How To Get Rid Of Toenail Fungus
All treatments can take up to a year to work, so you need to be consistent and commit to following the treatment plan for the long haul.
These infections are hard to treat because its difficult for medications to get into the keratin that makes up nails and the blood vessels dont connect to the nail. Many people find it hard to continue to use the medications for as long as is needed and may give up after months or even weeks.
Sometimes the nail will start to look better, but the fungus is still there. Your toenail fungus isnt cured until your doctor cant detect the fungus in your toenail clippings.
Pro Tip
There are a lot of folk remedies and over-the-counter topical treatments, but if you really want to get rid of this infection, youre probably going to need to take oral medication. Dr. Jacobsen
Remedies To Treat Toenail Fungus
After you make lifestyle changes to prevent recurring infections, there are many ways you can treat your toenail fungus. Conventional fungal treatments include medicated nail polish, medicated nail cream, and oral antifungal drugs. If your infection is mild, or if youre anxiously awaiting your doctor appointment, home remedies may provide some relief.
How To Cure Toenail Fungus: Can Vinegar Help
This article was co-authored by Zora Degrandpre, ND. Dr. Degrandpre is a Licensed Naturopathic Physician in Vancouver, Washington. She is also a grant reviewer for the National Institutes of Health and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. She received her ND from the National College of Natural Medicine in 2007.There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 19 testimonials and 88% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 1,073,560 times.
Nail fungus refers to a fungal infection that starts underneath your toenails. It could cause discoloration, thickening, or crumbling on one or more of your nails. This is a frustrating problem, so youll naturally want to get rid of nail fungus as soon as possible. One remedy you may have heard of is soaking your foot in vinegar to clear the infection. Vinegar is acidic, so it will kill bacteria and fungus.XResearch source However, this remedy has very limited success because the vinegar cant penetrate under the nail. You can try it if you want to, but visit a podiatrist for further treatment if you dont see any results in 2 weeks.
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What Is Black Fungus Under Toenail
Patients routinely ask us, what is black fungus under the toenail?
- Black fungus under the toenail is caused by a toenail fungus-infected toenail detaching from the skin.
- This can usually result from the rupture of the small blood vessels called capillaries.
- When the capillaries rupture, they will create bleeding between the toenail and the skin.
- This small amount of blood flow between the nail and the underlying skin will eventually turn black and form a scab.
- This prevents the toenail from re-attaching to the skin.
- This essentially results in a dead toenail.
- Watch the video below to see how to fix black fungus under the toenails.
Staying One Step Ahead Of Toenail Fungus
An established fungal infection is hard to eradicate, but you can stop its spread and improve your toenail’s appearance.
Toenail fungus isn’t a pressing health problem. Yet a fungal infection can ruin the appearance of your nails and cause pain as it lifts the nail away from the nail bed. And fungal infections are notoriously difficult to get rid of. “You may want to consider fungal toenail a condition to be managed rather than cured,” says Dr. James P. Ioli, chief of the podiatry service at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
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How To Get Rid Of Toe Fungus
This article was co-authored by . Dr. Mark Co is a Podiatrist who runs his own private practice in San Francisco, California. Dr. Co specializes in treatments for bunions, ingrown toenails, toenail fungus, warts, plantar fasciitis and other causes of foot pain. He also offers custom orthotics for the treatment and prevention of foot and ankle issues. Dr. Co completed a Master of Business Administration at New York University and an MA in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Co also completed his DPM at the California School of Podiatric Medicine and a residency and internship at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, Santa Clara, California. Dr. Co was awarded San Francisco’s “Top 3 Podiatrists” in 2018, 2019, and 2020. Dr. Co is also a member of the CPMA .There are 15 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 96% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 1,477,639 times.
Know It Need Not Be Your Only Option
As already mentioned, nail removal is usually a last resort, after other methods have failed to be effective. As such, your doctor is not likely to recommend or even mention nail removal before trying oral and topical medications, ointments, and various other treatments.
Depending on the precise issue, many people have found great success and healing using all kinds of other treatments. Because nail fungus is a very common reason for toenail removal, look at thesedifferentoptions for how to safely and effectively treat toenail fungus.
However, the more severe the case and the longer it has gone without treatment, the more likely your doctor will insist on nail removal as the only possible option.
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Take Care Of Your Toes
Use soap and water to wash your feet, and dry well, including between toes. Trim your toenails — straight across — to keep them shorter than the end of your toe. Make sure the tools you use are clean, too. Wash clippers and files with soap and water, then wipe with rubbing alcohol. You might be tempted to cover up discolored nails with polish, but don’t. Your nail bed can’t “breathe,” which keeps fungus from going away.
Vicks Vapor Rub For Toenail Fungus Myth Or Miracle Cure
Is VICKS VapoRub for toenail fungus effective?
There our a lot of home remedies out there for curing toenail fungus, but a lot of them simply do not work. You have apple cider vinegar, Epsom salt baths, all the essential oils, etc.
VICKS Vaper Rub, which is really called the trademark name of VICKS VapoRub, is one of the many cheap treatment options out there that some people suggest But Does It Actually Work?
The answer is YES, at least to some extent… It definitely does have some potential as a treatment option as you will see. And… it’s easy to find in stores and it’s cheap, so of course this is something that a lot of people are going to be interested in, especially when you look at other treatment options which can get pretty darn expensive.
Some statistics say that around 10% of the population has at least some amount of toenail fungus and around 50% of people 70 years old and older have it. It’s a pretty crazy statistic and there is no doubt that toenail fungus is a big problem.
Much of the time it goes away on its own due to the body’s effective immune response, but sometimes it can get out of hand and requires serious attention. Of course you do not want that to happen so treating as soon as possible should be a priority.
