Toenail fungus or onychomycosis is a common condition for a lot of people and is usually nothing to worry about although it can be unsightly. It starts out as a white or yellow spot under the tip of the toenail. As the fungal infection spreads and takes root deep inside the nail, it can result in discoloration of the nail, plus cause it to thicken and crumble at the edge. You may find that you have more than one nail affected.
If the affliction is mild and not causing you any pain or trouble other than being an annoyance, you may not require any toenail fungus treatment at all. If, however, your nail hurts, thickens, or the toe itself becomes painful you’ll want to do what you can to rid yourself of this problem.
What Causes Fungal Nails
Fungal infections of the toenails are usually caused by fungus that is picked up in moist, wet areas. Communal showers are common sources. Visiting nail salons that do not properly sanitize the instruments they use (like filers, clippers, and foot tubs) is another. Athletes are more prone to nail fungus. This is primarily due to wearing tight, sweaty shoes and repetitive trauma to the toenails. If you have athlete’s foot it’s considerably more likely that the fungus will infect your toenails.
The elderly and people with compromised immune systems are also at higher risk and may suffer more from this condition should they get it.
Toenail Fungus Treatments
1. Oral Antifungal Therapy
This type of therapy has a high success rate when it comes to curing toenail fungus. However, it can take anywhere from nine to 12 months to find out if it has worked or not. The reason for this long wait is because that is the length of time it takes for the nail to grow out. Moreover, even if the therapy is successful, the fungus may come back. At present, an oral antifungal therapy is believed to be the best toenail fungus treatment with shorter periods of treatment and a higher cure rate.
2. Topical Medications
Keeping nails filed and neatly trimmed at all times can help to decrease the amount of fungus in the nails. This also relieves pain when thickened nails cause pressure-related pain. Plus, avoid continually picking and proding at the infected nails because this behavior will only make the situation worse and could result in a greater infection than what you started out with.
Although they can be tried and sometimes succeed, creams and other forms of topical medications are proven to usually not be as effective against toenail fungus as oral medications. The reason for this is that nails are too normally too hard for external medications to penetrate. t can also be a nuisance to follow topical medication regimens. Frequently, these medications dictate daily applications for as long as one year before there will be any results.
One of the main benefits of topical treatment is the low risk for experiencing serious side effects and drug interactions as compared to oral therapy.
3. Surgery
One surefire toenail fungus treatment is surgery. What surgery involves is basically removal of the infected nail. It should be noted, however, that this treatment frequently provides only temporary relief, and there is a risk of recurrence of the infection unless other antifungal medication (topical or oral) is also used.
4. Home Remedies For Toenail Fungus
Vinegar is a frequently suggested home remedy. Also, some people have recommended putting different oils like tea tree oil, oil of cedar leaf (Vicks VapoRub), coconut oil, and essential oils on your nails. You might also want to try drops of oregano oil. Oregano oil has thymol, a natural compound full of antifungal properties. Using household bleach and hydrogen peroxide is also advised, but there is no real evidence that these methods work. Furthermore, these products can lead to skin irritation.
5. Over-the-Counter Treatments
Over-the-counter products do not necessitate having a prescription to receive them, nor do you need a license to distribute them. They can be purchased just like any other normal retail product. While there are some over-the-counter medications that claim to be successful toenail fungus treatments, many of these products have not been tested, meaning they haven’t been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating toenail fungus.
6. Medicated Nail Polish
Your doctor can also prescribe an antifungal nail polish called ciclopirox (Penlac). You put it on your infected toenails and the surrounding skin every day. Once seven days have passed, you wipe the layers clean using alcohol and begin again with fresh applications. This treatment may be required daily for up to a year.
7. Restoration Toenail Fungus Treatment — Intensive Toe Nail Renewal Feet Fungus Supplement
This is a special proprietary probiotic mixture to ward off toenail fungus — There are literally trillions of microflora in the human gut and they all have an important role to play in reinforcing immunity and increasing protection against fungus. This proprietary probiotic mixture is especially suggested for people with Fungi nails. Providing an appropriate topical treatment for toenail fungus, as well as balancing the bacterial populations that live and thrive in your body.
Restoration Toenail Fungus Treatment is an all natural product that has been tested and proven to work. It’s different from other products that claim to be all natural and in reality have other ingredients hidden within them that are definitely not natural.
While toenail fungus can be aggravating, it’s not undefeatable. Although it may take some time, there are many ways in which you can attempt to treat it. But why should you opt for oral medicine, or medicated nail polish when you have available right at your fingertips an all natural treatment for toenail fungus that will restore your nails to their original, healthy condition without having any negative side effects? Restoration Toenail Fungus Treatment not only treats your toenails but your whole body as well, bringing the bacteria that lives in your gut down to the level where it should be for you to function normally and be able to get rid of that unsightly toenail fungus that’s been plaguing you for so long.
