Also known as onychomycosis, toenail fungus is an incredibly common problem that can be difficult to treat effectively. One reason is because toenails grow so darn slowly, says Dr. Todd Minars of Minars Dermatology, based in Hollywood, Florida. However, there is a treatment that usually works – although reinfection often occurs.
Toenail fungus is a challenge to treat. For starters, it is certainly a common affliction, and we know that people who get it are prone to it, as even when we cure them they sometimes get reinfected. The issue is that the toenail itself is not living tissue, which makes it so hard to get medicine into it, and it grows out very slowly. When you use creams and liquids they do not penetrate very well, so we find the most effective treatment is pills.
Cure rate
At Minars Dermatology, we use Lamisil, which has a fairly high cure rate. However, even with Lamisil it will take months to treat toenail fungus. When you take medicine, it only deposits in the new nail as the new nail is formed, so you have to grow out a healthy nail. The reason is because we cannot really get medicine into a toenail that is already formed and filled with fungus.
Even though the treatment is not always 100 percent effective we get good results with Lamisil. And because it is off-patent and therefore generic now it’s become inexpensive, only about $4 for 30 pills.
Do I Have Toenail Fungus?
Toenail fungus is the same fungus that causes jock itch, athlete’s foot and ringworm. It is really everywhere. If you always wore shoes and never walked barefoot you could avoid it, but there is no specific way to avoid it apart from that. You would have to really wear sandals in the shower, it seems, as the fungus is everywhere.
To determine whether or not you actually have a toenail fungus, we take a clipping of the nail and send it to a lab. Occasionally we see yellowed nails that appear to have a fungus growing on them, but don’t. When that happens we “treat” the nail with whitening agents to get rid of the yellow color, and use urea products to decrease nail thickness.
Fun Toenail Facts
- Even with pills such as Lamisil, only about 80% of patients can expect to see their toenail fungus cured
- In cases where the treatment of the fungus is successful, it can still take up to one year for the toenail to grow out completely and resume a normal appearance
- The toenail on the large toe only grows at a rate of about 1mm per month
Getting rid of toenail fungus is difficult but it can be done — and the results are well worth it. If you spend time, effort and money getting rid of your fungus, just make sure you take all necessary precautions to avoid reinfection.
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.
Fungal infections are common on both fingernails and toenails. Toenail fungus also known as onychomycosis is caused by a group of fungus called dermatophytes. These fungus are harmful because as they grow they feed on the keratin that makes up the surface of the toe nail. The two fingers that are more likely to be affected are the big toe finger and the little toe finger.More Information: http://www.manipalcureandcare.com/beauty/cosmet…
rocky1982 – October 26, 2009 , 2:31 AM
Fungal infections are common on both fingernails and toenails. Toenail fungus also known as onychomycosis is caused by a group of fungus called dermatophytes. These fungus are harmful because as they grow they feed on the keratin that makes up the surface of the toe nail. The two fingers that are more likely to be affected are the big toe finger and the little toe finger.More Information: http://www.manipalcureandcare.com/beauty/cosmet…
rocky1982 – October 26, 2009 , 6:31 AM