What Do You Use On Toenail Fungus

How Fungus Forms On Toenails

Usually toenail infection develops when the nail or surrounding skin has a small crack or cut and the area is exposed to fungus in the environment.

Warm, moist conditions allow fungus to grow. Walking barefoot in locker rooms or shared showers can increase your risk of coming in contact with fungus. Having sweaty feet or wearing non-breathable shoes can help the fungus take hold and spread.

Diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, and a weak immune system can increase risk for toenail fungus.

Its also more common in older adults. Up to half of adults over the age of 70 may have toenail fungus, according to the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics. A previous toenail injury, psoriasis, hyperhidrosis, and smoking can also increase risk. Children are rarely affected.

Does Vinegar Help With Toenail Fungus

There are no current studies out there pitting toenail fungus against a vinegar foot soak directly, but there are a few studies pointing to vinegar having some potential benefits as a general anti-fungal.All kinds of vinegar contain a natural mild acid called acetic acid, and this acid may be responsible for the antimicrobial abilities of vinegar.And one study found apple cider vinegar and acetic acid to display significant antifungal activity against ear fungal infections.So, while there is no conclusive evidence on vinegar helping with toenail fungus specifically, for a mild case it may be worth a few soaks since there is no harm from using one.But, toenail fungus tends to be a stubborn infection, so we recommend pairing any sort of potentially beneficial foot soak with validated prescription therapy guided by a physician.Alternatively, some may look into using an occasional vinegar foot soak to help get foot fungus reinfections at bay or as a preventative measure.

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Additional Tricks And Considerations

Even though these treatments are pretty great, there are a lot of other things that you can do in order to increase your chances and reduce the overall length of the treatment.

For example, it is very important to have proper foot hygiene. You will have to wash your feet regularly and dry them out. We suggest that you use the same towels for this purpose, and never interact with other parts of your body. This can lead to the spreading of the fungus. Disinfection of shoes and socks will also help. Lastly, make sure to wash your stuff on higher temperatures in order to kill the fungus that might’ve stayed.

It is especially important to keep proper toenail hygiene. Your nail clippers will have to be disinfected all the time with alcohol. Try to cut your toenails as often as possible, and cover them while outside. When you get back home, if the weather was rough, make sure to wash your feet once again and dry them out.

You will have to be very attentive during the summer as your feet will sweat and stink all the time. Going without socks will help a bit, but you will also have to wash your feet.

Lastly, you can use various antifungal sprays on your shoes and socks.

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Tips To Prevent Fungal Nail Infections

Making a few simple lifestyle changes can help prevent a fungal infection of the nails. Taking good care of your nails by keeping them well trimmed and clean is a good way to prevent infections.

Also avoid injuring the skin around your nails. If youre going to have damp or wet hands for an extended amount of time, you may want to wear rubber gloves.

Other ways to prevent fungal infections of the nails include:

• washing your hands after touching infected nails
• drying your feet well after showering, especially between your toes
• getting manicures or pedicures from trustworthy salons
• avoiding being barefoot in public places
• reducing your use of artificial nails and nail polish

Products to help you avoid nail fungus

If youre prone to excessive moisture around your fingernails or toenails, consider buying:

Who Suffers From Toenail Fungus

• Do you sweat a lot?
• Do you use a public pool or take communal showers at the gym?
• Do you regularly go to a nail salon to get a manicure or pedicure?
• Do you suffer from diabetes, malnutrition, a weak immune system, or have you smoked for a long time?

Unfortunately, if you answered yes to any of these questions, you are more likely to contract toenail fungus.

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What To Do If Toenail Falls Off From Fungus

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. Besides, how long does it take for a toenail to grow back after fungus?

It can take as long as a year to 18 months for your nail to grow out a fungus. There’s a chance the infection can come back — even if you get rid of it.

Additionally, what kills toenail fungus? Options include terbinafine and itraconazole . These drugs help a new nail grow free of infection, slowly replacing the infected part. You typically take this type of drug for six to 12 weeks. But you won’t see the end result of treatment until the nail grows back completely.

