The fight against toenail fungus can be a long one. The more informed you are about any infection or disease, the more effectively you can battle it.
1. Onychomycosis
While “toenail fungus” is more descriptive, onychomycosis is the technical term for a fungal nail infection. It can apply to an infection of the toe or fingernails, and fungal infections account for half of all nail diseases. It’s pronounced “ony-koe-my-koe-sis,” and is made of the Greek words onychos, meaning toes, mykes, meaning mushroom, and osis, a suffix referring to a condition or state of something.
2. Dermatophyte
This group of fungi are microscopic organisms and are the most common cause of toenail fungus. They live off keratin, which is the protein responsible for the structure of the nails. Of the more than 40 different species of dermatophytes, onychomycosis, ringworm, jock itch, and athlete’s foot are just a few of the infections it causes.
3. Candida
Candida is the organism that causes yeast infections. Although it is the least common of the types of onychomycosis, it is perhaps one of the most troublesome. Because of its rarity, its presence is a clinical sign of HIV. Because the feet are so far away, they get less blood flow, and therefore the immune system has to work harder to find and fight any infection there. For those who don’t know they have a compromised immune system, rare infections can be a key indicator of a problem.
4. Onycholysis
It can take years for the infection to be visible, but when it does, the toenails may become discolored, misshapen, cracked, crumbly, ragged, or soft. In some cases, they will begin to pull away from the skin. This separation of nail and nail bed is known as onycholysis.
5. Total Dystrophic Onychomycosis
There are several types of onychomycosis, characterized by the type of fungus, symptoms, and infected portions of the nail. Although some people confuse total dystrophic onychomycosis as one of the types, it can actually apply to any of the types because it refers to the worst phase of any of the infections, when the nail is completely destroyed.
6. Urea
There are several types of treatment available for toenail fungus, and many of them are in the form of creams, lotions, and other topical agents. However, since only one of the types of onychomycosis exclusively affects the top of the nail, it is difficult for any topical treatment to be effective, when the infection is going on further inside where the cream can’t reach. Over the counter lotions containing urea are a great help. Urea thins the nails, allowing medication to get a better grip and be more thorough in the fungal destruction.
7. Laser Therapy
Light and laser therapy are fairly new toenail fungus treatments. However, they are not obtainable everywhere and can be very expensive because insurance rarely covers it. However, some of these treatments have been found to be extremely effective, especially in combination with other ones. A specially designed laser or light is focused on the infected area and works to encourage healthy cell growth.
8. Ciclopirox
Simply putting nail polish over an infected nail to disguise it can just make the situation worse by trapping moisture and improving the environment for the invasive organism. However, ciclopirox is a prescription nail polish that can actually help. It is applied daily, wiped off with alcohol weekly, and can be used for up to a year. Sometimes it takes that long for it to be effective, as the nail must be completely grown out before the infection is eliminated.
9. Terbinafine & 10. Itraconazole
These are two of the most effective oral antifungal treatments. Considering the drawbacks of topical medications, sometimes these are the best option—especially when used in tandem with something like ciclopirox. However, as with almost any medication, there is quite a list of side effects. Since it can take several months of treatment for success, it’s important to understand the drawbacks before beginning any prescription.
