Oh Boy, where do I even start? Nail fungus, that fungus that keeps on giving. So many people struggle with this, in fact 10-20% off the populations does and 50-60% of that is amongst seniors over aged 60. The number one thing that I hear from people is how they have been trying for SO long to get rig of it but NOTHING is working!  When I hear that I ask “are you persistent with your treatment?” and most will say “no”.  This is so key in treating nail fungus.  If you aren’t persistent with what you are doing it will be more persistent and remain with you. 

That being said you may be wondering how do I treat it and have success or even do you need to treat it at all? Well, depending on your age and how bad the infection is, is where you would start to determine how aggressive you want to be with treating it and if you even want to.  

There are several types of treatments for nail fungus. The first is mechanical.  This is removing the infected part of the nail.  Myself or another foot care nurse can do this part for you.  After this occurs the nail will tend to look worse but it will allow any topical treatments to actually penetrate the layers of the nail. The next is topical treatments or creams you can apply.  These have to be done routinely and as directed.  They won’t be effective if you only apply it when you remember. Another form of treatment is oral anti-virals and antibiotics.  These attack it systemically and can be difficult on other systems of the body like the liver.  Routine lab work is required while using these. Anti-virals have a 46% success rate at resolving the fungus. Later and light therapy the last options.  With these you need to ensure that it is completed by a trained professional so that further damage isn’t done to the nail or nail bed. 

At the end of the day it is worth having a discussion with your family Dr., Podiatrist, or Foot Care Nurse to discuss what is going to be best for you.  It is key to look at other health issues when thinking about your treatment and to find out what caused it so it does’t happen again. In the end know that you aren’t alone and there is treatment available for you.