Beside this, can I cut off my toenail fungus?

If you do have a toenail fungus, your doctor will likely recommend one or more of the following treatment options: Trimming the Toenail Trimming the toenail is usually combined with medication, but having a podiatrist periodically trim the nail down is helpful and allows the medication to work better, says Sundling.

Should you remove a dead toenail?

When to remove the toenailIf only part of a toenail has fallen off, it is essential to leave the remaining part of the nail in place. Any nail that has not completely come away from the nail bed or is still attached to another bit of nail should be clipped off.

How Do I Know If I Have A Fungal Nail Infection

Because other infections can affect the nail and mimic symptoms of a fungal nail infection, the only way to confirm a diagnosis is to see a doctor. Theyll take a scraping of the nail and look under a microscope for signs of fungus.

In some cases, your doctor may send the sample to a lab for analysis and identification.

Over-the-counter products arent usually recommended to treat nail infections since they dont provide reliable results. Instead, your doctor may prescribe an oral antifungal medication, such as:

• terbinafine

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Preventative Steps To Take

While you cant always help your risk factors for toenail fungus, there are some preventive steps you can take:

• Bring your own sterilized instruments, such as nail clippers, to a nail salon.
• Keep your toenails short and clean to prevent nail trauma that can lead to cracking. If you have difficulty trimming your own toenails, your doctor may recommend seeing a podiatrist to help.
• Dont share personal care items like fingernail clippers or pumice stones with another person.
• Throw away or treat potentially infected footwear.
• Wear clean socks and wash socks after use.
• Wear sandals when walking in a locker room, public shower, or any other places where fungus is likely to grow.

Toenail fungal infections have a high rate of recurrence, even after youve treated them. Thats why its important to couple treatment measures with preventive ones to give yourself the best chance for keeping your toenails healthy in appearance.

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What Is Black Toenail Fungus

If you have a dark, thick toenail, it could be toenail fungus, which is usually caused by a type of fungus called dermatophytes. It affects the toenail and the area beneath the nail and causes color changes, thickening, and abnormally shaped nails.

Its fairly common, with at least 12% of American adults diagnosed with it, according to Seminars in Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery. Older adults and people with diabetes, circulation problems, or a weakened immune system are more likely to have toenail fungus.

This infection doesnt usually go away on its own, and it can take a year or more to treat it with prescription medications. These are applied to the nail or taken in pill form.

Signs Of A Toenail Fungal Infection

• Discolored toenails. Nails can be brown, black, white, or yellow. Usually a small area changes color at first and it slowly spreads.
• Thickened toenails. Over time, the nail becomes thick, material builds up under the nail, and the nail can develop an irregular shape, grooves, or a crumbling appearance.
• Affects one or more toenails. The fungus may spread to other toenails. The big toe is most commonly affected. The fungus can also occur in fingernails.
• Starts at the end or side of the toenail. The infection gradually spreads toward the cuticle.
• Usually painless unless there are skin changes or injury to the nail bed or if shoes press on the thick nail.
• Athletes foot. Some people will also have skin fungus on their feet, which looks like red, peeling skin between the toes.

Dr. Rx

Patients may say that they are embarrassed to go to the pool or the beach, or they avoid wearing sandals. They describe their nails as thick, crumbling, and abnormally colored. One patient described their nails as looking like an animals horn, which is pretty accurate. But they are so thrilled when they see results from treatment! Dr. Anne Jacobsen

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When Are The Different Treatments Considered

Most doctors recommend treating nail fungus with nail polish or cream if

• not much more than half of the nail is affected by the fungus,
• the base of the nail is not infected, and
• only some nails are affected.

Topical treatment is also usually recommended for children. One reason for this is that most oral medications arent suitable for children. Another reason is that children have thinner nails that grow more quickly, so its assumed that treatment with nail polish or creams is more likely to work in children than in adults. White superficial onychomycosis is also often treated with a nail polish or cream.

