A toenail fungus treatment is necessary when there are signs of a problem. The dilemma is actually very common and can cause a disfigured nail or loss of the nail completely. This fungus can become chronic yet often sufferers do not seek medical treatment if there is no pain.
Onychomycosis, the medical term for toenail fungus, affects the big toe and the pinky toe more often than others. There are many different kinds of fungi that can cause this problem. All of the assorted fungi love the moist and warm living conditions inside of your shoes. It makes a nice environment to grow and eventually allows them to invade you and feed upon the keratin protein that your nail is made of. A toenail fungus treatment will intervene and disrupt their lavish living conditions!
There are specific things to check for when trying to spot fungus. Usually there is discoloration in the nail, such as a yellow or brownish color. The nail will typically grow quite thick and easily overgrown. Unfortunately, there may be an unpleasant smell when cleaning underneath the nail itself. If infected for a lengthy amount of time, the infection may cause the area to split, crumble, or just drop off totally. All of this obviously makes it painful while wearing shoes if not impossible.
If the fungal infection happens to be uncomfortable to the point of seeking medical attention, samples of the nail will probably be taken. A lab can easily test it to be positive and to ensure there is not some other problem with the toenail. The podiatrist will most likely base the course of treatment from the results.
The toenail fungus treatment may consist of nail trimming and carefully filing down the area. The podiatrist may do this in the office or may send you home with specific instructions on how to do it yourself. A mild infection may warrant a prescription such as medicated nail polish with either Loceryl (amorolfine) or another option would be Loprox (ciclopirox). Unruly cases may get an oral prescription of Lamisil (terbinafine) or even Sporanox (itraconazole). It generally takes around twelve weeks to complete the treatment. Severely unrelenting infectivity may require surgical removal.
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