Showing posts with label moist environments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label moist environments. Show all posts

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Nail Fungus Treatment From Your Own Home

Are you a sufferer of toenail fungus? I know, you dread looking at your yellowish nails every day because they look disgusting. Don't worry. I used to have those too, so I know how you feel. These days though, I happily enjoy looking at my beautiful and healthy nails, because I have found nail fungus treatment that worked for me. Actually I found three effective ones, but I merely tried one of them and saw amazing results! Let me share with you how I got rid of that horrid condition. I hope you will learn something new.

Now, before I start, let me give you some background info. Toenail fungus is caused by bacteria that breed in your nails. Now as you probably know, bacteria love warm and moist environments, so if your feet are constantly warm and moist, you are encouraging them to breed. It is recommended that you try not to wear tight shoes.

Now, I did not try this nail fungus treatment, but my friends tried this, so I believe this will work. You can apparently use Vicks VapoRub to treat the condition. Scientific research has shown that Vicks VapoRub does have anti-fungal properties and that certainly helps fight the condition. Vicks VapoRub is certainly an inexpensive option that you can try. Simply rub some on the affected area and watch your nails recover.

Another alternative that you can try is a product that you can purchase at the store. That product is Listerine. Sure, you may think that it is a mouthwash, but it does kill bacteria in the mouth, so it can also help combat toenail fungus. You can either paint it on your nails or you can soak them in a basin with diluted Listerine. I believe that the latter is more effective. I would use 50% Listerine and 50% water. You can soak your toes for 15 to 20 minutes every day. Some people would even add some vinegar to the concentration just to create hell for the bacteria. Now I want to mention that I did not use this method, but it worked for some of my friends too. Anyway, here's the option that I chose.

Personally, I believe that Zetaclear is the best nail fungus treatment that you can go for. It has the topical treatment that deals with the bacteria on the surface and the oral spray that deals with the condition from its root. This option is very quick to implement too. Just dab it on the affected areas in the morning before you go to work, and you are done.

I hope you have learnt something new from my sharing. Whatever nail fungus treatment you choose, just get your nails treated as soon as possible. The more you delay, the longer it will take to cure.

To learn more about finding the best nail fungus treatment as well as other effective nail fungus treatment such as Zetaclear, visit http://wherecanyoubuyzetaclear.com/ today.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_J_Ho
http://EzineArticles.com/?Nail-Fungus-Treatment-From-Your-Own-Home&id=7822469

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Nail Fungus (onychomycosis)

Nail fungus or onychomycosis is an infection of the nails occurring both on the hands and feet but certainly more prevalent on the feet due to the environment that feet find themselves in. Nail fungus generally thrive in dark, moist environments, so when you consider wearing shoes and socks all day along with perspiration that occurs, it end up being a perfect growth media for nail fungus.


The true, tough to get rid of nail fungus, actually grows underneath the nail. As it grows, it forces the nail up off the nail bed and the nail becomes thick, crumbly and discolored ranging in color from yellow to brown. There may also be an odor. It is not uncommon for these infected nails to then spread to the remaining healthy nails on the foot. It is also not uncommon for nails to fall off and unfortunately, in most cases grow back the same way if not properly treated.

Aside from the unsightly appearance of the nail fungus, other problems can arise. Having nail fungus makes most people more prone to developing athlete’s foot of the skin. (The opposite also holds true). Additionally, thick fungal nails can be uncomfortable in closed shoes as they feel like rocks underneath the top of the shoe. These infections can make people more susceptible to secondary bacterial infections as they exacerbate the formation of ingrown nails, plus the sheer distortion of the nails tends to irritate the healthy skin of the adjacent toes causing abrasions that can become infected. This is especially dangerous in people who suffer from diabetes or have poor circulation.

Treatment can be difficult because of the fact that fungus thrives in “dark moist environments”. Eliminating those factors can go a long way to reducing recurrence.

Many patients ask me if the infected nail has to be removed. The only time I remove them is if they are already partially loose. If the mycotic nail is adhered to the nail bed I no longer advocate removal of the nail because the simple truth is, just removing a nail all the way back to its growth plate will cause the nail to grow out with a degree of thickness even if there is no fungus present.

There are both oral and topical medication treatments. The gold standard for treating onychomycosis in an otherwise healthy individual is the oral therapy. The most widely prescribed medication today is Lamisil tablets (Novartis), although there are certainly other oral antifungals that can be used. The newer generation of oral antifungals is very safe medications if properly used. Your doctor may prescribe one or two blood tests during the course of therapy to make sure there are no adverse effects. Additionally, your doctor should take a sampling of the nail and have it tested to confirm that it is true nail fungus. Visual inspection is not the proper way to make a diagnosis. Many times what appears to be fungus is nothing more than a hyperkeratinization of the nail bed, which is a thickening and distortion of the nail. This may lead to fungus but in itself is not treated with an antifungal medication either orally or topically.

Although topical treatments are available, they tend to be less effective. The main problem, as stated earlier, is that fungus grows underneath the nail; so applying medication to the top of the nail becomes an effort in futility. Trying to force the medication underneath the nail rarely works.

The best way to use topical medication is to see a foot specialist who will grind down and cut away as much of the diseased nail as possible (a painless procedure), so that the topical medication will penetrate to the live fungus more readily. This can become a tedious process as the medication generally has to be applied twice a day by the patient, (being lazy about it defeats the whole purpose) and then the nail has to be ground down on a regular basis. The other problem is that depending on the degree of fungus this process can take upwards of a year. Another problem is that the greater the number of nails that are infected, the less the likelihood of clearing them all up with the topical medication. Having said that, I have seen some very gratifying results with topical medication.

About Author: A practicing podiatrist with over 25 years experience discusses various foot, ankle and lower leg problems, how they arise and what you can do to solve them. For more information on foot pain symptoms, click here.

Article Source: ArticlesAlley.com