Instead of medication or debridement, Dr. Frankel offers a laser therapy treatment with an 80% success rate in permanently treating nail fungus. It is painless and is performed in the office with three 10-minute procedures every four weeks. For some patients, additional treatments may be required.
The most effective but least used option is surgery to permanently remove the nail and its root. Antifungal pills also work faster than medications that are applied to the nails. Taking antifungal pills for two months can cure an infection under your nails. Usually, three months of treatment cure a fungal infection on the toenails.
You don't have to have brittle, discolored, and unhealthy nails forever.
Toenail fungus
is more treatable, maybe even curable, than you think. It's true that it can take a while to get rid of them, depending on the treatment you choose. In addition, keeping your feet dry and alternating shoes will help you prevent nail or foot fungus from getting fungus from the start.When it comes to commercially available toenail fungus products, “there's probably nothing wrong with using these medications,” says Dr. It happens when a fungus, from mold to yeasts and other types of fungi, enters the nail bed due to a cut or break in the nail or repetitive trauma to the nail and penetrates the nail itself, says Dr. Toenail fungi are very common (14 percent of people have them in North America), according to an article published in the magazine. PLoS are pathogens and are more common as you age, Sundling adds.
Misdiagnosing toenail fungus can cost you time and money to try over-the-counter products that won't work. Itraconazole (Sporanox) and terbinafine (Lamisil) killed the fungus within 10 months between 55 and 70% of people in the studies required for FDA approval, but for 15 to 20% of users, the fungus returned within a few months. There is no treatment for toenail trauma, but removing the nail may be an option if the nail hurts. Only a laboratory test of a toenail scrape can show with certainty that fungi are responsible for nail distortion. While foot fungus is fairly easy to treat, toenail fungus is incredibly difficult to get rid of and, in some cases, never goes away, Sundling says, noting that even the best oral medication has only an efficacy of 70 percent.
It may not be worth paying the copay for nail fungus, but spending an hour in the office of a dermatologist or podiatrist can save you a lot of treatment time. Wearing shoes that are too small can damage the nail and make it more vulnerable to fungi, as can having a fungal infection on the skin of the foot (known as foot fungus or athlete's foot) and not treating it, as it could expose the nail to the fungi.
