If you are suffering from toenail fungus, then you will already know how difficult this problem can be to get rid of. On this page we are going to give you some of the best home toenail fungus treatments that you can try, and this will be your best course of action before you go to more drastic measures.
By “drastic measures” we don’t mean anything to bad just visiting your doctor and seeing what they suggest.
The first thing that you need to work out is if you do actually have a toenail fungus infection. You can read our article that will tell you how to spot toenail fungus.
If you are not sure whether you have toenail fungus, make sure that you read this article first because it will help you work out what is going on.
If you already know that you have a toenail fungus infection, then here are the best treatments that you can try at home and an idea as to how long they will take to work. If you are worried about your toenail fungus infection going away, have a read of this article and it should set your mind at rest.
Home Treatments For Toe Nail Fungus:
Before we get into some of the most popular home remedies for toenail fungus you should know that you have to keep up treatment to be successful. Toenail fungus can be notoriously difficult to get rid of and if you have an early stage of this then it may well respond to home treatments but can take a while. You will normally find that it can take a few months to even see an improvement with the condition and even when treated it may come back again.
So, try these out for a good six months before making a conclusion that they do not work, also if during that time you run into any problems, or it gets worse then you should seek medical professional assistance.
Tea Tree Oil:
If you can pick up some tea tree oil or eucalyptus oil then these can help because both of these oils have antifungal properties, there have even been studies that show that they can perform as well some over the counter and prescription topical antifungal treatments. The benefit that you have by using tea tree oil or eucalyptus oil is that you are getting something that is completely natural, and it will also save you money than getting something on prescription.
If you have a mild condition this is well worth a look and try.
Sunflower oil:
This is another oil that has been seen to work well to treat toenail fungus, this is because the oil will help to combat the yeast that has caused the fungus.
Baking soda:
Baking soda helps to prevent fungal growth and to use this remedy you will apply a paste of baking soda and water directly to the affected nail and let it sit for ten minutes before you rinse it. You will want to do this a couple times a day and as mentioned above make sure that you keep up the treatment as this is not an overnight fix.
Vicks:
You can even use Vick’s vapour rub; this is because it is very heavy in menthol content that will help to have an effect on toenail fungus.
Vinegar:
There is also a way to treat toenail fungus using vinegar which does not have as much research done on it, but some people have seen some great results using this or using hydrogen peroxide.
Our Recommendations:
Always remember to seek medical help and do not take our word on this site for medical advice. If you are worried about any of the solutions above it is always best to go direct and seek medical assistance.
The other thing that you should do is make sure that you just try out one of the above so you can see whether it works. Even though it will take a good couple of months to be able to clear up the infection if you just work with one of the above remedies you will be able to see quickly whether it is working and if it gets worse or does not improve over the space of a few months it is best to seek some medical help.
Over-the-counter treatments:
If you are going to have a look at over-the-counter treatments instead then you should know that these normally come in the form of creams, ointments, sprays and liquids.
These work in much the same way as the home remedies except they work more often have a chemical basis. We recommend trying the home remedies 1st to see whether that helps as then you do not have to pay extra money.
When to seek help?
We recommend that if you try any of the above and you find that your symptoms do not get better with home treatment then you should seek medical advice. You will normally find that they recommend a prescription strength topical solution, or if it is a severe case and it has been with you for many months, they may give you oral antifungal pills that you will take for 2 to 3 months. You will find that the oral treatment is usually more effective, but it can interact with other medications. The other reason that they do not like giving this out too much is because it can interact with the liver and cause problems so you will normally have liver function tests while taking the medication.
What if it doesn’t work?
If it does not work at all then there are a few things that you can do and normally you find you will be looking at:
Laser treatment:
This is where they will treat the affected nail with a laser, and this can help but you can also find that the fungus can grow back over time.
Removing the nail:
In extreme cases that have not improved, and you have tried home remedies, over-the-counter remedies and prescription medications you may find that you have to surgically remove the nail. What this does is allow you to treat the nail bed where the fungal infection will be, and it will almost certainly get rid of the fungus. This can also work well because then a healthy nail can grow back, however if you have a chronically infected and painful nail it may be permanently removed.
You should also know that this can be a very stubborn condition and you will find that the re-occurrence of toenail fungus can be 40%.
What to do?
The main thing that you will want to do before you start looking at treatments if you have not already done so is to make sure that you know for sure you have a toenail fungus infection. To do this we recommend seeking medical advice first and seeing to the extent that you have a fungal infection.
The other thing that you will want to do is treat it while it is still mild so if you are looking on the Internet for remedies, but you are in pain or you feel that this is quite a severe case of toenail fungus then you definitely want to seek medical help.
Try natural solutions first as these are far less likely to give you any side-effects but do make sure that you use your own initiative to work out the side effects of any medication that we have recommended here on the site as we are not medical professionals, and this is just for informational purposes.
Online Help:
If you are determined to treat this yourself or you are looking for some extra help, then do check out this online guide that has proven to be helpful for people that are trying to treat toenail fungus. It will give you a complete step-by-step system that people have had success with and we think that you will find it of interest.