It is estimated that over 40 million Americans have a nail fungus infection. Nail fungus results in discolored, unsightly nails that loose texture, become brittle, pitted and misshapen and can eventually separate from the nail bed. The fungus that causes the infection is embedded deep within and underneath the nail making it hard to treat.
If you suspect a nail fungus infection, it makes sense to seek treatment as early as possible as the condition becomes progressively worse, spread to healthy nails, and become harder to treat over time. Most sufferers start with a topical treatment applied externally to all affected nails. Treatments such as Loceryl nail lacquer and Penlac, contain known anti-fungal agents making them more effective than some of the more talked about home remedies such as Listerine, Vicks Vaporub, Beer Baths or white wine vinegar.
Both Loceryl and Penlac come in the form of a nail paint or lacquer that is applied externally to affected nails. Your goal when applying the nail lacquer it to try and ensure the medication is able to penetrate deeply into the nail to reach the nail fungus. It’s a good idea to run a nail file horizontally a few times over the nail area above the fungus. By scraping away the surface layers of nail, you’ll be helping the nail treatment to come into direct contact with the fungus and destroy it.
One of the challenges of nail fungus treatment is sticking to a regular application regime, without any breaks, over a long period of time. Many people give up after a few weeks. In fact it often takes over 12 months for a healthy nail to grow out. Setting yourself reminders in your diary and tracking progress every month by taking a photo of your nails can help. Just don’t expect to see improvements on a day-by-day basis.
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The incidence of fungal infections of the skin and nails has been increasing in recent years. Some health authorities attribute this in part to rising numbers of people using public facilities such as gyms, changing rooms, spas and saunas.
It’s very easy to pick up a fungal infection at the gym, especially in showers and changing rooms. But skin infections may also be transmitted from person to person by using shared gym equipment. The most common fungal infections are ringworm, athletes foot, jock itch and nail fungus.
If you want to be as safe as possible from picking up an infection at the gym consider showering with medicated soap after a workout and use only your own exercise mat, towels, water bottles, soaps and so on. Never walk around barefoot in a gym but wear thongs or a neoprene foot cover for added protection (but remember to still wash your feet carefully). For extra protection consider wiping down equipment that you use with a medicated wipe. As fungi thrive in warm, moist and airless environments it also makes sense to change out of any clothes and shoes that are damp from perspiration as soon as possible. Put on clean garments that are as loose fitting as possible.
The good news is that most superficial fungal infections such as athletes foot and ringworm respond well to over the counter topical treatments such as Lamisil cream, power and gels. The treatment of nail fungus (toenails are more affected than fingernail) is more challenging as the fungus resides deep within the nail. Some sufferers have had success with nail fungus home remedies but these may not be effective for all cases. A range of topical treatments have been designed to treat nail fungus, but need to be applied over a period of months. As a last resort. oral prescription based drugs are available.
GuestPoster Health & Fitness Athletes Foot, Fungus infections, nail fungus, Ringworm