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Blemishes

get rid of toenail fungus

How can you get rid of toenail fungus?

Are your toenails thick and yellow or crumbly and sore? There’s a good chance you could be suffering from infection of the toenails. The question is how can you get rid of toenail fungus? And what are your options. Firstly it’s important to understand a little more about fungal infection.

WHAT IS TOENAIL FUNGUS?

It’s a condition which affects a large proportion of people – the British Association of Dermatologists believe 1 in 4 people can be affected at a given time.  It’s usually the same fungus which causes ‘Athlete’s Foot’.  In this case the fungus infects the skin, but in a toenail infection the fungus spreads to the the keratin of the nails.  You can also get fungal infection of your fingernails, although it’s less common than on  your toenails.

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?

Your toenails can start to become thicker and look discoloured, so a bit yellowish. Plus if you try to file your nail it can be spongy or crumbly underneath. For others a toenail fungus can make nails really paper thin and the nails can come away from the nail bed.  They can also become sore.

If you don’t treat it, the chances are it will eventually spread to all your toenails even if it only starts in one. However sometimes damaged nails can look like fungal infection. The only way to be sure it’s a fungal infection is to get your GP or chiropodist to send away a sample for testing.

HOW CAN YOU GET RID OF IT?

There are a few treatment options to get rid of toenail fungus including:

  • Topical Ointments – such as an anti-fungal cream tend only to stop the spread of the fungus. They are good as a treatment in conjunction with other solutions such as Laser or oral medication.  Used alone an ointment is very unlikely to cure your infection.
  • Oral Medication – prescribed by the doctor is an option to get rid of fungal infection. However these are known to potentially cause liver problems, especially if taken for too long.  This makes them an unpopular choice. You obviously can get medical advice on the pros and cons of a tablet form of medication from your GP.
  • Laser Treatment – is a popular choice of treatment for fungal nail infection, for both toenail and fingernails. This is my area of expertise, so I’ll talk more about that now.

HOW DOES LASER TREATMENT WORK?

get rid of toenail fungus

The laser light is flashed into your nails, and passed over them several times. The light and heat created by the laser can kill off the infection but you must also follow the advice at home.

  • You will need multiple treatments – a minimum of 4 for a mild infection and possibly 8 or more for a very severe case.
  • We will start by filing down your nails – both across the top (to thin out thick nails) and also across the end to make them shorter.
  • We then flash the laser light into each nail which causes a heating effect. It can feel like hot pin pricks.
  • Each treatment takes around 10-15 minutes, and sessions are spaced 2-4 weeks apart.
  • It costs approx £55-£80 per session.
  • In between appointments you should follow good advice.

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR CHANCE OF SUCCESS

Fungal infection is so easily spread, that you can end up re-infecting yourself purely by putting your old ‘infected’ shoes back on.  This is what you should do:

  • Wash all socks/stockings at 60 degrees to kill of fungus and prevent re-infection.
  • Spray all footwear which your wear without socks with anti-fungal spray eg. your slippers. Or wash them at high temperatures.
  • Warm, moist environment helps fungi to grow and cause infection. So dry your feet well after bathing or wash and dry them after sport.
  • Apply an anti-fungal ointment daily to help the process.
  • Don’t cover nails with varnish or gel – let them breathe.
  • Keep nails clipped as short as possible.

It’s impossible to give a 100% guarantee that laser will get rid of toenail fungus.  All I can say is that it has a high success rate but there’s still work to be done on your part.  If you’re not able to put the effort in at home then it’s probably not for you.

You could talk to your GP to find out what all the options are for medication.  However if you aren’t able to take medication or don’t want to then laser could be the right choice.

For more information about laser treatments for fungal infection please click here.

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I hope this article has helped, and if you have any questions please feel free to email me at: rach@radiantliving.co.uk