What are the best treatments for toenail fungus. How long does it take to cure toenail fungus. What causes toenail fungus and how common is it. Is toenail fungus contagious and how can it be prevented.

Understanding Toenail Fungus: Causes and Prevalence

Toenail fungus, medically known as onychomycosis, is a common condition that affects many individuals, particularly older adults and those with compromised immune systems. This fungal infection is caused by various types of fungi, including yeasts and molds, which thrive in warm, moist environments.

The main causes of toenail fungus remain somewhat unclear, but certain factors can increase the risk of developing this condition:

• Age: As people grow older, their nails may become more brittle and dry, creating cracks that allow fungi to penetrate.
• Diabetes: Individuals with diabetes have a higher risk due to their compromised immune systems.
• Exposure to fungi: Walking barefoot in public areas like pools or locker rooms can increase the risk of infection.
• Tight footwear: Shoes that don’t allow proper ventilation can create an ideal environment for fungal growth.

How common is toenail fungus? It’s a widespread condition, especially among older adults. The prevalence increases with age, affecting up to 50% of individuals over 70 years old. The big toe and the fifth toe are most commonly affected, as they come into closest contact with shoes.

Recognizing the Signs of Toenail Fungus

Identifying toenail fungus early can lead to more effective treatment. Common symptoms include:

• Yellowing or discoloration of the nail
• Thickening or distortion of the nail shape
• Brittleness or crumbling of the nail
• Separation of the nail from the nail bed (onycholysis)
• Accumulation of debris under the nail

Is toenail fungus painful? In most cases, toenail fungus is not painful. However, if left untreated, it can cause discomfort, especially when wearing shoes or walking. Severe cases may lead to ingrown toenails or secondary bacterial infections.

Lamisil: A Leading Treatment for Toenail Fungus

Lamisil, the brand name for terbinafine, is one of the most effective treatments for toenail fungus. It’s an oral antifungal medication that works by killing the fungi responsible for the infection.

How Lamisil Works

Lamisil operates by inhibiting the enzyme squalene epoxidase, which is crucial for fungal cell wall synthesis. This action effectively kills the fungi, allowing new, healthy nail growth.

What is the typical treatment duration for Lamisil? The standard course of treatment is usually 12 weeks, taken once daily. However, it’s important to note that visible improvements may not be apparent until the infected nail grows out, which can take 9-12 months or longer.

Effectiveness of Lamisil

Clinical studies have shown Lamisil to be highly effective in treating toenail fungus. A double-blind trial comparing 6 and 12 weeks of terbinafine therapy demonstrated significant improvement in nail appearance and mycological cure rates.

How effective is Lamisil for toenail fungus? Research indicates that Lamisil is approximately 80-85% effective in treating toenail fungus. However, it’s worth noting that some strains of fungi are developing resistance to terbinafine, which may impact its efficacy in certain cases.

Alternative Treatment Options for Toenail Fungus

While Lamisil is a popular choice, there are other treatment options available for those who cannot or prefer not to take oral medications:

Topical Treatments

Prescription topical medications like Jublia (efinaconazole) have shown promising results in treating toenail fungus. However, these treatments can be expensive and may not be covered by all insurance plans.

Over-the-counter and home remedies are also popular choices:

• Vicks VapoRub: A study showed a 20% improvement in eliminating fungus
• Apple cider vinegar: May help create an inhospitable environment for fungi
• Tea tree oil: Known for its antifungal properties

Laser Treatment

Laser therapy is a newer treatment option that uses targeted heat to kill the fungi. While it’s non-invasive and doesn’t require medication, it often requires multiple sessions and may not be as effective as oral treatments.

How many laser treatments are typically needed for toenail fungus? Most patients require 3-4 sessions, spaced several weeks apart, for optimal results. However, the efficacy of laser treatment can vary, and it may not work for all cases of toenail fungus.

The Importance of Early Treatment and Prevention

While toenail fungus is generally not harmful to overall health, early treatment can prevent the infection from spreading to other nails or becoming more severe. Additionally, treating the infection can improve the appearance of affected nails and prevent potential complications.

Prevention is key in managing toenail fungus. Here are some tips to reduce the risk of infection:

• Keep feet clean and dry
• Wear breathable footwear
• Use antifungal sprays or powders in shoes
• Avoid walking barefoot in public areas
• Trim nails regularly and keep them short
• Don’t share nail clippers or other personal care items

Contagiousness and Transmission of Toenail Fungus

Toenail fungus can be contagious under certain circumstances. The risk of transmission increases when there are cracks in the nail or if the nail has separated from the nail bed, allowing fungi to penetrate and spread.

Can toenail fungus spread to other parts of the body? While it’s possible for the fungal infection to spread to other toenails or fingernails, it rarely affects other parts of the body in healthy individuals. However, people with weakened immune systems may be at higher risk of more widespread fungal infections.

Precautions During Pedicures

For those who enjoy pedicures, taking certain precautions can help prevent the spread of toenail fungus:

• Avoid cutting or pushing back cuticles, as this can create entry points for fungi
• Ensure that nail files and other instruments are properly sterilized between customers
• Consider bringing your own nail tools to the salon
• Choose reputable salons that prioritize hygiene and follow proper sanitation procedures

The Role of Footwear in Fungal Infections

Shoes play a significant role in the development and spread of toenail fungus. The dark, damp environment inside shoes provides an ideal breeding ground for fungi.

Why should you never share shoes? Sharing shoes can increase the risk of fungal transmission, as fungi can live inside shoes and be transferred to another person’s feet. It’s best to wear your own shoes and allow them to air out between uses.

Choosing the Right Footwear

To minimize the risk of toenail fungus, consider the following when selecting shoes:

• Opt for breathable materials like leather or canvas
• Ensure shoes fit properly, with enough room for toes to move
• Alternate between different pairs of shoes to allow them to dry completely
• Use moisture-wicking socks to keep feet dry

Long-Term Management and Recurrence Prevention

Even after successful treatment, toenail fungus can recur. Long-term management strategies are essential to prevent reinfection and maintain healthy nails.

How can you prevent toenail fungus from coming back? Here are some tips for long-term management:

• Continue practicing good foot hygiene
• Use antifungal sprays or powders in shoes regularly
• Inspect nails regularly for signs of reinfection
• Consider using a maintenance dose of antifungal medication as recommended by a healthcare provider
• Address any underlying health conditions that may increase susceptibility to fungal infections

By implementing these strategies and remaining vigilant, individuals can significantly reduce their risk of recurring toenail fungus and maintain healthy, attractive nails.

What to do about toe fungus

If you have toe fungus, you may be keeping your toes under cover, avoiding open-toe shoes.

Maybe you’re cringing when you climb out of the pool and look down at your yellow toenails.

It’s a fairly common problem that time, alone, won’t heal. If you want to eliminate the fungus, you’ll need to take a medication or apply medicine directly to your nails. Either way, seeing your toenails return to normal usually takes nine months to a year, sometimes longer.

You may have seen a commercial claiming: Cure your toe fungus in 14 days. That’s only if the fungus is growing on top of the nail and can be scraped off with a nail file. Toe fungus that grows under the nail is tougher to reach and stop.

You don’t have to treat toe fungus — it may be unattractive looking but it’s harmless unless your toenails hurt. If you do want to fight off the fungus, there are a variety of treatments available. Taking an anti-fungal medication seems to bring about the best results.

Toe fungus treatment

Antifungal prescription pills: Lamisil, the pharmaceutical drug name for terbinafine, is one of several oral medications that can be taken to kill toe fungus. After three months of taking terbinafine daily, your toenails grow out, and new healthy nails develop about six months later. Terbinafine is the most studied and commonly prescribed oral medicine for toe fungus. It’s about 80 to 85% effective, but recently some types of fungus are becoming resistant even to terbinafine.

Topical treatments: Among the prescription topical medications, Jublia is probably the most effective, but it is very expensive and not all insurances cover it. Common home remedies for toe fungus include Vicks VapoRub, apple cider vinegar and tea tree oil. Of those, Vicks VapoRub has been studied the most. One study showed a 20% improvement in eliminating fungus, which is significant.

