Table of contents:
- How to treat nail fungus
- Nail fungus medication from a doctor
- Oral nail fungus medication
- Topical nail fungus medication
- Nail polish from a doctor
- Operation
- Home treatment of nail fungus
- 1. Use tea tree oil
- 2. Make use of vinegar
- 3. Nail clippers routine
Nail fungus infection or onychomycosis is a fungal infection that is often experienced by adults. Apart from disturbing appearance, fungal infections of the nails also often create an unpleasant odor. So, what are effective nail fungus medications?
How to treat nail fungus
Some types of toenail fungus infections can prove difficult to treat. That is why, you need to consult a doctor to find out what causes nail fungus and the treatment according to the severity and type of fungus.
In addition, treatment for moldy nails can take months. In fact, this nail disease can recur if you don't take good care of your nails or get infected from other people.
Here are some ways to treat fungal nails, from nail fungus remedies to natural ingredients to treat this problem.
Nail fungus medication from a doctor
After consulting your doctor and undergoing tests, such as a KOH preparation to detect the type of pathogen that attacks your nails, you will be given medication. Generally, the doctor will prescribe an oral antifungal medication (taken by mouth) or applied to the nails.
Some patients may undergo combined treatment, which is a combination of oral and topical antifungal therapy.
Oral nail fungus medication
For those of you who have a nail fungus infection that shows symptoms that are quite severe, your doctor may give you more aggressive treatment. The reason is, oral antifungal drugs are believed to have a higher cure rate than topical drugs.
This antifungal drug also works faster because it overcomes the fungus problem on the nails from the body. Even so, this one drug has a number of side effects, such as skin rashes and liver disease.
Therefore, you may need to have blood tests every month. The reason is, people with liver and heart disease are not advised to take this drug.
Here are some oral medications that have been approved to treat nail fungus.
- Fluconazole
- Griseofulvin
- Itraconazole
- Terbinafine
Topical nail fungus medication
Apart from oral, nail fungus medication is also available in topical form. This means that you can use certain ointments or creams to treat nail fungus.
Antifungal ointments are commonly used to treat mild to moderate yeast infections. This topical treatment aims to prevent fungal growth as the nails regrow.
Fingernails normally develop within four to six months. Meanwhile, toenails take longer, namely 12 to 18 months. During this time an ointment or cream is needed to ward off the fungal infection as the nails grow.
The challenge of treating this one nail disease is that it needs to be used as often as possible. In fact, some of them must be used every day to get the best results.
Topical antifungal medications include the following.
- Amorolfine
- Ciclopirox
- Efinaconazole
- Tavaborole
In contrast to oral antifungal drugs, topical medications tend to cause mild side effects, such as ingrown toenails to a burning sensation.
Nail polish from a doctor
You may find it strange to have to use nail polish to treat a fungal infection. In fact, an antifungal nail polish is indeed available, namely ciclopirox.
This nail polish will be smeared on the damaged nail and the surrounding skin once a day. Seven days later, you can clean the pile of paint with rubbing alcohol and start re-greasing it with fresh paint.
Even so, this type of treatment is quite long and requires patience. The reason is, you have to use this one nail fungus medication every day for almost a year.
Operation
There is not only a cure for nail fungus, there are a number of surgical procedures that can be performed to treat this problem. This nail surgery procedure is performed when the fungal infection is very severe and medicines are not working.
Generally, the doctor will remove the infected nail through the following procedures.
- Non-surgical nail removal, which is applying chemicals to the nails
- Surgical removal of nails
Even so, you don't have to worry. Even if both procedures remove your nails, they can still grow back. However, an infection that fails to heal requires special care so that the nails cannot grow back.
Home treatment of nail fungus
In addition to getting nail fungus medication from a doctor, you can also take advantage of natural ways to treat this nail disease. Anything?
1. Use tea tree oil
One natural way to treat nail fungal infections apart from using medication from a doctor is to use natural ingredients, such as tea tree oil.
Tea tree oil or tea tree oil is an essential oil commonly used in beauty products. The good news, according to the National Center of Complementary and Integrative Health, this oil is suitable for nail fungus.
This is because tea tree oil contains antifungal and antiseptic properties that are effective in treating nail fungus.
How to use it:
- Clean the infected nail area and dry it
- Dip a cotton ball in tea tree oil
- Apply it on the infected part of the nail
- Do this twice a day
2. Make use of vinegar
Vinegar is a natural nail fungus remedy that is easily available. The reason is, vinegar can help balance the pH of the skin and speed up the treatment of nail fungal infections.
Vinegar can also help prevent the fungus from spreading to other parts of the nail.
How to use it:
- Place clear or apple cider vinegar in a bowl filled with warm water
- Fill the basin with a ratio of 1: 2
- Soak your feet for 20 minutes every day
3. Nail clippers routine
Nail trimming is an important part of how to care for your nails, especially if your nails are infected with fungus. This method of treating nail fungus helps reduce pain by reducing nail pressure.
In fact, trimming your nails before applying the nail fungus medication can help it get to the deepest layers of the nail.
Before cutting or thinning thick nails, you are advised to smooth them with a cream containing urea. Also, for people who have problems with blood flow to their legs and can't cut their nails on their own, see a health care provider.
If you have further questions, please consult with your doctor to find the right solution.
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