One of the joys of warm weather is being able to wear sandals outdoors; unless of course you're one of the 20 percent of Americans afflicted with toenail fungus. Toenails infected by fungi or yeast appear crusted, thickened and yellow. Toenails are much more commonly affected than fingernails with the first and fifth toenails most frequently involved. Curing nail fungus is extremely difficult because the infection involves the entire nail plate as well the surrounding tissue. So how do you try to cure nail fungus?
Instructions
1. Take oral anti-fungal medication to cure nail fungus. When oral anti-fungal medication is taken for 12 weeks it can be incorporated into the infected nail plate for maximum efficacy.
2. Consider removal of the infected nail plate in combination with taking oral medication. Since toenail removal is both inconvenient and painful this approach is considered when only one nail plate is involved.
3. Try the anti-fungal nail lacquer Penlac to cure nail fungus. It needs to be applied to the affected nails and the surrounding skin nightly and washed off weekly.
4. Try using topical anti-fungal creams and lotions such as Mentax and Lotrimin Ultra to cure nail fungus. They have shown modest efficacy against toenail fungi though they have limited ability to penetrate nail plates.
5. Skip the anecdotal folk and homeopathic remedies that have been proposed to cure nail fungus over the years. Some of the more popular therapies include Australian tea tree oil, Vicks vapor rub, Listerine soaks and topical grapefruit seed extract. None have ever been shown to be better than placebo and all usually require a full year of daily therapy.
6. Make sure you don't get reinfected if you're fortunate enough to cure your nail fungus with medical treatments. Change your socks daily and don't share them with others. Avoid walking barefoot at pools or in communal shower areas.
Tags: nail fungus, cure nail fungus, cure nail, nail plate, anti-fungal medication