Chapters
00:00 - Intro
0:40 - What is it Exactly?
1:18 - What it Looks Like
1:49 - It Develops if...
2:27 - 3 Tips
4:46 - Best Practices

What is Toenail Fungus?

Toenail fungus, otherwise known as onychomycosis or tinea unguium, is a pretty common fungal overgrowth on the toenail. They enter through the small cracks in your nail or the nearby skin and start growing in their new home, your toenail.

How Does Fungus Grow on Toenails?

So fungi thrive in warm and moist environments which lets them to naturally overpopulate. They are far more common on the toenails than your fingernails because your toes are in shoes, where it can get warm and moist. And yes, they can spread from someone elses toes to your toes. So next time youre getting pedicure, ask them how they clean their tools and how often they do it.

What Does it Look Like?

The nail starts to become distorted and may lift off from the nail bed, it will start stinking pretty bad, and as far as distal subungual infections go, youll get the classic white and/or yellow streaks across the nail. 

Sometimes your doctor may want to verify it by scraping it and sending it off to a lab to make sure its not just psoriasis, liken planus, or simply just yellow nail syndrome. 

Where Does it Come From? Who is More Prone to Toenail Fungus?

If you have lower blood circulation in your toes, which happens naturally with aging, if you sweat a lot, if you work in an area thats humid or moist, if you walk barefoot in public places that are damp like swimming pools and gym showers, and if youre a either a Figure skater, ice-hockey player or a speed skater. 

How Common is Toenail Fungus

Currently, it affects 1 in 10 people worldwide, with more than half of those ages 70 and up. So they do need to be addressed and the sooner the better. 

And these solutions will really depend on the severity of it and the type of fungus causing it. Which can take months to see results, so please be patient. 

How to Use Kerasal Nail Renewal Solution.

It helps reduce the discoloration and the thickness while exfoliating. A lot of that is thanks to the urea and the lactic acid. Go ahead, and Apply a thin layer 2 times per day for the first week of use, once in the morning and once at night. And After the first week, do it just at night, for a minimum of 8 weeks total. While applying the urea, a trick is to cover it with a water-tight bandage or an occlusion dressing which helps ensure that the urea penetrates the nail and doesn’t rub off. You should actually start seeing a difference as little as 2 days so thats great. 

How to Use Lamisil Cream for Toenail Fungus?

You can try Lamisil Cream which has terbinafine. Right after a shower is a good time to use it. But one thing I will have to point out is, that these products treat the fungus on the skin around the nail bed and not the actual nail fungus itself. They target the nails appearance but the actual fungus might still thrive requiring more help from your primary care physician.

How to Use Vicks for Toenail Fungus?

We have a pilot study back in 2011 that looked at this actually and found, that “Vicks VapoRub seemed to have some clinical effect in treating onychomycosis, particularly when C. parapsilosis and T. mentagrophytes were the organisms..

► https://www.jabfm.org/content/24/1/69

You can do this once a day either in the morning or evening, and wearing socks after can help too. And remember, these methods will take months and even up to a year sometimes. 

Debridement for Nail Fungus

Sometimes debriding the nail to thin the area out to allow for deeper entry of the products can help as well. A podiatrist can target this even better. 

Once its gone, keep your toenails dry, clean, and well-trimmed. This will go along way. 

DISCLAIMER: 
This video is for information only and should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of medical conditions. Dr. Arsalan Aspires has used all reasonable care in compiling the information but make no warranty as to its accuracy. Always consult a doctor or other healthcare professional for diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions.