What Is The Best Home Remedy For Toenail Fungus
Self-care and body awareness can be key in keeping toenail fungus at bay. Wash feet with warm soapy water and pat completely dry to reduce the spread or growth of fungus on the feet. Allow feet to breathe when possible. Protect your feet and wear breathable shoes and clean socks. Change socks regularly and wash in hot water if you are struggling with toenail fungus. Over-the-counter antifungal powders used for treating athletes foot can also be used for treating mild cases of toenail fungus.
Avoid nail polish and pedicures that use polish or nail plate coatings. Even though you may want to conceal the discolored or warped look of an infected toenail, allowing maximum air circulation to the nail and skin of the toes is best.
Doctors Weigh Best Treatments
The best treatment for fungal nail infections is a prescription that your dermatologist can prescribe that you take every day for two-to-three months. The pill is not for everyone, since oral antifungals can interact with other medications and can affect the liver.
Fortunately if you dont want to or cant take a pill, there are topical solutions to treat nail fungus. Although topical medications are desirable because of the low risk of side effects and interaction with other medications, they have much longer treatment regimens. Generally, topical medications have a lower clearance rate compared to oral pills.
Newer topical antifungals including Efinaconazole and Tavaborole have better penetration of the nail plate and so they work better compared to older topical medications, says Dr. Ng. She says the topical medications work best if you only have partial nail involvement.
Lasers are approved by the FDA to temporarily increase the amount of clear nail. However, the cure rates are lower than oral medications and topical solutions.
What Is Toenail Fungus Laser Treatment
Lasers have been used to treat medical conditions since way back in the 1960s, but its only in the last few years that lasers have been used as a treatment for toenail fungus.
Its a pain free, non-invasive treatment without any worrying side effects, and can either be performed by a podiatrist in a clinic or thanks to new technology- in the comfort of your own home.
And it kills toenail fungus within a matter of minutes.
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Nail Fungus Treatment Laser By Bu
An excellent Ebook revealing the secrets of incredible medical recoveries is the icing on the cake for anyone who cares about their health, and it comes as part of the package with the Nail Fungus Treatment Laser by BU.
This little machine might be a mere 3 inches tall, but its a powerful tool in the fight against toenail fungus.
It features an operating light, power button and charging port, and the laser works using selective photo thermolysis to target fungus, spores and bacteria when used for 7 minutes each day.
Pros
- Small and easy to store
Cons
Best For Toenails: Fungi
This is one of my favorites because it relieves symptoms such as burning and itching, and also restores the skin under the nail and around the cuticle, says Dr. Chen. Its also very easy to use and wont break the bank, she adds. It touts Tolnaftate 1%, a clinically proven anti-fungal active ingredient, to cure and prevent infection, as well as five essential oils tea tree oil, aloe vera, eucalyptol, olive oil, and lavender to restore skin health.
My nail was cut in a pedicure, causing my nail to get fungus, shared a customer. This stuff cleared it right up. My nail fell off and grew back healthy. Worked and quickly in about a week.
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What Other Conditions Can Be Mistaken For Fungal Nails
Here are some other conditions you may have instead of fungal nails:
Trichophyton
Ways To Safely Treat Toenail Fungus At Home
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Stocksy/Design by Cristina Cianci
Toenail fungus sounds funky, but believe it or not, its much more common than you think. Thats because the pesky foot issuewhich most often presents as yellowing, cracking, and thickening of the nailscan be caused by everything from slower-growing nails and excessive sweating to athletes foot and walking barefoot in communal areas such as pools, shower rooms, gyms, and the like.
Most infections are caused by tinea species, but can involve harder-to-treat species called dermatophytes,” says Francisco Oliva, DPM. He adds that infections usually occur when theres a combination of issues affecting the toenail. Sometimes there is an injury to the nail at some point, he explains. The effects can be delayed for months and years. Once the fungus invades the nail, the keratin layer of the nail becomes a difficult barrier to penetrate.
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Natural Toenail Fungus Treatment
Step 1: Eliminating the Source of Yeast and Fungus
The first step in treating toenail fungus is using one of the most effective and natural ways to fight candida. In other words, youll likely need to make some changes in your diet and adopt a candida diet. The most crucial tactic for treating candida overgrowth is to eliminate what feeds the yeast and candida virus living in your digestive tract in the first place: sugars and conventional grain products.
Candida albicans is a common yeast that grows inside the human body. In healthy people, other bacteria and immune cells keep this yeast under control so it doesnt cause any problems, but in some people candida can become overgrown and cause infections in various areas. One of the ways candida shows up is through the skin where it can cause noticeable reactions or infections. Other ways are on the mouth, vagina and anus.
What triggers candida in the first place? This overgrowth of yeast can develop from a number of factors, including antibiotic use, poor digestion, low immune system function, a high sugar and grain diet, stress or hormonal changes. All these create an acidic environment that encourages yeast growth and the presence of candida. Many people opt for over-the-counter anti-fungal creams or even medications, but they only treat the symptoms, not the environment that allows candida to flourish.
Step 2: Replenishing Healthy Bacteria
Step 3. Consume More Fiber, Protein and Quality Fats
Foods to Eat Plenty Of:
What Side Effects And Drug
The possible side effects of itraconazole include headaches, dizziness, stomach and bowel problems, and rashes. Itraconazole can also interact with a number of other drugs. These include cholesterol-reducing and blood-sugar-lowering medications, as well as certain sleeping pills. It is therefore important to let your doctor know about any medication you take. Itraconazole is not an option for people with heart failure . It also isnt suitable for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Terbinafine can cause gastrointestinal problems and a temporary loss of taste and smell. It can also interact with certain antidepressants and heart medications. Overall, terbinafine has far fewer drug-drug interactions than itraconazole. Nevertheless, its still important to tell your doctor if you are taking any other medication. As a precaution, this medication should not be taken during pregnancy or if you are breastfeeding.
