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How to get rid of stuff » Health Problems » How to Get Rid of Nail Fungus
 

How to Get Rid of Nail Fungus

February 14th, 2007 by admin
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There Be Fungus Amungus

Nail fungusNail fungus, also known as ‘onychomycosis’ is a condition that results from fungus, mold, or bacteria infecting the nail bed between your finger or toe nails and the skin underneath. The method of infection is very similar to that of athlete's foot (Learn how to get rid of athlete's foot) – It can begin with a single exposure to one of the many microorganisms that can live in your nail bed (found in locker rooms, pools, showers, footwear – places warm and moist) coupled with a persistent warm, moist environment around the infected nails. Nail fungus is most commonly found in toe nails because moist shoes serve as good incubators, where fingers are exposed to the open air and are dry most of the time.

Finger and Toe Nail Fungus Symptoms

The most common signs of nail fungus are:
    Sign of nail fungus
  • Thickened nails
  • Brittle, crumbling nails
  • A mis-shapen, dull appearance
  • Discoloration – yellow, brown, green or black
  • Seperation of the nail from the nail bed
  • An ‘off’ or ‘foul’ odor

Yellow Nail Syndrome

Yellow nails are sometimes caused by a condition known as “yellow nail syndrome”. The chances that you actually have this condition are very slim, especially if this is the first you’ve heard of it because it is accompanied by several much worse symptoms: Swelling of your lower extremities, pneumonia (Tips on how to get rid of pneumonia) and bronchiectasis. If, however you’re one of those people who absolutely hate going to the doctor, and any of these additional symptoms sound familiar to you – get your butt in gear and get to your doctor ASAP! This is not a condition that heals on its own.

A Note to Diabetics

If you have diabetes, you should see your doctor at the first sign of toenail fungus. As you probably already know, diabetes can cause poor circulation to your extremities resulting in a slower immune system response. This means that even a relatively minor condition such as nail fungus could snowball into a much more serious condition if left untreated. Let your doctor examine your feet and help you monitor the infection during the course of treatment.

Finger and Toe Nail Fungus Treatments

Fungal nail infections aren’t usually dangerous, but they are pretty unsightly and can sometimes even be painful. If left untreated they usually do not go away on their own so depending on your unique perspective (and/or lack of health insurance) you may opt for one of several effective treatments for finger and toe nail fungus. Regardless of the method you choose, it can take a very long time to cure this condition. Any treatment you choose will only stop new nail growth from becoming infected – so you will have to wait for the old, nasty nails to grow out completely before you’re cured, and that can take a while. Taking a multi vitamin can help speed this up.

Oral Medications for Nail Fungus

SporanoxOral antifungal medications will need to be prescribed by a doctor, and include Itraconazole (Sporanox), Fluconazole (Diflucan), and Terbinafine (Lamisil). Because the fungus is living between your nail and the skin underneath, it’s not very accessible for a direct attack so taking one of these drugs will help your body eliminate fungi-friendly conditions in new nail growth. These medications should be combined with proper prevention which is addressed later on in this article.

Home Remedies for Nail Fungus

There are quite a few home remedies for nail fungus as well – and many of them are quite effective but you must make sure you apply them religiously AND follow the instructions in the next section on prevention. Though unverified, popular opinion says that these home remedy topical treatments work just as well as store-bought fungicidal creams and are much less expensive. Bear in mind that you will have to continue these treatments until all signs of fungus are gone which can take up to a year because you’re waiting for the infected parts of the nail to grow out and be replaced with healthy nail. You should start to see new nail growth which is free of the fungus within the first month. Stopping prematurely WILL result in re-infection. Here are two popular and inexpensive natural remedies: Foot Soaks
  1. In a small tub or bowl just large enough to submerge the infected nails completely, mix equal parts Listerine mouthwash with white vinegar.
  2. Soak the infected nails in this bath for at least 15 minutes, twice daily. You can re-use the same liquid for up to a week before replacing with a fresh mixture.
    3. Listerine and vinegar Foot soaking Nail cutting
  3. As your nails grow, keep them well groomed. Use nail clippers to cut them short and a file to rough the surface up. Store your grooming tools in a container filled with the same liquid you use for the daily soaks.
  4. Wash your hands after every treatment.
    • Alternative #1: Apply the mixture directly to the infected nails using a sponge or Q-Tip at least twice a day.
    • Alternative #2: Roll up a paper towel, saturate it with the mixture and then wrap it around the infected fingers or toes for 15-20 minutes, twice daily.
Vick’s VapoRub
Coat the infected fingers and toes with Vicks VapoRub at least twice daily and right before bed. Wash your hands after every treatment.

