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Does Over The Counter Toenail Fungus Medicine Work

Hydrogen Peroxide For Nail Fungus

Why Don’t OTC Topical Medications Help Treat My Toenail Fung

Hydrogen peroxide is a known treatment for nail fungus. However, we still do not know what the scientific evidence for it are, as no scientific research proves it. It is still a matter of debate.

What is so far known of the Hydrogen peroxide as a treatment for nail fungus is the developing of Hypochlorous acid which is an effective way to kill nail fungus.

The Hydrogen peroxide is an extremely active, why many people use Hydrogen peroxide as a treatment for nail fungus is the affordability.

It is available almost at every place, moreover they do not need a prescription for this.

How to use Hydrogen peroxide for nail fungus?

  • Apply it directly with a Q-tip. Take a little of Hydrogen peroxide and dip a Q- tip in it, apply it on the infected area only.
  • Try the breathing foot soak method. All you have to do is take almost 2 to 3 percent of hydrogen per oxide with water. Put your foot in it and press the infected area for almost 2 minutes and release, repeat this process several times for 15 minutes.
  • Use it with baking soda, you can either make a paste of baking soda and Hydrogen peroxide or make a foot soak. Whichever is more convenient. Th easier one is the paste, but it is for the extreme cases, if it is the onset of the infection you can try making the foot soak.

Pros of using Hydrogen peroxide as a home remedy for nail fungus

Cons of Hydrogen peroxide as a remedy for nail fungus

  • It is not skin friendly.
  • Not approved by any doctor specifically for toenail fungus.

Maphie Nail Repair Pen

The Maphi Nail Repair Pen provides an affordable, surprisingly effective treatment for nail fungus. There is no muss and fuss, and if you use it as directed, you should start to see improvement in two or three weeks.

What we like: O-hydroxybenzoic acid is one of the most powerful non-prescription antifungals you can get. When combined with deacetylated chitin, it weakens the cellular structure of the fungal cells then eliminates them.

Flaws: Applying it three times a day means you may run out before the treatment period ends.

Ranking The Best Toenail Fungus Treatments Of 2021

A toenail fungus treatment provides a simple, convenient way for people to address fungal infections of the toenail.

Nearly 35 million American adults suffer from fungal infections of the toenail, with many convinced there is nothing they can do about it.

Fortunately, medical science has made impressive leaps in understanding this vexing condition, and there are now numerous OTC toenail fungus treatments that can provide relief.

We put dozens of the most popular brands to the test and concluded that the following represent the 10 best toenail fungus treatment options of 2021.

Recommended Reading: What Do Podiatrists Prescribe For Toenail Fungus

Are There Any Side Effects Or Contraindications

Funginix has many advantages compared to synthetic pharmaceutical solutions. There arent any contraindications, side effects like skin irritation associated with Funginix nor there have been any toxicity reports after external application.

With Funginixs blend of clinically tested safe ingredients chances of anyone having any sort of side effects are almost none. The ingredients are approved by the food and drug administration . However, pregnant or nursing women, people with circulatory problems like diabetics or immune-deficiency conditions, in addition to young children should consult a qualified medical practitioner or podiatrist before using this product.

What Causes Fungal Nails And What Are Some Of The Risk Factors

10 Effective Home Remedies For Getting Rid Of Toenail Fungus ...

In normal, healthy people, fungal infections of the nails are most commonly caused by fungus that is caught from moist, wet areas. Communal showers, such as those at a gym or swimming pools, are common sources. Going to nail salons that use inadequate sanitization of instruments in addition to living with family members who have fungal nails are also risk factors. Athletes have been proven to be more susceptible to nail fungus. This is presumed to be due to the wearing of tight-fitting, sweaty shoes associated with repetitive trauma to the toenails. Having athlete’s foot makes it more likely that the fungus will infect your toenails. Repetitive trauma also weakens the nail, which makes the nail more susceptible to fungal infection.

Elderly people and people with certain underlying disease states are also at higher risk. Anything that impairs your immune system can make you prone to getting infected with the fungus. These include conditions such as AIDS, diabetes, cancer, psoriasis, or taking any immunosuppressive medications like steroids.

Also Check: Does Laser Work For Nail Fungus

Applying Home Remedies Is Time Consuming And Rarely Effective

Many of the supposed do-it-yourself remedies are from common household items. Lavender oil, oregano, apple cider vinegar, beer, chlorine bleach and even Vicks VapoRub have been touted as possible treatments for nail fungus. Let’s quickly review them before explaining why we found them to be a waste of time.

Chlorine Bleach Soak

Treatment: Soaking the feet for about ½ hour a day for 15-30 days in a solution of one part chlorine bleach to 10 parts water or one part chlorine bleach to 100 parts water .

For better treatment, it’s advised to do it for two months. After each treatment, fully dry the affected area .

Warning: Chlorine bleach is a hazardous chemical. It is corrosive and will damage any skin that has been exposed while bleaching the toenail fungus infected area. Do not inhale the fumes and avoid contact with eyes. Keep out of reach of children.