The studies only rarely reported on how often the different side effects occurred. But most people tolerate nail fungus medications well. Only a few people in the studies stopped treatment because of side effects.
But there is a very small risk of liver damage from taking itraconazole or terbinafine. For this reason, people with a liver disease are only given these medications if its absolutely necessary.
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What Is The Best Toenail Fungus Treatment
Doyou dread looking down at your bare feet? Maybe its because your toenails oryellowed, brittle or thickened. They may even hurt. These are typical signs oftoenail fungus.
Toenail fungus is a common infection, one that has steadily increased worldwide. In fact, about 40 million Americans have toenail fungus, and some estimates are that toenail fungus affects approximately25 percent of the worlds population.
Whatexactly is toenail fungus? Toenail fungus, technically known as onychomycosis,is an infection that enters through nail cracks or cuts in the skin. Toes areoften enclosed in an environment that keeps them warm and damp, making it anideal breeding ground for fungus. And because it is contagious, it oftenspreads from one nail to the others. Yet regardless of the well-known causes ofthe condition, there are still a number of mythsabout how people contract toenail fungus.
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.
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Most Effective And Mostly Used Homemade Remedies For Toenail Fungus:
How Does It Work
Laser treatment for toenail fungus works by aiming a 1064nm wave-length laser at the affected area.
The laser delivers light energy to gently heat the toenail bed and kill the toenail fungus and the fungal spores that spread the fungus.
It does this by attacking the fungus in two ways by altering the cellular metabolism of the fungus and damaging the cell components, and with a photo-chemical effect that further damages fungal cell enzymes, proteins and membranes.
In a nutshell? It literally zaps that pesky fungus out of existence.
After the laser treatment takes place and the fungus is killed it requires a little patience to see the results.
The damaged toenail needs to grow out and be replaced by a healthy, fungus free nail, which can take anything from 3 months to a year depending on how much of the toenail was affected.
Take a look at this video to see exactly whats happening under the nail:
DIY laser treatment works a little differently.
In order to be safe, the lasers in the home devices are a pulse laser with a shorter wavelength of around 900 nm which isnt powerful enough to heat the flesh but is still capable of penetrating beneath the surface into the skin tissue.
This is usually coupled with a blue light which works on fighting the fungus cells found on the outer surface of the nail helps to stop the fungus from affecting other toes in the area.
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Why Does Vinegar Soak Work
The idea behind vinegar foot soaks is relatively simple: vinegar is acidic, which gives it antifungal and antibacterial properties.
To explain a bit further, vinegar is a diluted form of acetic acid . As a result, it is an antifungal agent meaning it slows down the growth of some types of foot fungus and may kill fungus entirely.
It might also make your body less hospitable to fungus because the acidity affects the pH level of your skin. This makes fungal overgrowth and infection much more unlikely.
Its worth noting though, that there is no scientific evidence that shows vinegar soaks is a reliable method for treating toenail fungus.
See A Dermatologist To Pinpoint The Problem
Foot fungus wont just go away on its own, Dr. Ng says. If you think you have foot or toenail fungus, see your dermatologist, she says. There are several tests that your dermatologist can perform to identify exactly whats going on.
Its important to be aware that there are other diseases which can cause nail changes, she says. For example, we do see things like squamous cell skin cancers in the nail beds and even melanomas, which have a brownish or blackish discoloration.
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Why Over The Counter Treatments Do Not Work
People worldwide spend a few million dollars every year in procuring over the counter medicines to treat toenail fungal infections. But most of the times, the result is not satisfactory, ever wondered why? Every toenail fungal infection case is different from the other, because there are several types of fungi causing toenail fungal infections. Only a person with a trained clinical eye can differentiate one toenail fungal infection from other toenail diseases with similar symptoms.
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Hywean Toenail Fungus Nail Treatment
The Hywean Toenail Fungus Nail Treatment uses a four-step method to ensure effective treatment of nail fungus and complete recovery of the affected tissue.
What we like: The Hywean Nail Treatment system is very easy to use and often starts to show results in as little as two or three weeks. If the infection is not severe, your nail may be completely clear in eight weeks.
Flaws: Does a good job on less serious cases. Not so great on long-simmering cases.
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The Danger Of Waiting To Treat The Fungus
The greatest danger of not treating the foot or toenail fungus is that it can spread to other parts of the body, such as the hands and groin.
If for some reason you cant treat your toenails or your feet right away, at least use an antifungal topical cream on the surrounding skin, Dr. Ng says. That will help keep it from spreading and keep the skin intact.
How To Use It
Apply mentholated ointment directly to the affected nail. Do this about once a day for several weeks or until the nail shows noticeable improvements.
Vinegar is a common household product found in cooking and some home cleaning solutions. Though no clinical evidence exists to date, there is anecdotal evidence to suggest that vinegar is an effective tool to help treat toenail fungus.
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Do Over The Counter Topical Ointments Work
While a search for toenail fungus treatment is likely to recommend the use of topical ointments you can buy from any pharmacy, according to Dr. Wagenseller, Toenail fungus rarely responds to treatment with these topical creams. In order to experience any improvement at all, patients may need to use the over the counter topical creams for years, and once they discontinue use, patients will likely develop toenail fungus again.
Laser Therapy For You
Now that you know the basics on toenail fungus and how laser therapy can help you get rid of it, youre ready to give it a go. Does that sound like a good plan? We hope so. Your toes will look and feel better and thank you for it.
Go ahead and give us a call to give it a go. And to ask questions. Located in Clifton, NJ and Wayne, NJ, we really are here to help you get relief after these issues with your toenails.
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