Remove nailNail Removal

This is an extreme solution, and is only prescribed in cases where the infection is severe or painful. Removing the nail allows the infection to be treated directly and cured quickly – but is painful. Your nails usually grow back too, and in case you hadn’t guessed – this is something ONLY your doctor should do. ;)

Nail Fungus Prevention

Here are some tips for keeping the environment around your nails inhospitable to fungi and bacteria.
  • Thoroughly wash and dry your hands and feet after bathing, including the areas between your toes.
  • When you wash your nails, scrub them with a soft bristled brush to remove dirt and dead skin.
  • Trim your nails and keep them short.
  • Clean any dirt out from underneath your finger and toenails with a toothpick.
    • Hand washing Nail cutting Foot powdering
  • Wear only shoes and socks that allow your feet to breathe. Change your socks during the day if they routinely become moist.
  • Regularly apply anti-fungal powder to your feet and footwear.
  • Don’t go bare foot in public locker rooms or share footwear with others.
  • Refrain from wearing fake nails.
Have a home remedy or cure that is not listed here? Maybe an experience with one of the above methods? Please add it here for others using the form at the bottom of this page.

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Previous Tips »
  1. February 8th, 2012 at 8:04 am    marie Says:

    I have had nail fungus on my little toes for more than five years now and just a few days ago i noticed that my big toenails are getting yellow and thicker. I just want to stop it before it gets worse and i herd that vaporub is effective.

  2. October 24th, 2011 at 6:20 pm    Caleigh Says:

    My nail has come off and still some infection underneath.. how can I get rid of it?.. I can only find treatments that you put on the nail.. none of which worked on mine!

    Can I cover it with a false nail in the meantime as it doesn’t look good?

  3. August 30th, 2011 at 1:09 pm    How to get rid of fungus Says:

    Keep spraying vinegar on all the packaging like dish drainer, cutting boards etc which comes in experience with food always.
    Thanks for sharing.

  4. August 29th, 2011 at 12:44 am    Krystal Mills Says:

    Use apple cider vinegar for athlete’s foot. Put apple cider vinegar & some water in a plastic spray bottle. Spray it on your feet twice a day. It works!

  5. August 19th, 2011 at 2:02 am    AL_123 Says:

    Hey guys! My friend used to have a fungal infection for about weeks. He tried Fungusil and it works for him. It is safe and very effective.

  6. June 13th, 2011 at 12:36 am    Louise Sacco Says:

    Zerofungus works really fast. I used to have wild fungal infections that I couldn’t seem to control. It made me really insecure because I couldn’t join dance classes or yoga classes that required to be on barefeet. After using zerofungus, my feet are now healthy and no more embarrassing fungal problem.

  7. April 12th, 2011 at 10:21 pm    Dave Says:

    After exhaustive trial and error. I found the most inexpensive and simple solution. Yes, it is smelly but it cant be any different than my foot funk. Looking around the net for anti-fungals for a another cure I landed on Garlic page. Thinking how a burn I had was cured in 2 days when my Grandmother cut a whole leaf off a Alovera plant, split it and taped it to a burn. I did the same with garlic. I clipped back the crunchy nail and took a fresh piece of garlic and smooshed it in there. Put on a bandaid and went to work. I dont think others smelled it, well at least they did not say anything. Got home at night and unwrapped it. Thing is that the garlic did not smell like garlic. It smelled like nothing, but whee the garlic the fungus was soft, white and looked different. Washed my feet and went to bed. Oh…no socks or anything at night, let the air get to it. Keep doing that the same. procedure. In 7 days you will see a massive change. I could not believe it. 2 weeks the skin and under the nail was free of fungus. Keep doing it as the nail grows out. Done. I have done 3 nails so far. Try it…it works. Oh I also pop a clove in the AM for internal benefits also.

  8. November 22nd, 2010 at 3:27 pm    Larry Says:

    Tried the Vicks, the clorox, the vinegar treatments. Then one day I decided to spray the toenail with 20% vinegar, not the 5% that is standard household stuff. Get the 20% at a good garden store. 20% is suppose to kill weeds, but have not gone that route. Then, get ready for this, followed up the daily spraying with 20% vinegar with spraying with liquid garden fungicide (daconil)and nail fungus is almost gone after two weeks. Also, white or decolorized iodine makes the nail harder. I know, this is crazy, but it worked!

  9. August 30th, 2010 at 6:39 pm    Bobbi Says:

    About 3 years ago I started having fungus on my big toes. I usually wore nail polish most of the summer and would see it getting worse each time I removed the polished. I started pouring hydrogen peroxide on my toes during each shower and determined not to wear polish after the summer until it healed. By the next summer it was gone but each summer I couldn’t stop myself from wearing polish and at the end of each summer it was back but not as bad since I tried changing the polish often and left it off for days in between. Now I’m back to needing to use the peroxide for the next many months but again not too bad.

  10. August 8th, 2010 at 9:41 pm    Oliver Says:

    I got Zetaclear for under 50 bucks and it is totally gone. I was too scared to try Lamasil cause of all the side effects.

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