Laser treatment: Using a laser, heat is directed to the nails to try to kill off the fungus. Several laser treatments are usually needed, and in the end, the method doesn’t always work.

What is the fastest way to cure toenail fungus?

No method is fast. But Lamisil, taken as a pill daily, is the fastest method for killing off toe fungus. It takes nine months to a year for toenails to return to normal. Before taking the medication, you’ll need to take a blood test measuring your liver enzymes to ensure your liver can handle the medication. Six weeks after you start on Lamisil, some healthcare providers will have you take a second blood test to ensure your liver is functioning well. Lamisil has been shown to affect liver functioning in a very small fraction of patients who take it.

What is the main cause of toe fungus?

Toe fungus comes from yeast or mold. It’s unclear why people get toe fungus. The most common places where toe fungus develops are the big toe and the fifth toe because they are in closest contact with your shoes.

How common is toe fungus?

It’s very common, especially among older people and anyone with diabetes because their immune systems are compromised so they have less of an ability to fight off the fungus. Also, as people age, their nails can become brittle and dry. Any cracks in nails can be a passageway for fungi to get under the nail and stay there.

How contagious is toenail fungus?

It can only be contagious if you’re exposed to the fungus and have a crack in your nail, or if your nail separates from the nailbed. Under those circumstances, the fungus could penetrate down to the nailbed and spread.

If you get a pedicure, it’s best not to have your cuticles cut or pushed back. That can allow fungus and bacteria to get behind the nail. Before getting the pedicure, ask to make sure the nail files and other instruments are sterilized between customers.

Also, never share shoes. Fungus lives inside everyone’s shoes where it’s dark and damp, the perfect environment for fungus to grow.

Evaluation of 6 weeks treatment of terbinafine in tinea unguium in a double-blind trial comparing 6 and 12 weeks therapy. The Lagos V Study Group

Clinical Trial

. 1997 May;136(5):737-42.

I Tausch 
¹
, M Bräutigam, G Weidinger, T C Jones

Affiliations

Affiliation

• ¹ Department of Dermatology, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany.

• PMID:

  9205509

Clinical Trial

I Tausch et al.

Br J Dermatol.

1997 May.

. 1997 May;136(5):737-42.

Authors

I Tausch 
¹
, M Bräutigam, G Weidinger, T C Jones

Affiliation

• ¹ Department of Dermatology, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany.

• PMID:

  9205509

Abstract

Terbinafine (Lamisil) has been registered throughout the world for the treatment of finger and toenail onychomycosis. The recommended duration of treatment of toenail onychomycosis based on phase III studies is 12 weeks. This study was designed to determine: (i) if patients in whom the proximal part of the toenails was not affected respond as well after 6 weeks treatment as after 12 weeks treatment; (ii) to identify factors which may allow selection of patients for shorter treatment duration; and (iii) confirm that 6 weeks therapy is sufficient in fingernail mycosis. One hundred and forty-eight patients received 250 mg terbinafine daily for either 6 or 12 weeks in a double-blinded manner, and were allowed until 48 weeks after start of therapy. Cure of the nail infection was defined as negative mycological tests (mycological cure) and progressive growth of normal nail (clinical cure). Mycological cure was recorded in 43 of 72 (59.7%) in the 6-week group and 55 of 76 (72.4%) in the 12-week group. In those who completed the study per protocol in the 6-week group, 34 of 61 (55.7%) were cured mycologically corresponding to 46 of 56 (82. 1%) in the 12-week group. The overall clinical and mycological cure rates for the two groups were 28 of 61 (45.9%) and 33 of 56 (58.9%), respectively. In the small number of patients with associated fingernail infection, all were improved and six of eight (75.0%) were cured after a duration of treatment of 6 weeks. A priori risk factors for failure of cure could not be identified in either group. However, shorter duration of disease prior to treatment and no involvement of the big toenail was associated with a trend toward better responses in both groups. It can be concluded from this study that, in toenail mycosis without visible matrix involvement, 6 weeks treatment of terbinafine is generally not sufficient, whereas fingernail infections respond well to this short therapy.

