Treatment Tips for Toenail Fungus

If you suffer from fungal toenails, the odor and appearance of your feet are probably striking a sour note with friends and family.

Thick, discolored, brittle and oftentimes painful nails occur often but are not normal. Nails such as these are infected with a fungus, which, if it reaches the root of the nail, will cause abnormal growth and often pain.

Today, we have many options to treat this common but frustrating condition. Here are some basic treatment tips for toenail fungus:

1. Scrub your nails with a nail brush once a day to remove dead skin, bacteria and fungus. Just leave the brush in your shower so it is handy to use.

2. Apply over-the-counter topical medication, or medication your podiatrist may prescribe, twice a day. Apply the medicine to the edge of the nail so that it can sink underneath and get to where the fungus is located.

3. Trim the nail every three or four days to remove any loose and contaminated nail. Don’t worry about removing too much. Healthy nail is attached and cannot be removed comfortable. Diseased nail is loose and should come right off.

Depending on the response, to treatment other options are available. Newer and multiple medications are available including oral medicine to speed the resolution of the fungus.

Laser treatment is also effective. It works by heating the fungus under the nail causing the fungus to slowly go away.

In-office procedures to remove the nail and allow regrowing, coupled with topical and/or oral medication, can also be effective.

Ancillary tools, like the in-shoe ultraviolet light sanitizer, which eliminate the fungus from the shoes to help prevent recontamination, are helpful for the long term. As a side benefit, it also helps to eliminate odor found in shoes contaminated with fungus.

If you suffer from toenail fungus, talk to a Weil Foot & Ankle Institute podiatrist (847)390-7666.

Written by Anthony H Borrelli DPM FACFAS