How To Get Rid Of Toenail Fungus

Systemic treatment of toenail fungus is another word for oral anti-fungal medications. This is different than local treatment because it works by getting into the blood stream of your body and curing your fungus issue from the inside out. Sometimes this may be the best option, especially for people with a deep fungus issue that is under the nail and hard to reach with a topical or local medicine. The negatives to systemic treatment are that of any prescription medication really, and that is the issue of side effects. All drugs have side effects that affect people differently, and when utilizing a systemic approach to get rid of toenail fungus, treatment can last for months. This can take its toll on a person, side effects wise and even end up causing more problems such as liver issues. For more information on systemic and other treatment options for onychomycosis see this article. You can also find information here on good combination treatment products that attack toenail fungus from both a systemic and local angle. This is the fastest way to get rid of toenail fungus in my opinion.

You should always start off with a local treatment if the actual fungus is reachable on the nail. Sometimes the fungus will be buried deep below the nail making it nearly impossible to reach with a topical medication. If you can reach it though, start with this treatment method first, it may be all you need and any time you can avoid taking prescription medications and dealing with their side effects, you should take advantage of. Almost all of the oral systemic medications are available from the manufacturer as a topical version as well. It's important that you do not simultaneously use both methods of the same drug. This is a sure way to develop serious side effects. There are combination products for toenail fungus that are effective but never create your own. Local treatment works for some people but not all and is usually much more effective on mild cases of onychomycosis, just be patient and apply medicine daily for months before deciding you need a more aggressive treatment.

Here are some top tips to ensuring that you don't get a re-occurrence of toenail fungus. With such a long and tedious healing process the last thing you want is to deal with this condition again, follow these tips to ensure you stay fungus free.

-Keep nails clean and properly trimmed. Trim them straight across weekly and clean feet thoroughly every day in shower.

-Be careful of sharing manicuring tools and clippers. Don't share these with roommates or anyone really. When visiting nail salons you can bring your own tools if you don't feel comfortable with how well they sterilize their equipment. Don't worry, the salon workers won't be offended, people do this all the time.

-Wear proper socks. Lightweight socks that allow your feet to get some air and breathe are best. Typically gym socks or dri-fit socks are great for this. Avoid walking barefoot in public places such as the locker room at your local gym.

-Use an anti-fungal spray. Spray the inside of your shoes or even your feet if you feel they may have been exposed to the fungus.

-During the treatment of toenail fungus, always wash your hands immediately after applying treatment to the nail or someone else's nail. This is the primary way that fungus spreads, it can absolutely spread by touching an infected nail and then touching your own nail.