According to a 2013 study, tea tree oil was effective in reducing growth of the fungus Trichophyton rubrum in nail infections. T. rubrum is a fungus that can cause infections such as athlete's foot and nail fungus. Improvements were seen after 14 days.
When used topically, tea tree oil is believed to be antibacterial. Tea tree oil is commonly used to treat acne, athlete's foot, lice, nail fungus and insect bites.
A lot of people use vinegar, tea tree oil. The hard part with any of these topical medicines is they don't penetrate the nail unit very well. So getting them, actually, to the fungus in the nail unit is very difficult.
Oral antifungal drugs.
These drugs are often the first choice. One option is itraconazole (Sporanox). These drugs help a new nail grow free of infection, slowly replacing the infected part. You typically take this type of drug daily for 6 to 12 weeks.
Nail removal: If you have a severe infection or other treatments just don't work, your dermatologist may recommend removing the nail(s) to get rid of the infection.
Apply this to the affected area 2–3 times per day, as needed. Applying a mixture of tea tree oil and coconut oil may help relieve the symptoms of psoriasis.
Toenail fungus treatment options
After a gentle evaluation of your nails, a podiatrist may prescribe an antifungal medication, administer laser therapy, or surgically remove affected nails. Medications could include a topical cream or nail lacquer, as well as prescription pills.
Nail fungus is caused by various fungal organisms (fungi). The most common is a type called dermatophyte. Yeast, bacteria and molds also can cause nail infections. The discoloration from a bacterial infection tends to be green or black.
“Applying Vicks VapoRub to fungus-infected toenails can clear up the notoriously hard-to-treat condition. Michigan State University clinicians found that applying the product daily to the infected nail cleared the condition in 32 of 85 patients, though it took anywhere from 5 to 16 months…”
Overusing cuticle oil can allow them to adjust how much oil they anticipate needing, so that your nails will be dry when you don't use oil. It's a cycle that can lead to unhealthy nails.
Answer by dermatologist Corey Georgesen, MD:
Toenail fungus doesn't usually spread to inside your body, like the stomach. The fungi require keratin, found in your hair, skin and nails. They survive best on the skin.
Topical antifungal medications often are effective in treating mild to moderate toenail fungus. Topical solutions may include medicated nail polishes or liquid medications. Penlac (ciclopirox), Kerydin (tavaborole), and Jublia (efinaconazole) are among the top prescription drugs for toenail fungus.
Studies have shown that laser treatment can be very effective as it's uses energy to penetrate the nail bed and eliminate the infection from within. HOT laser – this is where the laser uses heat to destroy nail fungus by heating the nail plate.
Medicare will cover treatment for fungus within your toenail. Another term for this treatment is nail debridement. To be eligible, you must have severe, debilitating pain. Evidence of several infections caused by the fungus may also qualify you.
Fungus thrives in moist and dark places so give it some light. Keep them naturally dry by exposing them to the sun whenever you can.
The fastest way to eliminate the infection is through toenail laser treatment. Laser nail therapy specifically targets the microorganisms under your nail while leaving the keratin intact. In just a few treatments, the infection can be entirely eliminated.
Results of treatment
Antifungal treatments are thought to be effective in treating about 60-80% of fungal nail infections. It can take between 6 and 18 months for the appearance of the affected nail to return to normal, and in some cases the nail may not look the same as before the infection.
Prescription topical treatments.
Filing down the surface of the nail may enable them to penetrate more deeply into the nail or the nail bed. In studies, their cure rate averaged around 35%.
Nail polish gives fungus an environment to thrive in. Non-medicated nail polish can be applied over antifungal nail polish. But it is best to avoid non-medicated nail polish entirely when you want your fungal infection to clear up. Non-medicated nail polish will make the antifungal treatment penetrate the nails slower.
Toenails are made up of multiple layers stacked on top of each other. Toenail fungus can be tough to get rid of because it can get into and in between those layers. It may also sit on top of the nail or grow underneath it. In some cases, fungus can get into the cells that make the nail, called the nail matrix.
Apply cuticle oil before bedtime and leave it on overnight so it can fully absorb into the cuticles.