How To Use Vicks For Toenail Fungus

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.

The Price Certainly Doesn’t Get Any Better

If you are going to try a treatment for toenail fungus then one thing you definitely have to consider is the price… and the price here is pretty darn good fortunately.

A 1.76 oz little tub usually costs somewhere around $5-6 and you can pick it up at any Walmart, Walgreen’s, CVS, and plenty other stores.

That is a very cheap treatment and I’m sure you are well aware of that if you have been searching for treatments for any good length of time.

There are some rather ridiculously priced toenail fungus treatments out there that show less promising results than VICKS.

*Emuaid MAX is a more expensive topical treatment, but is something else you may want to read about. It is one of the very few toenail fungus treatments that we recommend here at Operation Wellness.

How Safe Is Vicks Vaporub For Long Term Use

As already explained, Vicks would take more than a few weeks to treat Toenail fungus. So, it is important to check if it would pose any side effects if used in the long term.

Among various ingredients, Camphor can be poisonous if ingested in large amount. External application is quite safe though. As a precautionary measure, the Food and Drug Administration has defined a maximum limit of 11% for all camphor containing external topical solutions . It means that no medicine designed for external treatment can have a camphor concentration more than 11%. Vicks contains only 4.8% camphor, hence, quite safe to use.

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How Often Should I Apply Vicks Vaporub To My Infected Nails

If possible, we recommend utilizing the Vicks Vaporub formula twice a day once in the morning and once at night. Everybodys skin and nails react differently to the formula and have different levels of sensitivity. If twice a day proves to be too extensive and causes any sort of adverse reaction, consider cutting it down to once a day.

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.

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How To Use Vicks Vaporub For Toenail Fungustreatment

As established above, the possibility of having Vicks VapoRub work for your toenail fungus is pretty slim under 40% precisely. However, you can determine if it will work if you fall under the following category:

• The entire toenail was not affected by the fungi
• There is no pain
• You do not have thick skin under and around the affected nail
• The nail has not grown into the skin edges
• The nail hasnt changed color to whitish-yellow, and there are not colored streaks

How to use Vicks VapoRub for Toenail Fungustreatment

Benefits of Using Vicks VapoRub for Toenail Fungus

What Kills Toenail Fungus Fast?

Top 5 Signs Your Toenail Fungus May Have Escalated To An Infection

A little case of toenail fungus is practically a rite of passage you quickly learn not to go barefoot in a locker room or shared shower area again and to always pack clean socks. But what happens when your toenail problem goes beyond a suspect smell and yellowed appearance?

At Rocky Mountain Foot and Ankle Center, with locations in Wheat Ridge, Granby, Evergreen, and Arvada, Colorado, our team of podiatrists and foot and ankle surgeons provide care for fungal toenail infections and much more. They believe in educating patients about skin and nail care so you can help avoid common problems and keep your feet healthy and strong.

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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.

What Causes Toenail Fungus

The fungi responsible for toenail fungus enjoy a warm, moist environment. Poor hygiene does make the matters worse. Generally, chances of getting toenail fungus increases with increasing age and males are more susceptible to toenail fungus than females. The exact reason is not clear, but, lesser sensitivity of men towards hygiene surely plays a role here.

Who suffer from toenail fungus?

• People who sweat a lot
• People who use public pools or takes communal showers such as at the gym
• People who visit parlors regularly for nail work- manicure and pedicure
• People who suffer from health issues such as diabetes, malnutrition, weak immune system and chronic smoking.

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Whats The Connection Between Vicks Vaporub And Toenail Fungus

Youâre probably familiar with the strong smell of this over-the-counter topical cough suppressant by Procter & Gamble. Giving Vicks VapoRub its infamous smell is camphor, eucalyptus oil and menthol.

The connection between toenail fungus and VapoRub comes down to the two active ingredients: camphor, eucalyptus oil. These ingredients have been seen to have antifungal properties.

While their intended use is to soothe a cough when applied to the chest, there are some that swear itâs strong enough to kill toenail fungus.

Toenail fungus can be caused by a few different strains of fungi. Can VapoRub act as a catch-all and kill all toenail fungus?

Letâs find out.

Scoop Out Some Vicks With A Spoon

Use a spoon to scoop out a small amount of Vicks. Its important to use your spoon and not your applicator, as it would be unhygienic to use, say, a cotton ball to apply the Vicks to your toenail, then re-dip it in the Vicks for a second helping.

Remember also that touching your toenail directly is a bad idea.

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Toenail Fungus: Symptoms And Causes

If one or more of your nails are infected with fungus, you may have nail fungus.

Nail fungus can infect fingernails, although it affects toenails more frequently.

Various fungal species cause fungal nail infections . The most common cause is dermatophyte, a type of fungus. Yeast and molds can also infect the nails, causing infection.

People of any age can acquire a fungus nail infection, but it is more common among the elderly. The nail might become brittle and dry as it gets older. Fungi can infiltrate through the breaks in the nails as a result of this. Other factors, such as poor blood circulation in the feet and a weaker immune system, could also be involved. Athletes feet can cause toenail fungal infection, which can spread from one nail to the next. However, contracting an infection from someone else is uncommon.