Beer Soak

Preparation: One liter of room temperature dark beer, half sachet of acidophilus and one liter of white vinegar mixed in a container.

Treatment: Soaking your feet or fingers for ½ hour at least once a day for one month. For better results, it is advised to do it twice a day for two to three months. After each treatment, fully dry the affected area .

Vinegar

Treatment: Apply drops of apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar directly on the infected area three times a day . Do it every day for several months. Once a week, soak your nails for 20 minutes in a tub with vinegar.

Vicks VapoRub

Essential Oils

Listerine

Kerasal Fungal Nail Renewal Treatment

Rather than going directly after the fungus itself, Kerasal Fungal Nail Renewal Treatment slowly removes layers of damaged, infected nail. In a sense, it acts as an exfoliant for your nails.

What we like: The Kerasal approach is novel but has amassed an impressive record of liberating nails from fungal onslaughts. It leverages the keratolytic properties of urea to remove damaged tissue and then promotes the growth of new, healthy layers of the toenail.

Flaws: You dont get very much in a tube.

Also Check: Do Dermatologists Treat Nail Fungus

To Use Ciclopirox Topical Solution Follow These Steps:

  • Be sure that you have trimmed your nails properly before your first treatment.
  • Use the applicator brush attached to the bottle cap to apply ciclopirox topical solution evenly to all affected nails. Also apply the solution to the underside of the nail and the skin beneath it if you can reach these areas.
  • Wipe off the bottle cap and neck and replace the cap tightly on the bottle.
  • Let the solution dry for about 30 seconds before you put on socks or stockings.
  • When it is time for your next dose, apply ciclopirox topical solution over the medication that is already on your nails.
  • Once a week, remove all the ciclopirox from your nail with a cotton square or tissue soaked with rubbing alcohol. Then, remove as much of the damaged nail as possible using scissors, nail clippers, or nail files.
  • How Do Dermatologists Diagnose Nail Fungus

    The Best Treatment for Toenail Fungus, According to a Podiatrist

    To find out if a patient has nail fungus, a dermatologist examines 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.

    To get rid of the infection, you will need to treat all infected areas.

    Before giving you the diagnosis, your dermatologist may also take some samples. Collecting a bit of debris from beneath a nail, trimming off part your nail, or scraping off a bit of skin can be very helpful. In a lab, these samples can be examined under a microscope to find out whats causing the problem.

    Are you hiding an infected nail with nail polish?

    Be sure to ask your dermatologist if you can wear nail polish while treating nail fungus.

    Also Check: What Is The Best Foot Fungus Medicine

    How And When To Take Terbinafine

    The treatment you use will depend on where the infection is on your body and how severe it is.

    For large areas of skin, or if the area is hairy, it’s best to use the spray.

    Your pharmacist or doctor will tell you how much to use and how long you need to use it for, depending on your infection.

    If you buy terbinafine in a pharmacy or supermarket, follow the instructions that come with your medicine.

    Ask The Doctors What Can I Do About Toenail Fungus

    Dear Doctor: I had toenail fungus two years ago, and my doctor prescribed Lamisil. It took a long time, but it worked. Now the fungus, which is so ugly, is back again. Why is it so hard to get rid of, and are there any new treatments available?

    Dear Reader: Toenail fungus is fairly common, but that’s not much consolation to the 6 million or so people in the United States who have to put up with it. It’s an often-unsightly infection caused by a microscopic organism called a dermatophyte that lives beneath the toenail. More precisely, it colonizes the portion of the nail known as the matrix, which is underneath the cuticle.

    Initial symptoms are a yellowish or brownish discoloration of the toenail. As the infection progresses, nails will often become thickened, crumbly and malformed. Although the fungus affects the appearance of the nails, it actually lives on the layer directly beneath the toenail. That’s why it’s so difficult to treat.

    Your nails are made up of keratin, a tough, fibrous protein. The same hard shell that protects your toes is giving shelter to the fungus. For topical medications to be successful in killing the fungus, they have to be able to reach it.

    Anti-fungal creams and liquids are available, both in over-the-counter preparations and by prescription. But because nails are not porous, it’s difficult for the medication to reach the infection in concentrations great enough to kill the fungus. As a result, success rates for topical treatments are low.

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    Tea Tree Oil Nail Fungus Treatment

    Tea tree oil has been an effective anti-viral essential oil, that is being used for different purpose from bath to the making of body creams.

    Till now we have some mixed researched studies regarding tea tree oil. Some scientists found it a reliable treatment, while other found it useless.

    However, the better of the two is to try the oil, as it is 100% natural and there is no risk in using such thing.

    Even though it is a safe organic compound, still it is not very mild on the sensitive skin.

    It is an essential oil, which means it is concentrated. So, you need to avoid the excess use of it, keep it to the low.

    Ways of using tea tree oil for toenail fungus

    • Mix tea tree oil with a carrier oil and use the diluted solution of tea tree oil as a remedy for nail fungus.
    • Make a foot soak with warm water and tea tree oil. You need to mix six drops of tea tree oil, in a warm bowl of water, soak your feet for 15 minutes in it.
    • The apple cider vinegar can strengthen the antifungal properties of tea tree oil, all you have to do is mix water and apple cider vinegar, and soak your feet in it, after 15 minutes take your feet out and pat dry with a dry towel. Now, apply a diluted solution of tea tree oil on the infected toenail.
    • Using tea tree oil with rubbing alcohol, take a spray bottle add alcohol, oregano oil, and tea tree oil.

