Toe Fungus

In order to get rid of toenail fungus, also known as Onychomycosis, you need to explore the available options of toenail fungus treatment.  Toe fungus can be a very difficult type of fungal infection to treat and repeated infections commonly occur. It most commonly affects the toenails and is most often found in men, however it affects many women as well and occurs more frequently as we get older.  In fact, nearly half of the US population will or have suffered from toenail fungus by the time they are 70 years old.  Toenail fungus is highly contagious and easily transmitted to one another.  It is tough to prevent and even harder to get rid of.  Luckily, today there are many over-the-counter anti-fungal nail creams and ointments available as well as oral prescription anti-fungal medications available for toenail fungus treatment.  Here are the toe fungus treatments available.

Topical Toenail Fungus Treatment

There are many over-the-counter anti-fungal creams, ointments, and lacquers available.  However, these tend to take longer to see any results and typically are not very effective.  Do keep in mind that regardless of which treatment method you decide to use, it can still take more than a year for the distorted/disfigured toenail to fully grow out and be replaced.

Oral Medications for Toenail Fungus Treatment

The most effective toenail fungus treatment is oral medications.  They eliminate the fungal infection much faster than topical cremes and they are much more convenient.  One of the downsides to oral medications is the possible side effects that can range from basic skin rashes to conditions much more serious, such as liver damage.  Oral medications also require a doctors prescription and without insurance, these can be costly.  As with topical treatments, it can still take up to a full year to see a completely fungus-free toenail.

Surgery for Toenail Fungus Treatment

Lastly, another effective, yet undesirable toenail fungus treatment is surgery.  If your toenail fungus infection is severe enough, your doctor may recommend removing the entire toenail with a surgical procedure.  Post surgery can be very uncomfortable and even painful.  Typically a new nail will eventually grow in the removed nails place, although it may take up to a year for the new toenail to completely grow in.

Always try to avoid exposing your toenails to warm, moist conditions.  Regardless of which toenail fungus treatment you choose, if you do not take preventative measures to protect yourself from toenail fungus, you are likely to have recurrent infections.