Vinegar Nail Fungus

The vinegar nail fungus cure must be one of the oldest traditional treatments for this common and unpleasant type of infection. The rationale behind this treatment is that fungus does not like an acid environment, therefore soaking an infected nail in vinegar, an acid, will kill off the fungus. Although vinegar has not been scientifically studied as a cure for onychomycosis, there is current interest in the potential for acids to act on fungal nail infections, and the fact that this home remedy is still around suggests that there may be something to it.

For treating nail fungus apple cider vinegar may be even better than white vinegar, and many people believe that apple cider vinegar has other healthful properties. Taking it internally on a daily basis, they say, will clear up allergies, heal skin conditions, detoxify the system, give you more energy, and even boost your vinegar nail fungus fighting ability. Again, modern medicine hasn't confirmed the benefits of drinking apple cider vinegar, but it hasn't debunked it either. Many people use this home remedy and swear by it.

To try the vinegar nail fungus home remedy, simply soak the affected hand or foot in a container of vinegar for about twenty minutes to half an hour once or twice a day. It's important to keep up the treatment and take the time to do it every single day because the fungus can presumably recover and rebound if you stop for periods of time. To treat nail fungus apple cider vinegar may not be any more effective that white vinegar if you are soaking - and white vinegar is very much cheaper - however apple cider vinegar that contains "the mother of vinegar" is reputed to be much better for internal use.

Treatment for nail fungus takes time, and the vinegar nail fungus treatment is no different. The problem is that the fungus is actually growing inside the cells that form the nail. It takes time for a new nail to grow in, so the trick is to prevent the infection from advancing while new healthy nail grows. If you are successful at this, your treatment will take as long as it takes for your body to entirely replace the nail. During this entire period, you must continue to use the remedy; however, this is not a particular disadvantage of the vinegar nail fungus treatment - it's the same for all treatments except surgical removal of the nail.

A word of caution: if your nail problem isn't nail fungus apple cider vinegar or any other acid is unlikely to help, so get the problem properly diagnosed by a health care professional before embarking on this time consuming home remedy.

Toe Nail Fungus Treatment

Toe nail fungus treatment is something that causes a lot of frustration and debate. It's difficult: once a fungal infection becomes well established in a nail, it's hard to get rid of, and if you do get rid of it, it often comes back. You get conflicting advice: some people swear by traditional home remedies; some claim that various over-the-counter products or household chemicals will work; some bet on the newest alternative medicine remedies; some insist that a prescription drug is the only solution. It's expensive, especially if you go the prescription drug route. All of these arguments are valid.

When fungus starts to grow in a nail, it grows within the nail itself, rather than in the surrounding tissue, so while exploring how to kill fungus, we have to think about what will penetrate the nail. Especially in the early stages, while the nail is still relatively intact, many types of toe nail fungus treatment simply don't make their way through the thick nail and therefore they tend not to work. Even in severe fungal nail infection, when the nail is softer and crumbly, fungal growth can lie protected between the layers of nail. This is a problem for all but the oral treatments. The speed with which a nail can be cured is limited, of course, by the speed at which the nail grows.

As for the varied types of toe nail fungus treatment, most of them probably work to some degree for some people. There are new prescription medications that show good effectiveness (but they don't work for everyone). Most of them are oral drugs, so they get around the problem of how to kill nail fungus through the thick nail. Remember, however, that when you use an oral medication, you're not just treating the nail, you're treating the whole body - side effects do occur. While many of the home remedies may work as well, they tend to take a very long time and some treatments (like soaking in vinegar) are very time consuming. Some alternative remedies (like tea tree oil) show great promise as toe nail fungus treatment for the future.

When you're considering how to kill nail fungus, it's not pleasant to have to consider the cost, but it's a fact that many people who don't have drug plans to cover a prescription antifungal won't be able to afford the prescription medications. Costing dollars a day and requiring a treatment course of months, they are just too expensive. Alternative medicines are probably the lowest in cost and the best bet in terms of the likelihood of success. Though still expensive relative to vinegar or bleach, two of the home remedies, they are less costly than prescription drugs by a wide margin. Fortunately, they are readily available anywhere, via the internet.

Nail Fungi

The group of fungi sometimes generally referred to as nail fungi are actually various fungal species that fall into two groups. The most common are the dermatophytes, species that are actually adapted to live on skin, hair, nails, and horn, and cause infections in humans and animals in those sites. The second group includes environmental species, fungal species that do sometimes infect nails but usually grow on other food sources in nature.

Published facts about fungi often suggest that fungal nail infections are passed directly from person to person. Fungi produce "conidia," spores that are resistant to environmental conditions and that can remain viable in clothing (like socks), shoes, towels, and places where there is constant moisture such as swimming pool decks and shower stalls. For the dermatophytes, spores in shared shoes and linens and in public places where people go barefoot are significant modes of transmission. For the others, exposure to soil or decaying organic matter is probably more significant. All nail fungi are opportunists: they exploit opportunities presented by exposure to many people, and by the susceptibility of individuals.

