fine, there is still a chance complications will occur.
As an alternative, doctors will often recommend topical creams. These products are much better as they don’t cause severe side effects. However, they are not as strong as regular oral drugs, which prolongs the whole treatment. Patients usually have to apply topical cream for several months until they notice any progress.
Home remedies are also a popular alternative.
Besides various oils and vinegar, many people use baking soda for toenail fungus.
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What Causes Nail Fungus Infection
When your feet get hot and sweaty it provides the ideal conditions for this infection to grow. As I was busy training for the 5km Id often get home with very sweaty feet.
It turns out, my feet were the perfect place for the fungus to grow. Anywhere your body gets moist is therefore, a good place for fungal infections to live.
This is why you can end up with infections like Athletes Foot, Ringworm and even sores around your crotch and upper thigh area.
I had to tell my Family to be careful as Fungal infection can be spread if you come into contact with someone who already has it.
Even a trip to your local spa for a Pedicure can be responsible for it.
This happens when the Pedicurists tools havent been disinfected correctly after each use. Therefore, discretely ask your Pedicurist how their Scissors, Clippers, and Emery are cleaned.
How To Prevent Toenail Fungus
Strengthen your immune system. A weakened immune system puts you at great risk for developing toenail fungus and other opportunistic infections.
Exercise. Because your feet have diminished blood circulation compared to other parts of your body, its harder for your bodys immune system to detect and eliminate foot infections. However, instead of taking up a strenuous activity that produces lots of sweat or requires thick footwear, start walking for exercise. This will increase your blood flow, improve your immune system, and not require thick, non-breathable shoes.
Avoid bare-footing. Wear sandals in public showers and locker rooms.
Keep it toxic . If your habits or wardrobe are a risk factor, regularly dust your feet with an absorbent or anti-fungal powder.
Avoid wearing tight shoes. Tight shoes push your toes together, potentially transferring fungus and often creating the perfect moist, warm and closed environment so beloved by fungus. If you like wearing heels, it might be a good idea to take a break from them if theyre bunching up your toes. It can also help to shift to wearing only shoes that breathe. Tight hosiery can cause similar problems.
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Baking Soda And Vinegar
Before you put them on, sprinkle baking soda into each shoe to absorb odor. It also acts to decrease the activity of fungal spores. Fill a spray bottle with diluted white or apple cider vinegar and spray it into your shoes whenever youre not going to wear them. It can help slow down the growth of fungal spores. Dont worry, the vinegar smell will disappear as it dries. Use both together to keep bacteria under control.
How Can You Diagnose It
When you have a toenail fungus, the nail tends to be thickened, discolored yellow, brown, or dark white and is crumbly. It is not always painful but may get painful as the nail gets thick and is pushed down into the skin. If you are unsure, a doctor or dermatologist can also examine your nails. They may collect some nail clippings or scrape some debris from under your nail and send the sample to a lab to identify the type of fungus causing the infection. Other conditions, like psoriasis, can mimic fungal infection of the nail. Microorganisms such as yeast and bacteria can infect nails. Knowing the cause of your infection can help in determining the best course of treatment.
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Sets With Creams And A Nail Scraper
Treatment sets that contain two creams and a nail scraper can also be used for the topical treatment of nail fungus:
- One cream has urea in it, which softens the nail so it can be removed.
- The other cream contains bifonazole, which has an antifungal effect.
For this treatment, the affected toe or finger first has to be soaked in warm water for ten minutes and then dried. After that, the urea-based cream is applied to the nail, and the nail is covered with an adhesive bandage. After 24 hours, the bandage is removed and the toe or finger is held in warm water again. The softened layer of the nail is then scraped off using a spatula, the cream is applied again and the nail is covered with a new bandage. This treatment is carried out over 14 days. Once the infected part of the nail has been scraped away completely, the skin beneath is treated for another four weeks with a bifonazole cream.
Facts You Should Know About Fungal Nails
Many changes in fingernails or toenails may cause people to think they have a fungal infection of the nails, medically known as onychomycosis or tinea unguium.
Fungal infection of the nails sometimes makes the condition sound contagious or related to poor hygiene. In fact, up to 10% of all adults in Western countries have fungal infection of the nails. This percentage increases to 20% of adults who are age 60 or older. Toenail fungus is much more common than fingernail fungus.
In reality, abnormal-looking nails may be caused by a number of conditions including, but not limited to, fungal infection. There are many other reasons why your nails may look different.
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What We Discovered:
There are tons and tons of nail fungus products out there, and unfortunately, most seem to be merely copycats of other nail fungus products, as if theyre all buying the same product from one manufacturer and slapping on a different label and price.
However, some formulas did attempt to separate themselves from their competition. And for us, there was a clear winner:
What You Will Learn:
How To Make A Paste
In order to use baking soda for toenail fungus, you will have to create a paste.
Luckily, it is something you can easily do at your own home. This is precisely why people love home remedies. You already have these ingredients you have to mix them and apply them in the comfort of your own home. There is no need to visit a doctor or deal with long queues at pharmacies.
Just take a little bit of baking soda and mix it with lukewarm water until it becomes applicable. Then, put it on top of your nail as well as under it. The treatment has to be performed each day, several times a day. Make sure to leave the paste for at least 10 to 15 minutes. It might seem a bit overbearing, but there is no other way to treat the condition .
According to several studies, baking soda provides excellent results for toenail fungus, and there is no reason why it shouldn’t help you as well.
After 10, 15 minutes, it is essential to rinse baking soda thoroughly. Wash your feet, and dry them well. Keep in mind that high humidity is perhaps the biggest issue, so you will have to remember that at all times. It is also common for a toenail to fall completely off. This is very normal, and you shouldn’t be scared if it happens health, a new nail will appear in its stead!
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