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 Effective Are Topical Treatments
So far, only a few studies have looked into topical nail fungus treatments with nail polishes or creams. Because these studies had weaknesses, the results should be interpreted with caution. Amorolfine has not yet been well studied. Ciclopirox polish and treatment sets with urea and bifonazole cream were tested in a few studies.
Research on the effectiveness of nail polish containing ciclopirox showed that, after one year:
- About 10 out of 100 people who did not use ciclopirox no longer had a detectable fungal nail infection.
- About 32 out of 100 people who used ciclopirox no longer had a detectable fungal nail infection.
In other words, treatment with ciclopirox got rid of the fungal infection in about 22 out of 100 people. But even if the fungus had gone away, the cosmetic result wasnt always satisfying. The nails only looked healthy after treatment in 7 out of 100 people.
Treatment with sets containing urea and bifonazole cream was tested in one study. It was compared with a treatment in which only urea cream was applied and the nail was removed, but without applying bifonazole cream afterwards. Three months after treatment was completed, it was found that:
- No fungus was visible or detectable in about 41 out of 100 people who only used urea cream.
- No fungus was visible or detectable in about 51 out of 100 people who used both urea and bifonazole cream.
Potential Risks And Complications
If untreated, athletes foot can result in a bacterial infection if skin is broken. This can happen due to scratching or when blisters pop or ulcers become infected. Any type of infection can be very serious and requires prompt treatment.
Athletes foot is also very contagious. It can easily spread to your hands, especially if youre scratching at the affected area. This fungus can also infect the area under your nails, which can be more difficult to treat, or the groin area.
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What Are The Best Toenail Fungus Ointment And Cream Treatments
Tea tree oil has been used for centuries as an antiseptic and fungicidal remedy. Its a powerful treatment for fungal nail infections.
Toenail fungus creams and ointments: Several over the counter products are available to ward off the disease at home. In case you notice any whitish plaques on the nail surface, clip them off. Soak your feet in clean warm water, dry them properly and apply the ointment or lotion. If you have athletes foot as well, treat it with medicated powder. It is important to keep your feet clean and dry all the time.
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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What Other Information Should I Know
Keep all appointments with your doctor.
Do not let anyone else use your medication. Ask your pharmacist any questions you have about refilling your prescription.
It is important for you to keep a written list of all of the prescription and nonprescription medicines you are taking, as well as any products such as vitamins, minerals, or other dietary supplements. You should bring this list with you each time you visit a doctor or if you are admitted to a hospital. It is also important information to carry with you in case of emergencies.
How Did I Get Fingernail Fungus
Fungal nail infection can develop in people at any age, but its more common in older adults. As the nail ages, it can become brittle and dry. The resulting cracks in the nails allow fungi to enter. Other factors such as reduced blood circulation to the feet and a weakened immune system also may play a role.
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Pills For Toenail Fungus Treatment
Oral medications, or those that come in pill form, generally work more quickly than topical medications for toenail fungus treatment. They have higher cure rates and the overall treatment time may be shorter than topical options. Pills to treat toenail fungus, however, will require a prescription. It is also important to note that improvement will continue AFTER oral therapy is stopped, and it may take 9 to 12 months for you to see full results.
The top treatments for toenail fungus are:
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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About Fungal Nail Infection
Many people develop a fungal nail infection at some point in their life. It’s not usually serious, but can be unpleasant and difficult to treat.
The infection develops slowly and causes the nail to become discoloured, thickened and distorted.
Toenails are more frequently affected than the fingernails.
The medical name for a fungal nail infection is onychomycosis.
Faq: Why Don’t Otc Medications Cure My Toenail Fungus
“Do Not Use on Scalp or Nails”
“Not Effective on Nails”
Many patients coming in for treatment of fungal nails having already tried one or more over the counter nail medications or creams prescribed by a well meaning primary care physician. These patients are frustrated because the medications didn’t make a bit of difference. In fact, using these medications as a primary or sole treatment is almost always doomed to failure. There are several reasons for this.
First, the hard part about treating fungus in the nails isn’t the fungus, it is the nail itself. Particularly with the thicker nails, topical medication cannot penetrate the nail plate adequately. The same fungus in the skin, known as athlete’s foot, is more easily treated because the skin absorbs medication readily. OTC medications for nails have decent antifungal medicines but use a harsh chemical in an attempt to penetrate the nail plate . They can irritate the skin surrounding the nail if you get it one the skin.
All that being said, there is a place for topical medications in treating nail fungus. In our office we use Clarus topical nail solution as an adjunct, part of a comprehensive plan for treating fungal nails. It contains no harsh chemicals and is used to a) treat the nail surface and b) protects the nails as they grow while using the more effective treatments of oral medication and/or laser treatment. Keep in mind that it can take many months to see improvement when treating fungal nails by any method.
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What Is Athletes Foot
Athletes foot, also called tinea pedis, is a fungal infection that occurs on the upper layer of skin and thrives in warm, moist areas. It often manifests as red, flaky, and/or scaly skin between the toes or on the soles of the feet and can be accompanied by oozing or itching blisters.
Athletes foot is caused by a type of fungus called a dermatophyte , the same kind that causes jock itch. Dermatophytes love darkness, warmth, and moisture, which allow them to reproduce. They function by decomposing keratin and often infect keratin-rich tissues like skin, nails, and hair. The easiest way to contract athletes foot is by walking barefoot where this fungus is present. Bathrooms, locker rooms, and public swimming pools are common breeding grounds for these pesky fungal cells because they get a lot of barefoot traffic.
