Before talking about a toenail fungus treatment, let´s find out what it is all about. Onychomycosis is a chronic persistent fungal infection of the nail bed resulting in discoloration and thickening of the nail, in some cases even accompanied by serious pain and disabilities.
Just to clarify, onychomycosis is also known as “dermatophytic onychomycosis”, “ringworm of the nail” or “tinea unguium”.
Toenail Fungus Treatment A Challenge
More than 13 million Americans and 35 million people worldwide suffer from onychomycosis, treatment has been a challenge so far because the infection is embedded within the nail and difficult to reach.
Tinea unguium is caused by microscopic fungi (dermatophytes) which enter the nail bed through tiny cracks, cuts or small separations between the nail and bed.What you should avoid is cutting your nails too short, an overzealous pedicure, wearing ill-fitting shoes.
But it could be worse, the good news is that these tiny fungi only stay locally to the toenails and do not spread into your blood stream like othertypes of dermatophytes who can invade hair (info on tinea capitis) and skin.
ZetaClear uses a natural fungicide - Treats Nail Fungus Naturarally.
Why doesn´t the bodies defense system act as a natural onychomycosis treatment?
Unfortunately our body can fight off viruses or bacterial infections but not fungal infections. There are many alternatives for onychomycosis treatment. Traditional treatments include topical anti-fungal solutions, or oral anti-fungals for more stubborn infections, laser therapies or homeopathic solutions.
Homeopathic toenail fungus remedies as a holistic treatment here.
Onychomycosis topical treatment done with a special lacquer (Loceryl, Curanail) requires a lot of patient care. The surface of the nail must be cleansed thoroughly using disposable swabs. After this the nail lacquer is then applied onto the entire surface of the infected nail by using reusable applicators. Before repeat application of the lacquer, the affected nail should be filed down again and wiped with a cleansing pad to remove any residual lacquer.
FDA approved oral onychomycosis treatment. The options that have proved the most effective are Lamisil and Sporonox, they require a prescription from your doctor. The success rate with these oral treatments can range between 75 to 90%. But they have to be taken for several months and you should not underestimate the unpleasant side effects such as nausea, headaches or abdominal pain. In extreme cases even liver damage was reported.
Onychomycosis laser treatment. The advantage is that it is localized and only treats the immediate area and the healthy tissue is left undamaged. On the other hand the cost of tinea unguium treatment with a laser can range from 750 to $1500 and isn’t generally covered by your health insurance.
The use of laser for tinea unguium and dermatophytes treatment wаs first applied by PathoLase founder John Strisower. Thіs paved thе waу for the solution оf thе problem thаt almost 25 Million Americans аrе facing. Laser treatment, аlthоugh nоt yet certified bу F.D.A., аre wildly executed fоr іt hаѕ nо side effects аnd can bе dоnе іn juѕt 30 minutes.
The downside for this dermatophytes treatment is thаt іt costs about $1000 to $1500!
Laser treatment for toenail fungus works bу irradiating thе infected cell аnd vaporizing thе fungus. And, unlіke оthеr treatments, thiѕ treatment wіll keер уour nail intact. Thе effect оf thіs treatment waѕ sееn aftеr аbоut а year, whеn the patients whо undergonе the procedure managed to grow nеw nails. Abоut 90% оf them reported success and аbоut 40% оf patients whо hаve undеrgоnе thіѕ treatment did nоt experience toenail fungus evеr аgain. Thе treatment іѕ usuаllу done оnсe, but whеn thе fungus unexpectedly grows agаin for unknоwn reasons, іt mаy bе donе agаin аnd agаіn untіl a nеw toenail grows tо replace thе infected оnе.
There is one thing you should remember, any treatment, if it works, does not give your nail a healthy look immediately. They fungus might be dead, but the new healthy nail should start to become visible as it grows which takes a couple of months.
Important toenail fungus treatment guidelines to avoid and prevent re-infection!
Because the risk of re-infection is high you should use separate towels to dry the infected areas, wiping the shower or bath with antiseptic wipes before and after use, and washing socks and bed linen at 60ºC to kill the spores. It is highly advisable to eliminate the fungus that might be lurking in the darkness of your shoes. Spraying footwear with an anti-fungal spray like “Lysol” is one option, but you are supposed to wait 48 hours to wear the shoes!
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The fastest and most effective way if you use an Ultraviolet Shoe Sanitizer like “SteriShoe”, which is clinically proven to be effective in killing up to 99.9% of problematic microorganisms.
Using germicidal ultraviolet light (UVC), this shoe sanitizer kills the organisms that cause toe nail fungus and athlete’s foot. Used overnight it kills the fungus, but even within 45 minutes it refreshes and eliminates offensive shoe odor.
* FDA – US Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA
