Concord Foot Doctor Explains How to Eliminate Toenail Fungus Naturally
Toenail fungus is a common yet frustrating problem. You can catch it from using a shared shower, walking barefoot at a public pool, or even getting a pedicure. It can grow quickly under your toenail and cause the nail to thicken and crumble.
If the toenail fungus is severe, you should visit your local foot doctor for treatment. However, you can also try a natural toenail fungus treatment to solve the issue without chemicals or medicines. Here are six of the best natural remedies:
1. White Vinegar
White vinegar other wise known as Acetic Acid can help eliminate fungus when diluted in lukewarm water. The acidity of vinegar creates an environment that most fungus find in hospital and may help eliminate a fungal toenail infection.
2. Listerine and White Vinegar
The thymol and menthol in Listerine evaporate quickly and cause dehydration of superficial fungus infecting a toe nail plate. Soak for 15-20 minutes 3-4 days per week.
3. Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree oil is a popular home remedy for many skin infections, including fungal infections. Dab a few drops of the oil onto your toenails twice a day, or mix a few drops of oil with some water and soak your entire foot.
4. Urea Paste
You can buy over-the-counter urea paste to dissolve the infected portion of the toenail. Then, use an over-the-counter antifungal cream to prevent infection in the area. Before you do this, though, you should consult your local foot doctor.
5. Pau D’arco Tea
Pau d’arco is the bark of a South American tree. It can work just as effectively as prescription antifungal medication if you soak your feet in the tea for 20 minutes twice a day.
6. Vicks VapoRub
Vicks VapoRub has some antifungal ingredients, including:
- Menthol
- Camphor
- Eucalyptus oil
Apply a small amount of Vicks VapoRub to the affected toenail once a day, and it should eliminate or greatly reduce the infection.
7. Time
Some fungal nail infections will grow out on their own. Infections caused by excessive use of nail polish or trauma may grown out if you are patient. You may have to wait as much as 12-18 months but many infections can grow out with your nail if you create a healthy environment for the nail to grow normally.
Home treatments are inconsistently effective and need to performed regularly for extended periods of time. Our local foot doctor can provide you with more information about toenail fungus treatment. If you live around the Concord NC area, contact our office to set up an appointment with one of our caring and experienced Concord foot doctors.
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. Most often, you should consider fungal toenail a condition to be managed rather than cured.
How fungi infect the nail
Onychomycosis, or toenail fungal infection, is an invasion by a microscopic organism that thrives in warm, damp environments. Fungal spores are in the air, and they will grow if they land on a receptive surface like your toenail. They feed off the nail tissues, burrowing into the skin under the nail. Over time the nail thickens and may lift off the nail bed as fungal debris accumulates. Once your nail is raised off the nail bed, it won't reattach, and a new nail won't grow from that part of the nail bed. However, your nail will continue to grow from the root at the base.
Diagnosing toenail fungus
A number of conditions can masquerade as fungal infections. Age alone thickens and yellows the nail. Psoriasis can cause the nail and the surrounding skin to flake. Injuries can create bruising under the nail. Even the chemicals in nail polish can discolor the nail. But you don't want to wait until your toenail is gnarly and raised off the nail bed. You should see a health care professional as soon as you notice your nail changing.
Only a lab test on a scraping from your toenail can show for certain that fungus is responsible for your nail distortion. Misdiagnosing toenail fungus can cost you time and money trying over-the-counter products that won't have an effect.
How to protect your toenails
Whether you're trying to clear up a fungal infection or hoping to avoid getting one, the following can help.
- Wear socks that wick away perspiration. Although it seems counterintuitive, acrylic is much better at carrying off moisture than cotton.
- Use antifungal foot powder daily.
- Avoid shoes that keep your feet from breathing or that press on your nail.
- Wear sandals or flip-flops in shower rooms at gyms or pools to avoid infection.
Toenail fungus treatments
There are a myriad of treatments for fungal infections, which vary widely in cost and effectiveness. To be fully effective, the antifungal drug has to penetrate the nail and often the nail bed as well.
Over-the-counter products. Antifungal preparations that are applied on and under the nail with the same type of brush used for polish are widely available. They might improve the appearance of fungal nails, but are not an effective way to cure the problem. No one product is clearly superior.
Prescription topical treatments. Effective products include efinaconazole (Jublia), tavaborole (Kerydin) and ciclopirox (Penlac). All require daily applications, and it may take as long as a year to see noticeable improvement. These products may work for early, superficial fungal infections because they kill fungi on the surface of the nail. Filing down the surface of the nail may enable them to penetrate more deeply into the nail or the nail bed. In studies, their cure rate averaged around 35%.
Oral medications. Itraconazole (Sporanox) and terbinafine (Lamisil) eliminated the fungus in 10 months for 55% to 70% of people in the studies required for FDA approval, but for 15% to 20% of users, the fungus returned within a few months. Either of these drugs can harm the liver, so your doctor will check your liver function at the beginning of treatment and again after six weeks. Itraconazole also interacts with a number of other drugs. If you take one of these drugs you'll also need to avoid drinking alcohol and stay out of the sun. If you have diabetes, vasculitis, or another condition that could be worsened by fungus, these medications might be a good choice, but otherwise, the benefits may not be worth the risks.
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