Nail Fungus Treatment

To help prevent nail fungus and reduce recurrent infections, practice good hand and foot hygiene by following these steps:

• Keep your nails short, dry and clean. Trim nails straight across and file down thickened areas. Thoroughly dry your hands and feet, including between your toes, after bathing.
• Wear appropriate socks. Synthetic socks that wick away moisture may keep your feet dryer than do cotton or wool socks (you can also wear synthetic socks underneath other socks). Change them often, especially if your feet sweat excessively. Take your shoes off occasionally during the day and after exercise. Alternate closed-toe shoes with open-toed shoes.
• Use an antifungal spray or powder. Spray or sprinkle your feet and the insides of your shoes.
• Wear rubber gloves. This protects your hands from overexposure to water. Between uses, turn the rubber gloves inside out to dry.
• Don’t trim or pick at the skin around your nails. This may give germs access to your skin and nails.
• Don’t go barefoot in public places. Wear shoes around public pools, showers and locker rooms.
• Choose a reputable manicure and pedicure salon. Make sure the salon sterilizes its instruments. Better yet, bring your own.
• Give up nail polish and artificial nails. Although it may be tempting to hide nail fungal infections under a coat of pretty pink polish, this can trap unwanted moisture and worsen the infection.
• Wash your hands after touching an infected nail. Nail fungus can spread from nail to nail.

Nail fungus can be difficult to treat, and repeated infections are common. Over-the-counter antifungal nail creams and ointments are available, but they aren’t very effective.

Oral medications
To treat nail fungus, your doctor may prescribe an oral antifungal medication, such as:

• Itraconazole (Sporanox)
• Fluconazole (Diflucan)
• Terbinafine (Lamisil)

Zetaclear is an all natural product specifically developed to treat the underlying cause of unsightly nails - without the risks and high costs of prescription medications.

These medications help a new nail grow free of infection, slowly replacing the infected portion of your nail. You typically take these medications for six to 12 weeks but won’t see the end result of treatment until the nail grows back completely. It may take four months or longer to eliminate an infection. Recurrent infections are possible, especially if you continue to expose your nails to warm, moist conditions.

Antifungal drugs may also cause side effects ranging from skin rashes to liver damage. Doctors may not recommend them for people with liver disease or congestive heart failure or for those taking certain medications.

Other treatment options
Your doctor may also suggest these nail fungus treatments:

• Antifungal lacquer. If you have a mild to moderate infection of nail fungus, your doctor may prefer to prescribe an antifungal nail polish called ciclopirox (Penlac). You paint it onto your infected nails and surrounding skin once a day. After seven days, you wipe the piled-on layers clean with alcohol and begin fresh applications. Daily use of Penlac for about one year has been shown to help clear nail fungal infections, but researchers found that it cured the infections in less than 10 percent of people using it.
• Topical medications. Your doctor may also opt for other topical antifungal medications. In some cases, you may be advised to use these creams with an over-the-counter lotion containing urea to help speed up absorption. Topical medications usually don’t provide a cure, but may be used in conjunction with oral medications.

Nail fungal infections are typically caused by a fungus that belongs to a group of fungi called dermatophytes. But yeasts and molds also can be responsible for nail fungal infections.

Nail fungus occurs when fungal organisms are able to get under the nail. This usually occurs when there is a break in the nail itself, or a separation between the nail and the nail bed. Common causes of nail fungus include:

• The toenail can become weakened from wearing shoes that are too tight. Also, wearing the same  shoes every day increases the chances of getting toenail fungus.
• Trimming the nails too short can result in small cuts allowing the fungus to penetrate. Nail biting can also weaken nails and damage protective layers.
• The fungi that cause toenail fungus are very common in damp public areas. Examples include public showers, locker rooms, and pools. Never walk barefoot in these areas.
• Jobs or hobbies that cause your hands or feet to be wet/damp for long periods of time can contribute to the growth of fungus. Try to keep your hands and feet as dry as possible. Wear protective gloves and change your socks often.
• Fingernail polish also contributes to nail fungus. When you wear nail polish, the nails are not able to breathe. This causes more moisture to be trapped on or under the nail, and helps fungal organisms to thrive. Once you get nail fungus, polish makes it more difficult to get rid of.