Fungus grows and reproduces by making spores, which are extremely hardy, dormant organisms that can be all over our toes or bathroom floor, said Yolanda Ragland, doctor of podiatric medicine, founder, and CEO of Fix Your Feet. Fungus doesnt mean you are dirty, but it could be dormant for years, and if someone susceptible steps on it and then puts on their shoes, the fungus will grow as our feet sweat in these dark, moist areas. There are people who get fungal infections and people who do notwhether you are susceptible is determined by your physiology.
What Oral Medications Are Available
To treat fungal nail infections from inside the body, you can take tablets that inhibit the growth of fungi or kill them. They are all prescription-only. Terbinafine and itraconazole are typically used for this purpose.
- Terbinafine is preferred if the nail fungus is caused by a skin fungus . This is usually the case.
- Itraconazole is generally used if the nail infection is caused by yeast or mold.
Itraconazole and terbinafine tablets can both be taken either continuously or with breaks between treatments. But they are used differently:
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Nail Fungus Treatment Challenges
Depending on the type of fungal infection, your doctor may have prescribed a topical cream applied to the nail that must be applied once or twice a day a topical medicated nail polish oral antifungal medicines or laser treatment, which removes damaged parts of the nail and/or skin. Light therapy for fungal infection can be used alongside physicians prescribed cream or medicine for an effective recovery.
As you may have learned first-hand, though, fungal infections are easily hidden and notoriously hard to treat. There are several reasons for this:
- Feet naturally provide a moist, warm, and dark environment that fungi thrive in. Unless great care is taken to keep feet dry and aired out , theres always a chance that a well-hidden fungus can multiply and thrive.
- As you age, toenails can become drier and develop cracks where the fungus can hide.
- Toenail fungus can get into the layers of keratin that make up the toenail, which offers an even more secure hiding place than toenail cracks.
- The fungus can even grow underneath the toenail, where topical antifungal agents cant reach.
Nail fungus is more prevalent in toes than fingers for two important reasons that are not addressed by traditional treatments:
Conventional treatment options typically take a long time to yield results. Depending on the type of fungus, you could be looking at a 3- to 12-month treatment before seeing any evidence of a healthy new nail growing in.
Terbinafine For Toenail Fungus Treatment
The best pill for toenail fungus is terbinafine. Evidence suggests it works better than the alternatives with the fewest side effects. Terbinafine results in resolution of toenail fungus 76% of the time. Common side effects may include headaches, skin rash, and vomiting. It is taken once a day for 6 to 12 weeks.
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Whos At Risk For Fungal Infections
There are many different causes of fungal nail infections. Each cause has a treatment of its own. Although many of the causes of a fungal nail infection are preventable, some risk factors increase the likelihood of developing one. Youre more likely to develop a fungal nail infection if you:
- wear closed-toe shoes, such as tennis shoes or boots
Nail infections occur more often in men than in women, and the infections are found in adults more often than in children. If you have family members who often get these types of fungal infections, youre more likely to get them as well.
Older adults have a high risk for getting fungal nail infections because they have poorer circulation. The nails also grow more slowly and thicken as we age.
A fungal infection of the nail may affect part of the nail, the entire nail, or several nails.
Common signs of a fungal nail infection include:
- a distorted nail that may lift off from the nail bed
- an odor coming from the infected nail
- a brittle or thickened nail
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.
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Treatments For Toenail Fungus
The best way to start treating your toenail fungus is to have an appointment with your doctor so that you can receive proper diagnosis. Other nail conditions can look similar to fungus, such as post-injury changes to the nail plate, so often your physician will take samples of the nail to be evaluated prior to recommending therapy.
There are several over-the-counter ointments and medications that you can try to treat your toenail fungus. Your doctor can also prescribe oral and topical prescription medications. Surgery to remove the nail and Laser treatments are also available. The goal of most of these treatment options is to attempt to kill the fungus and allow the uninfected nail to grow out. It takes approximately 10 to 12 months for toenails to grow out. The choice of treatment modality will vary considerably depending on severity and extent of the disease, coexisting medical conditions, patient medications, physician and patient preference.
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.
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What Is Toenail Fungus & Its Causes
Toenail fungus is a localized infection of one or more toenails caused by fungal organisms. The most common of these is called dermatophyte. Yeast and mold can also cause infection. Most of these infections begin when the agents that cause athletes foot spread into the nail. It is unusual to get an infection from someone else, but damp areas such as locker rooms can spread them.
What Is The Outcome For Someone Who Has Nail Fungus
With treatment, many people can get rid of nail fungus. Even when the fungus clears, your nail may look unhealthy until the infected nail grows out. A fingernail grows out in 4 to 6 months and a toenail in 12 to 18 months.
To clear the fungus, its important to:
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Use the treatment exactly as prescribed
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Apply the medicine for as long as prescribed
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Keep all follow-up appointments with your dermatologist
Nail fungus can be stubborn. If you had a severe infection, its possible to clear the infection. A healthy looking nail, however, may be unrealistic, but you can expect the nail to look better and feel more comfortable.
Even with clearing, nail fungus can return. Youll find steps to reduce your risk in Tips: 12 ways to prevent another nail infection.
ImageGetty Images
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Check For Breaks In The Skin
Once the nails are clean, dry them thoroughly using a clean cloth. Check the skin around the nails for cuts or breaks in the skin.
Keep in mind that if your skin is broken in any place, applying rubbing alcohol will sting. This makes it important to check your skin prior to treatment.
While a small break in the skin may not be much of a problem, if you have a big cut or unhealed blisters in the area, you may want to postpone the rubbing alcohol treatment for toenail fungus until your cuts and blisters have healed completely.
The best way to start treating your toenail fungus is to have an appointment with your doctor so that you can receive proper diagnosis. Other nail conditions can look similar to fungus, such as post-injury changes to the nail plate, so often your physician will take samples of the nail to be evaluated prior to recommending therapy.