Toenail Fungus Explained:
- Thickened nails
- Discoloration, usually whitish or yellowish
- Brittle fractured nails
- Darkened color from all the dead debris
- Bad smells and strange looks from onlookers
Read Also: Do Home Remedies Work For Toenail Fungus
Treatment Options For Nail Fungus
Interviewer:
Dr. Hull:
Interviewer:
Dr. Hull:
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.
Interviewer:
Dr. Hull:
Interviewer:
Dr. Hull:
Interviewer:
Dr. Hull:
Making A Vinegar Soak
If you want to try treating your nail fungus with vinegar, then the best thing to do is soak your foot in a vinegar-water mixture. Diluting the vinegar is important to prevent it from irritating your skin. Try a daily soak and see if it helps clear the infection. If not, then don’t panic. You can still use more conventional treatments.
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What If It Does Happen Again
Sometimes, despite our best efforts, a fungal infection can return. The good news is, you likely know what to look for in your nails by now, and catching it early will most likely mean a much easier and shorter treatment time than your first go.
Our treatments, including Lunula laser therapy, are ready for you when needed. We will be perfectly happy if we never have to use them for you again, however.
If you ever have any questions or suspicions regarding a potential fungal nail infection, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Call our Princeton office at or our Roselle Park office at . You also can consult our free downloadable guide on fungal nails for some more tips!
Is It Fungus Or Melanoma
Melanoma is a form of skin cancer that can develop on the nail bed. It has a dark brown or black color and can be mistaken for toenail fungus or another toenail problem like a bruise. Melanoma is much less common than toenail fungus, but it can be life-threatening if not caught early.
Both toenail fungus and melanoma can appear as a dark stripe on the toenail and may increase in size over time. The toenail can become split and damaged in both conditions.
Toenail fungus is more likely to cause thickening of the toenail and a buildup of material underneath it. Melanoma causes the skin of the nailbed to change color, which does not happen with toenail fungus, but it can be difficult to see.
Because melanoma can be very aggressive, its important to have your doctor examine a darkened toenail. Your doctor can confirm the diagnosis of toenail fungus by looking at clippings under a microscope and of melanoma by taking a biopsy.
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Nail Tools Shopping List
The golden rule of giving yourself a pedicure with foot fungus: throw it away when you can. Prioritize cheap but effective nail tools that you can discard after one use. High grade rubbing alcohol is a must for disinfecting your non-disposable tools. Add healing items to your foot soaks and dont forget to moisturize!
This shopping list is a good place to begin:
Who Gets Nail Fungus
Men are more likely to be infected by nail fungus than women. And, the elderly are more susceptible to it than the young. The conditions and factors that make one more susceptible to the infection are as follows:
- Walking barefoot
- Wearing shoes and socks that inhibit ventilation
- Slow growing nails
- Family history of fungal infection
- Humid or moist work environment
- Previous injury on the nail
- Diabetes, AIDS and weakened immune system
- Tight footwear
- Wear rubber gloves when needed
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How To Avoid Spreading Fungus
- Studies have shown that toenail fungus easily spreads in close quarters. Isolate your infection by using the same foot soak basin for soaks and pedicures, and cleanse the basin thoroughly with Clorox bleach or Lysol. If possible, dump the used water outside.
- Dont share nail tools with family or friends. Nail clippers and files, cuticle clippers and pushers, and buffers are magnets for fungi.
- Opt for disposal items to remove polish and dry your toes, such as cotton pads. If you use rags or towels, immediately put them in the washerbut first, make sure its empty. You dont want fungal spores from an infected toenail contaminating your undergarments!
- As you give yourself a pedicure, rest your feet on paper towels instead of your bath mat. Wearing disposable flip-flops is the better option if you dont want to scrub the bathroom floor or tub.
- Leaving your toenails unpainted allows the nail bed to breathe. But if you must embellish your toes , plan on throwing the polish away afterward.
Keep Clippers To Yourself
If you have been using a certain pair of clippers on your toes, you will very much want to disinfect or replace those as well. How best to do this?
- Let the clippers soak in boiling water for a few minutes.
- After removing them , scrub with dish soap and an old toothbrush to clean off any remaining dead skin cells or residues.
- Rise, then wipe down the clippers with a paper towel soaked in rubbing alcohol.
- Completely dry the clippers with a paper towel to avoid rusting.
You can also use Barbicide if you happen to have it around.
Now that you have a clean pair of toenail clippers, make sure to use them only on your toenails. They should be the larger kind designed for toenails, too. Sharing clippers runs another risk of fungal infection, and using the same pair of clippers on your fingernails and toenails can run the risk of transferring an infection from your feet to your hands, or vice versa.
Read Also: Can Toenail Fungus Spread To Skin
Treating Toenail Fungus Medically
Can Toenail Fungus Be Black
Yes, certain types of black yeast and black bacterial infections can cause the toenails to turn black.
In our opinion, we see this much less frequently than dry blood underneath the toenail.
In roughly 99% of scenarios that we see: the thick fungal toenail detaches from the underlying skin, and dry blood forms underneath the toenail.
This prevents the toenail from reattaching to the skin and creates a thick black toenail that can cause pain.
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I Would Highly Recommend This Doctor For Any And All Foot Issues
Prior to having my bunion removed , boy was I nervous. But to tell the truth, Dr. Patel put me at ease with everything from start to finish. My foot healed exactly as he said, and I wondered why I put it off so long. Susans nurse/office staff took care of all the paperwork and working with my insurance always on hand to assist with all my questions.
When the time came for my other foot, well it was a no-brainer. Dr. Patel is my only choice! I would highly recommend this doctor for any and all foot issuesnothing to be afraid of -take care of those feet.Sincerely,
Donna C. Hamden. CT