Toenail Fungus

[michelem]

P.S. Be careful with the Tea Tree oil. Turns out I am allergic and got a nasty, oozy rash when I tried it for something else. It looked and felt like a poison oak reaction -- OWCH!

[Biciclista]

I second what Bleekerst Giril says. be barefoot as much as you can.
I have a son with hot feet, and he used to have problems with fungus.
Now he wears shoes as infrequently as possible, and sandals too.
He now has nice toenails and he's not been on medication since he was a kid (and he's 27)

[Tuckervill]

DH struggles with toenail fungus. He took Lamisil (insurance did not cover it). It did go away, but only with a strict regimen of spraying every single pair of his shoes every single night with Tinactin. It recurs because your shoes contain the fungus, and it gets under your nails again. He tried putting vinegar on them all the time, and lots of other things over the years. He had a biopsy of his nail at the podiatrist, so she could narrow down the infection and treat it specifically. It came back negative for anything but fungus, and therefore, Lamisil. The only thing that has made a difference is killing the fungus in the shoes.

He has his liver enzymes monitored regularly for another medication he is on. There was no change while he was on the Lamisil. It is something to be aware of, though.

Karen

[Pax]

Too many years of lifeguarding, teaching swimming, and and spending forever competing in the pool have left me with wicked toenail fungus, the doc says the only thing that might work is lamisil...not worth it to me, I refuse to risk damaging my liver just to have pretty toes. When I'm at the pool people can just not look if they don't like it.

[Dazeepetals]

As a pharmacist myself, I'm going to agree with your Hubby and Friend that the only cure for fungal nail infections is oral antifungals. Another option besides Lamasil, and potentially less toxic, is Sporanox. You have to take it for a minimum of 3 months and be followed carefully by your MD. We use it alot in my cancer patients to prevent and treat bad fungal infections they can get from being immunosuppressed. Another non-systemic treatment option for mild to moderate fungus infection is a paint-on medication called Penlac. You basically paint it on the daily, but you need to follow up with your doctor frequently to have the unattached nail (infected parts) removed. It can take almost a year to really cure the fungus. Just another option for those who don't want to take medications orally.

Hope that helps some!!

Starla

[ClockworkOrange]

Nobody responded to Gehwol med. Protective Nail and Skin Oil.

Is it because you have not heard of it before, or it is not adviseable?

I only ask because my partner found it to be so successful, likewise my friend did, who recommended it to us.

Clock

[Dazeepetals]

Nobody responded to Gehwol med. Protective Nail and Skin Oil.

I've never heard of it. It may not be available over here in the US. I mean, you can buy Tylenol with codeine (paracetamol plus codeine) over the counter over in England, so we likely don't have many of the same products over here.