Home Remedies For Toenail Fungus

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Toenail fungus, also known as onychomycosis or tinea unguium, is a common nail condition affecting millions of people in the United States. Fungal nail infections can develop on the nail from various organisms such as molds, yeasts, and fungi. This usually occurs after these organisms come into contact with a cracked nail or skin surrounding the nail as the opening provides a portal of entry for these organisms.

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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.

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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Vicks Vaporub And Its Ingredients

Vicks VapoRub is a household ointment, and it is commonly designed for cough and cold suppression. But some studies show that some of the ingredients can help treat toenail fungus.

Vicks ingredients are made of camphor, menthol, cedar leaf oil, some nutmeg oils, turpentine oil, eucalyptus oil, and petrolatum. And these oils are believed to be the best of the best in treating nail fungus.

Also, it has been passed on generations to generations in every household. It can also be used to treat ear infections, athletes foot, and hemorrhoids.

Nothing Worked Until The Vicks Vaporub Cure:

Q. This may sound crazy but its true. I had toenail fungus for a number of years. I had tried one prescription which didnt help. Then I tried painting my nails with vinegar with no result. Then I tried Vicks VapoRub on the affected nails. That worked like a miracle!

My result may be uncommon, but Im a believer! Cant hurt to try it. Vicks costs next to nothing!

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Does Vicks Vapor Rub Cure Toenail Fungus

It has been rumored that curing toenail fungus is as easy as going to your kitchen pantry or bathroom medicine cabinet. Vinegar and Vicks Vapor Rub are two products that are supposed to cure toenail fungus.

The problem with these home remedies is that there is no recommended treatment regimen for either product. There also have not been any clinical studies confirming that either treatment is effective. The Mayo Clinic mentions both treatments, but emphasizes that there is no clinical evidence supporting either claim.

A podiatrist can diagnose your condition as onychomycosis and provide scientifically-based treatment that is right for you.

There are three types of treatment for onychomycosis:

• Topical Medications
• Oral Medications
• Laser Treatment

All of these treatments penetrate the nail bed at the source of nail infection. The problem with vinegar baths or applying Vicks Vapor Rub is that they dont penetrate the nail bed and get to the source of the fungal infection.

If you want the best treatment options available for killing fungus, call our office at 816-943-1111. Dr. Mark Green has been treating conditions of the foot and ankle for over nineteen years.

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How To Apply Vicks Vaporrub

Severe cases of toenail infection can cause you pain and irreversible toenail damage. To fully get the optimal result, twice a day is the recommended time to use this product, once in the morning and once at night.

Everyone has different skin types, so you might need to beware of how much youre putting in your toenail. Rub the Vicks VaporRub to the affected area and gently massage it. If twice a day is a bit much for you, you can have it once a day to see if there are some changes.

Once the infection is gone, you make sure to keep your toenails dry, clean, and well-maintained. You never know if they will come back, reinfection is a common scenario. As always, if the infection is still there, you might want to check in with your doctor for further assessments.

Is Using Vicks Vaporub For Toenail Fungus A Myth

Many of our users wonder if using Vicks Vaporub for toenail or fingernail fungus is a myth. It is not a myth Vicks Vaporub is both anti-fungal and anti-bacterial and can help treat your fungal infection. However, it was not created for this purpose and there are quicker options for treating your nail fungus.

Importantly, Vicks Vaporub might take up to a year to start clearing the fungal infection, while other treatments, such as Zane Hellas Fungus Stop can take as little as a few weeks.

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Myth Or Reality: Is Vicks Vaporub Effective For Mycotic Toenails

Honestly, when I read anything about Vicks VapoRub and onychomycosis, my mythbusters mind activates. I cant even count the times I have heard physicians and patients extol the positives of this over-the-counter ointment. I understand the cost benefit of using an easily attainable product but I want to see the evidence before recommending it.

What are the components of Vicks VapoRub? Thymol, menthol, camphor and oil of eucalyptus seem to be broad spectrum anti-infectives that have shown activity in vitro against Candida, Aspergillus and some dermatophytes.1 That said, in a recent literature search for a chapter I am writing on the myths of onychomycosis, I came across several articles on the use of the mentholated ointment for toenails, one of which was a clinical trial.1

The first clinical trial completed using Vicks VapoRub on mycotic nails was a pilot study by a family medicine group.1 Eighteen people who had nail disease completed the 48-week study. There are some positive aspects of this study but it did not follow all of the protocols that researchers normally do for topical antifungal studies. Unlike Phase 3 clinical trials for toenail onychomycosis, this study did not exclusively enroll patients who had cultures for dermatophytes like T. rubrum or T. mentagrophytes, and did not limit the percent of the affected nail to 50 or 60 percent.

Did this study convince me to recommend Vicks VapoRub to my toenail onychomycosis patients? No.

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