    Pros of using tea tree oil as a natural toenail fungus remedy

    • It makes the skin smooth.
    • It is anti-inflammatory.

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    How To Prevent Nail Fungus

    Nail Fungus Nightmares Cured!  Apex Urgent Care Clinic  Walk

    Even though the fungi responsible for these nail infections are pretty much everywhere, there are a few universal things you can do to aid in prevention. Both derms warn that it’s important to be cautious at the nail salon. “A client with fungus can spread it to other clients if proper disinfection precautions aren’t followed when it comes to porous tools such as emery boards and toe separators, as well as pedicure footbaths,” says Dr. Stern.

    Not picking at your nails is also paramount, as well as wearing footwear in wet communal areas, such as locker rooms and swimming pool decks, points out Dr. Chen. And since most fungal infections of the toenails start with a fungal skin infection that spreads to the nail, it’s important to protect the skin.

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    When Antifungals Develop Resistance

    If you must take an antifungal medication of any kind, following your doctors orders is important not only in treating the fungus but in helping to prevent antifungal resistance a problem that could make it more difficult for your body to fight off fungal infections because the fungi stop responding to the medications prescribed.

    Antifungal resistance can develop if a fungal infection is not treated long enough or if the dosage of the antifungal drug is too low. Fungi are smart and find crafty ways to work around the medications that would otherwise kill them or keep them from growing and spreading. The overuse and unnecessary use of antifungals also contribute to resistance.

    The use of antibiotics plays a role in antifungal resistance, possibly because antibiotics reduce protective as well as harmful bacteria in the gut, leaving the system more vulnerable to fungal infection. In a study in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, researchers collected blood samples from 444 hospitalized patients who had developed fluconazole resistant candidemia, a blood infection caused by the fungus Candida. About 92% of the patients had received treatment with one or more antibiotics within 30 days before the onset of candidemia, suggesting the fungal infection was associated with antibiotic exposure. The researchers suggested reduction of bacteria in the gut may have allowed for fungal infection with resistant Candida.

    Few Precautions To Take

    To improve the chances of getting rid of toenail fungus for good with any treatment, keep feet dry at all times. If your feet are prone to sweating, wear moisture absorbing socks and shoes that allow for plenty of ventilation.

    Use medicated foot powder if necessary. Nail fungus thrives in warm, moist areas and sweaty feet provide a prime opportunity for infections to set in and spread.

    Additionally, if you have foot fungus , treat that too with Funginix as soon as possible. The dermatophytes that cause athletes foot are the same as those that cause nail fungus. It can be near impossible to keep nail fungus from recurring if your feet are infected.

    To avoid exposing and spreading the infection to other parts of your body, thoroughly wash your hands after touching infected parts.

    Like other topical solutions same precautions also apply to Funginix. Consumers are cautioned to not ingest or put the topical solution in the eyes or mucus membranes. Flush your eyes if the topical solution comes into contact with eyes.

    Read Also: How To Get Rid Of White Fungus On Grass

    Tips For Prevention Of Fungal Nails

    Nail fungus causes only 50% of abnormal-appearing nails. It can be hard to tell the difference between the different causes of discolored nails . Onychomycosis is often not treated. Reasons to receive treatment include

  • diabetes,
  • No one knows where a specific person catches the fungus, as it is everywhere. However, since the fungus does thrive in warm moist areas , there are certain areas one should avoid or use with caution. Shower floors, locker rooms, and swimming pools are suspected of being sources of the fungus, although there are no studies proving this fact. Nail polish and acrylic nails also make the nail less breathable and make the nail more susceptible to fungal infection. Fungi are everywhere in the air, the dust, and the soil. Hygienic measures such as spraying socks and footgear sound sensible, and perhaps these measures can even help a little bit. However, avoiding tight, nonbreathing shoes or steering clear of athletic facility floors may very well be the best prevention available. Daily washing of the feet and drying between the toes can help to prevent nail fungus. The fungi carried on the coats of pets, like cats and dogs, dont often cause nail fungus. Wearing white socks does not help.

    Recommended Reading: What To Drink For Nail Fungus

    How To Prevent A Nail Infection In The First Place

    A Review of Jublia for Treatment of Toenail Fungus by Seattle Podiatrist Dr Larry Huppin

    Trim your nails carefullyingrown nails can arise from cutting nails too short at the edges, since as they grow out they can catch skin. Cut nails straight across and get rid of any pointy corners. And never share clippers, as this can spread infection from person to person even consider bringing your own tools to a professional mani or pedi.

    Its also important to wash your feet with soapy water, being sure to get in between your toes, to prevent fungus or bacteria from building up and be sure to dry them thoroughly, since fungus loves a moist environment. Wear breathable socks and use antifungal spray or powder if going sock-less.

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