Toenail fungus, also referred to as Onychomycosis, is a common ailment that affects the nails. Its symptoms range from yellow nails to toe nails that are brittle and rough when handled. Even though the disease is often painless, the ailment is still very ugly and embarrassing so, to shield yourself from the public shame and cure it, a toenail fungus treatment needs be executed. In many cases, popular home remedies will work fine. While more serious cases will require a physician's intervention.
When dealing with an infected toenail, the first step is to keep the area completely dry as fungus thrives in water. Keep the affected foot outside or wrapped up during showers. It is also advisable to wear rubber or plastic bags while doing the yard work or gardening. Removing any nail polish will also allow the nail to heal faster. Avoid wearing socks and shoes as well, opt for open toed sandals and flip flops instead.
A popular home remedy for dealing with nail fungus is mixing hydrogen peroxide and apple cider vinegar equally together. Anoint or soak the fungus infected toe in the solution several times a day. Both substances should be able to dry the fungus out in a week or two.
Another popular mixture involves using household cleaning bleach. Stir a few cap fulls of the bleach into about three cups of water and let your toe nail soak in it for awhile. To get the best results, repeat this process at least once a day. After you soak the nail, make sure you wipe it dry completely.
If treating the infected nail with homemade remedies is not working well, then over the counter fungus creams might be able to. The topical creams can be purchased without a doctor's prescription at any local pharmacy or drug store. And even though they are more costly than their at home remedy counterparts, they generally show satisfactory results in a day or two.
If they can't do the job, then prescription medicine should be used. Oral medication will be able to help your body fight off and eliminate the fungus that's taking over the toe. It works by being able to quickly get clinically proven medicine to the toe through the blood stream.
Removal of the nail is next and should only be considered when all other options have failed you. The procedure should be carefully and cleanly done with a sanitized scalpel or knife. A doctor or nurse will be able to complete the process if you are unable or unwilling to. Although it is drastic, in most cases, removing the affected toenail has prevented to fungus from growing and spreading further.
Even though nail fungus is not a threatening or major disease, very persistent examples should still be checked out by a physician. Repeated cases of nail fungus that are also exhibiting signs of being drug resistant could be symptoms of a more serious issue. Many times, when the immune system isn't able to kill off a simple fungus, something more serious could be at work. Your doctor will eliminate the nail from the fungus and also be sure you are totally healthy.