One of the interesting facts about fungi that infect hair and nails is that they don't live on living tissue. Hair, nails, and the outer layer of skin cells on our skin are not alive. These parts of our bodies have no nerve endings or blood supply. Nails are formed of skin-like cells piled densely together layer upon layer continuously and pushed out onto the tips of fingers and toes to form a protective layer. Nail fungi grow and spread between these cells, drawing nutrients from the non-living cells. This is also one of the things that make fungal nail infections difficult to treat: topical treatments often fail to penetrate the hard nail, and oral drugs delivered to the site in the blood don't reach the fungal growth.

Although infections caused by nail fungi often appear with little warning, there are things we can do to decrease the chances of acquiring them. First, don't share footwear or buy second hand shoes, and launder socks, towels and other linens frequently. Keep your shoes clean and dry and try not to wear the same pair day after day so that they have lots of time to dry out. Allow as much air circulation around fingers and toes as possible. Keep nails trimmed and clean, and attend to even minor injuries promptly: another of the well documented facts about fungi is that they can gain entry through breaks in the skin and nail injuries. Finally, wear some kind of footwear around swimming pools and in public showers and dressing rooms.

If signs of a fungal infection do appear, see a doctor promptly as these infections are much easier to clear up before they are too advanced.

Acrylic Nail Fungus

There's really no such thing as acrylic nail fungus - fungi don't really infect artificial nails, but may infect the natural nail underneath the acrylic one. Fungi that do this are the same species that infect fingernails and toenails in people who don't wear acrylic nails. Fungal infection of a fingernail may go unnoticed for longer under an acrylic nail perhaps, because it is covered up.

The best approach to getting rid of an artificial fingernail fungus infection is probably to let the nail first revert to its natural state. Have the acrylic nail removed and trim back the natural nail as much as possible so that you can treat the area with an antifungal agent. Exposed from under the acrylic nail fungus will look quite ugly and embarrassing, but it's best to put up with this or you will likely have a difficult time clearing up the infection.

Even without the artificial fingernail fungus will not go away on its own. The first step is to make sure that what you think is acrylic nail fungus is really that and not some other nail abnormality that looks similar. It's best to consult a medical professional for a proper diagnosis before choosing a treatment. Should you decide to use a prescription drug to treat the problem, a medical doctor is the only one who can give you a prescription and advise you about treatment.

There are alternatives to prescription drugs for acrylic nail fungus - some of the alternative remedies on the market today show great promise as relatively inexpensive and effective treatments for both natural fungal nail infections and artificial nail fungus. Studies have shown that some plants have potent antifungal properties and alternative medicine practitioners have exploited these botanical properties to produce both topical and oral products that are marketed as nail fungus remedies. The best of these are the ones that contain tea tree oil, an essential oil obtained from the Australian tea tree. Research has shown that tea tree oil has antifungal properties as well as antiviral and antibacterial activity.

Alternative nail fungus remedies are predominantly topical applications - solutions that are applied to the nail and that penetrate through to the fungus underneath to do their work. This is why, in the case of acrylic nail fungus, it's important to expose the natural nail where the infection is in order to treat the infection properly.

Picture of Toe Nail Fungus

If you have a problem with a fingernail or toenail, you may wonder if you have a fungal infection, and you're probably looking for a good picture of toe nail fungus. Be careful however - other nail abnormalities can look very similar to fungal infection of the nail (onychomycosis). It is best not to try to make your own diagnosis, but to consult your family doctor or even a dermatologist for a proper diagnosis of the problem.

There are many pictures of severe nail fungus infections on the internet. They can often be found at websites for nail products or manicure and pedicure services, at sites that advertise remedies for nail fungus, and on medical websites. For a valuable comparison of a picture of toe nail fungus and pictures of other nail problems, visit The Dermatologists' Image Resource at http://www.dermnet.com/moduleIndex.cfm?moduleID=13 Photos of onychomycosis are found under the "distal subungual" link; however, look at the pictures under the other links as well - you will see how similar other nail abnormalities can look.

If you find a picture of toe nail fungus that looks just like what you are suffering with, you should make an appointment with your doctor so that a sample can be sent to the lab for confirmation. Many general practitioners will rule out severe nail fungus before sending you on to a specialist, and the easiest way to do this is to take some scrapings of the nail and have them cultured for fungi - if the report is negative for nail fungus, you will likely be sent to a dermatologist who knows more about these conditions.

If the doctor confirms your suspicion that you have severe nail fungus, you will be able to start treatment knowing that it is likely to help. Be aware, however, that a number of different fungal species cause nail infections, and that no treatment for onychomycosis works in all cases. Many people prefer traditional home remedies or natural alternatives to the prescription drugs that are available. Controlled trials show that the prescription drugs do not always work, even when used for a long period of time, and that there are occasional serious side effects. Studies of some of the newest natural herbal treatments, such as tea tree oil indicate that these products may be just as good while being safer to use. If these treatments continue to show promise, the picture of toe nail fungus treatment may change. In the mean time, investigate the options and choose the treatment you are most comfortable with.