While looking for a natural cure for nail fungus, many individuals overlook the kind of soap that they are using. An anti-bacterial soap will quite possibly be more beneficial in clearing up nail fungus because of it’s ability to fight germs and other forms of bacteria. A product that is specifically designed to fight bacteria would have the potential to be a better natural cure for nail fungus.

The other main natural cure for nail fungus are:

• Vinegar, a product readily available in any supermarket, is a possible natural cure for nail fungus that is sometimes suggested among sufferers.
• A 50-50 mixture with either olive oil, coconut oil, or vitamin E as a carrier can be applied topically to the infected area of the toe.
• Used consistently, grapefruit seed extract can eliminate the pesky fungus.
• Tea tree oil is another anti-fungal agent that can be purchased from the health food store, delivering equally impressive results.
• Again dilute 50-50 by using olive oil, coconut oil or vitamin E as a base and apply directly to the infected area.

Results of healing should be noticeable within the first few days and continued application will result in eradication of the infected area and elimination of the fungus altogether.

An example home treatment of toenail fungus is the daily soaking of the affected nail in a solution that will kill the fungus. Common soaking solutions include dilute chlorine bleach, household vinegar, and hydrogen peroxide or Listerine mouthwash.

These solutions contain anti-fungal agents in them that should eliminate nail fungus. This solution should be applied daily.

Another method is to mix vinegar, tea tree oil, colloidal silver and Vicks vapor rub until they merge into a smooth ointment.

After this, make sure you nails are clean and apply this ointment to the top of your affected nail. The best time to do this is after a bath or before you go to sleep at night. Continue to do this daily and you should see an improvement in your condition.

Sometimes, because current treatments can take a long time to work and aren’t always effective, people turn to home remedies. The moment you notice any symptoms of toenail fungus you can follow certain home remedies that will prove very effective in eliminating the spread of the fungus before it spreads. Toenail fungus is contagious, so the sooner you eliminate the fungus, the better.

Following are some home remedies that use commonly available ingredients to stop the growth of the fungus and eventually eliminate it.

Vinegar
While there’s no direct evidence that a vinegar soak can cure nail fungus, some studies have shown that it can inhibit the growth of certain bacteria. Experts suggest soaking your feet for 15 to 20 minutes in a mixture of 1 part vinegar to 2 parts warm water. Be sure to rinse well and pat your feet dry when you’re done.

Tea Tree Oil
The uses of tea tree oil are many. Tea tree oil is a natural and powerful fungicide and antiseptic. Rub the affected toenail/s with a cotton ball dipped in tea tree oil. Do this twice daily, morning and just before going to bed (three times if possible) for maximum effect, until the fungus is gone.

Listerine
Almost all homes will have this mouthwash. Soak the affected toenail/s in Listerine for about 20 minutes twice daily. The antiseptic will help eradicate the fungus.

Rubbing Alcohol
Rubbing alcohol is easily available at any pharmacy. Soak the affected toenail/s in rubbing alcohol for about 20 minutes twice daily (morning and just before going to bed). Dry thoroughly using super absorbent paper towels.

Hydrogen Peroxide (3%)
Hydrogen Peroxide (3%) is easily available at any pharmacy. Soak the affected toenail/s in pure hydrogen peroxide (3%) for 20 minutes twice daily (morning and just before going to bed). Some may feel the pure undiluted solution a bit harsh. Mix half water and half hydrogen peroxide and soak feet. Dry with super absorbent paper towel.

Vicks Voporub
As with vinegar, there have been no controlled clinical trials to assess the effectiveness of Vicks VapoRub on nail fungus, but there have been numerous anecdotal reports that it works. However, there’s no consensus on how often to apply this product, so check with your doctor before using this product in a way it wasn’t designed to be used.