If several nails are infected by the fungus, or if the infection has spread out more on the affected nails, its usually necessary to take oral medication. And if the infection started at the base of the nail, its highly likely that only tablets will help.

What Is The Treatment For Fungal Nails

Oral antifungal therapy has a high cure rate, depending on the medication. It can take nine to 12 months to see if it has worked or not, because that is how long it takes for the nail to grow out. Even when therapy works, the fungus may come back. Currently, an oral antifungal therapy is considered the best treatment for toenail fungus because of higher cure rates and shorter treatment duration compared to topical therapy.

Prescription oral medications that are effective against nail fungus include the following:

There are several innovative treatments that are still being tested:

• Laser therapy or uses application of light-activated agents onto the nail followed by shining light of a proper wavelength on the nail.
• Use of electrical current to help absorption of topical antifungal medications into the nail: This is also called iontophoresis.
• Use of a special nail lacquer that changes the micro-climate of the nail to make it inhospitable for the fungus to grow: If this works, it may be an inexpensive way to treat this problem in the future.

One way to definitively get rid of toenail fungus is by surgery. Surgical treatment of onychomycosis involves nail removal. However, this often only provides temporary relief, and recurrence is common unless additional antifungal medication is simultaneously used. However, surgical removal may be warranted when the affected nail is associated with other factors such as trauma and or infection.

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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.

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

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 athletes 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.

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Why Does It Develop

A fungal nail infection occurs from the overgrowth of fungi in, under, or on the nail. Fungi thrive in warm, moist environments, so this type of environment can cause them to naturally overpopulate. The same fungi that cause jock itch, athletes foot, and ringworm can cause nail infections.

Fungi that are already present in or on your body can cause nail infections. If you have come in contact with someone else who has a fungal infection, you may have contracted it as well. Fungal infections affect toenails more commonly than fingernails, likely because your toes are usually confined to shoes, where theyre in a warm, moist environment.

If you get a manicure or pedicure at a nail salon, be sure to ask how the staff disinfects their tools and how often they do it. Tools, such as emery boards and nail clippers, can spread fungal infections from person to person if theyre not sanitized.

How To Use Hydrogen Peroxide For Nail Fungus

Hydrogen peroxide can be used separately to kill toenail fungus or in combination with other active antifungal agents such as vinegar.

Hydrogen peroxide foot or hand soak

It is a fact that using hydrogen peroxide for nail fungus is quite effective but how do you go about it? Soaking the affected nail in hydrogen peroxide will increase the oxygen level around the infection which is hostile to nail fungus. This is called oxidate therapy.

• Get hydrogen peroxide with a concentration level that is not higher than 3% to prevent skin damage
• Dilute hydrogen peroxide with warm water in a bucket or basin
• Soak the affected hand or foot in the hydrogen peroxide solution for about half an hour at least once a day
• Then dry the nails thoroughly

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Nail Fungus: Polish Cream Or Tablets

Nail fungus can be very persistent. Topical treatment with nail polish may take up to one year. Tablets for treating fungal nail infections usually have to be taken for several weeks or months. They are much more effective than topical treatments, but they have more side effects.

Brittle nails and a whitish-yellowish or brownish discoloration are typical signs of nail fungus. The nails may also become thicker and change shape. The affected part of the nail sometimes detaches from the nail bed. The treatment options for nail fungus include nail polishes and creams as well as tablets. Nail polishes and creams are available in pharmacies without a prescription.

What Causes Toenail Fungus And How To Prevent It

Unfortunately, the warm and moist environment inside your shoe can make you vulnerable to fungal infections. When these occur on the toenail, doctors call the condition onychomycosis. Fungal skin infections commonly called athletes foot can often affect the foot as well.

One of the you get a fungal toenail infection is when fungus invades small cracks in your toenail. Some people are at greater risk for this occurring, including those with:

• circulation problems, especially related to the feet
• diabetes
• history of injury, surgery, or damage to the nail
• impacted immune system function

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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

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, don’t often cause nail fungus. Wearing white socks does not help.