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Medicines for nail fungus and skin – the best remedies for treatment

Nail and skin fungus is a common problem. It is enough to swim in the pool, take a shared shower or visit a bathhouse to become infected with this disease. Affected nails become yellow-gray and brittle, noticeably thicken. The disease not only spoils the appearance, but also causes severe physical discomfort: itching and burning of the affected skin.

If the fungus is not treated, then soon its pathogen will spread throughout the body. The spores enter the bloodstream, leading to allergic reactions. It is recommended to start treatment at an early stage and not stop therapy until all symptoms have passed.

Modern pharmacology offers many options for fungal drugs in various dosage forms. The choice of remedy depends on the type of fungus, the degree of the disease and the individual reactions of the body.

Classification of fungi

The following types of fungus are distinguished, depending on the spread of the process:

• Keratomycosis. The process of spreading spores occurs in the epidermis;

• Dermatomycosis. Affects the skin, hair and top layer of the nail plates;

• Candidiasis. Another name for the fungus is “thrush”. It usually affects the mucous membranes.

With systemic mycoses, not only the skin, but also the internal organs are infected.

By origin, fungi are:

• yeast;

• moldy;

• dimorphic.

Only yeasts are a natural component of the human microflora. The rest are pathogenic.

Types of preparations for fungus

Before you choose the right remedy, you need to pay attention to the main types of drugs for mycoses:

• Means for topical application. This category includes varnishes, ointments, gels and solutions. They help well in the initial stages of the development of the disease;

• Tablets and capsules. They are used inside, according to the purpose and instructions. They are necessary if the disease is advanced, and local remedies are no longer suitable.

To achieve optimal results, it is necessary to undergo a diagnosis and determine the pathogen. In this case, therapy will bring the desired effect.

Drug List

When choosing drugs for a fungus, it is necessary to focus on effectiveness, the presence of side effects, symptoms and the course of the disease. It is important to take into account the individual intolerance of the components.

Antifungal antibiotics

If the fungal infection is systemic, an integrated approach is needed. Deep tissue damage, delamination of the nail plates and severe itching of the skin against the background of deteriorating general well-being suggest the use of not only local remedies, but also tablets.

Among the external means, it is worth highlighting drugs that contain naftifine. This component has an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effect. With regular intake and in combination with other therapeutic agents, recovery occurs quickly.

Preparations with naftifine:

Topical preparations for ringworm and keratomycosis

Yeast, mold and dimorphic fungi can be cured with Terbinafine-based products. Popular drugs with this active ingredient:

Medicines with ketoconazole effectively fight fungal infections of the head, inguinal region. List of drugs:

Means based on miconazole, a synthetic substance with antifungal activity, are effective against dermatomycetes and yeasts, as well as the causative agent of multi-colored lichen. Miconazole preparations:

Antifungals for systemic candidiasis

The Candida fungus spreads inside the body: on the respiratory organs, in the digestive system, on the genitals. Sometimes it infects the nervous and cardiovascular systems.

Often, with systemic candidiasis, the fungus also affects the outer tissues – the nail plates, the skin on the legs and arms. To get rid of the disease, it is important to start therapy in a timely manner. For the treatment of candidiasis, drugs with clotrimazole are used.

Popular remedies for the treatment of mycotic diseases caused by the Candida fungus:

How to choose drugs for fungus

To combat mild fungal infections, topical preparations are sufficient – varnishes, ointments, sprays, shampoos, special solutions. With advanced diseases, both local and systemic agents are used. Anti-fungal tablets serve as a supplement, eliminating the pathogen from the subungual skin and other tissues. In the “Antifungal drugs” section of our website, you will find the medicines listed in this article, as well as their analogues.

Any drugs for the fungus should be selected with the help of a specialist who can determine the severity of the disease and take into account the individual characteristics of the organism.

The offer is not an offer, the presented preparations are a medicine, consultation of a specialist is necessary.

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