Do you have any dark spots on your toenail, or the yellowish brittleness of the toenail is annoying you? in both cases, chances are that your toe is infected with the toenail fungus. The toenail fungus can be a prolonged disease. Many people do not pay heed on it, as it is in most cases not painful, and the nail recovers on its own.
There are different types of toenail fungi, there are slightly different symptoms for each type of toenail fungus. Anyone can be infected with toenail fungus, the fungal spores are everywhere in the space. They can survive in almost every environment.
Main Types of toenail fungus.
There are four types of toenail fungi that are widespread and common in different regions of the world. Each type is different from the other making it hard for the physician to prescribe a treatment.
The first type is onychomycosis, it would not go of easily, and takes almost half a year to cure. It is the same fungus that causes the athlete’s foot, it is mainly connected with the immune system of the infected person. The most common symptom of the onychomycosis is the yellowing of the nails which will eventually become painful.
The next is the superficial onychomycosis, you will see different types of granules on your nail, it is not as harsh as the regular onychomycosis, but if left untreated it can become the worst toenail fungus.
Yeast is a well-known fungus; it is also known as the candida infection. The yeast infections are very easy to spot as they are really obvious. You will see the redness of the nail, and the area around the nail will also look swollen. PSO is a fungus that will only infect people with chronic diseases like HIV, it is worse as it develops by weakening the immune system of the sufferer.
The Symptoms of toenail fungus.
It is very easy to detect toenail fungus. If you feel any unusual thing on the nail or around it, seek medical advice as soon as possible. the toenail fungus already takes ages to cure, and if left untreated it may take years. The following are some common symptoms of toenail fungus.
- Brittle nails, if you feel that the nails are becoming powdery with every passing day, it means that you have been infected with fungus.
- Darkened nails, it is sometimes the bacterial infection occurring as a result of injury, but for a few cases it can be the toenail fungus.
- The redness, it is a sign of inflammation, be a responsible person and seek doctors’ advice over it as it will be more painful than the other types of fungal symptoms.
How can we treat toenail fungus?
There are many methods one can use oo go through to treat the nail fungus and Dr. Ron on fixnailsfungus has written about the most effective fungal nail treatment in detail. However, among them, following are some cures for toenail fungus. All these treatments are effective, but their range and time period may vary.
- Laser: it is the fastest treatment for nail fungus. There are two types of lasers for nail fungus, the cold laser will treat the fungus within a few minutes. The second type, that is the hot laser may take two months for a complete recovery. The former one is an expensive treatment.
- The supplements, as the toenail fungus is very much connected with the immunity of the sufferer, so it is very crucial to maintain your health to cure it. Otherwise, it will take forever to go.
- The topical cream, these are also prescribed by the doctors. Topical cream will also take almost 3 to 4 months to cure the fungus.
- The home remedies, these are not fast, but many people tend to rely on these as they eventually work to treat the fungus.
Top home remedies for the fungus treatment of nails
Many people tend to consider the home remedies to treat the toenail fungus which is fine. At the initial stages of the nail fungus the hoke remedies are very effective and they can treat the infection.
However, the only trick that needs to be followed to get some results is to follow the home remedies for toenail fungus properly; otherwise, you will only waste your time. In this section we have come up with a few best home remedies for toenail fungus.
Apple cider vinegar (ACV) to help in treating the fungus
Apple cider vinegar is one of the most common kitchen and food ingredients. Almost every home has it. The most effective feature of the apple cider vinegar for the nail fungus is the acidity. The apple cider vinegar will change the pH of the toenail and then kill the toenail fungus.
All you need to do to make the apple cider vinegar foot soak is apple cider vinegar, a tub and some water. Do not make it too concentrated a mild foot soak is enough. Now put your infected feet or both in it, but it is better to keep the infected feet in it.
Baking soda is also good for the fungus treatment
Baking soda is also a readily available kitchen staple. To use it for the toenail fungus you can either make a foot soak or make a paste of the baking soda. Both ways are effective but those who do not get much time for the foot soak usually use it in the form of paste.
Bleach
Bleach will also change the pH of the toenail. It will work on the same mechanism as the apple cider vinegar. All you are supposed to do is make a foot soak of bleach and water.
The essential oils
To treat the toenail fungus there are several essential oils recommended. On top of all these the best ones are the tea tree oil, and eucalyptus oil. Both these are strong oils and their ingredients are anti fungal.
The best way to use the essential oils is to mix them with carrier oils and apply directly on the infected area. However, there are a few other methods too such as adding them to foot soak etc. You can try whichever method seems best for you.