Foot Fungus Nail

Usually caused by fungal species known as dermatophytes, foot fungus nail infections are common, embarrassing, and difficult to get rid of. Usually picked up in the environment, dermatophytes are specially adapted to life in human nails and hair, on human skin, and on hooves, fur, and horn of animals. The reason that these organism can live in these places when other organisms cannot is because they are able to break down keratin, a protein found in these non-living tissues.

The very thing that makes it possible for a fungal species to cause a foot nail fungus infection – the ability to live on protein in non-living tissue, is the same thing that makes a nail infection (onychomycosis) difficult to treat successfully. Hair, nails, and dead skin cells have no blood supply or nerve endings - the immune system of the body is not able to act against a fungus living inside a hair or a nail. It's essentially dead tissue with no immune response to infection. Foot fungus nail, hair, and skin infections need special medications. The incidence of these infections increases with age, and they are difficult to eradicate entirely, and tend to recur. Many people suffer from them.

Most commonly, foot nail fungus is treated with a topical preparation - a substance that is applied directly to the nail in the hope that it will penetrate the substance of the nail and kill the fungus inside. Various substances have been used: chlorine bleach, vinegar, essential plant oils, disinfectant solutions, antifungal foot creams, and specific prescription drugs. These cures do sometimes work - prescription drugs have controlled studies to back up the claim that they can treat a foot fungus nail infection topically if treatment is started soon enough. Anecdotal reports support the use of other preparations, particularly old home remedies such as vinegar and chlorine bleach. Meanwhile scientific studies of the antifungal properties of plant essential oils such as tea tree oil indicate that these substances, too, can work.

The key to treating a foot fungus nail infection successfully lies in getting the topical preparation to the fungus itself. To aid in this, it's helpful to trim back the nail foot fungus is living in. This means not only clipping the nail in the usual way, but also carefully trimming or filing away any portions that have become thickened, flaky or soft, Trim down as much as you can without doing damage to the surrounding healthy tissue - the less the area of nail the topical treatment has to work its way through, the more likely it is to be effective.

As with all medical conditions, consult a medical professional for a proper diagnosis of foot fungus nail problems and experienced advice regarding treatment.

Nail Fungus Polish

In recent years, the first effective topical prescription treatment for nail fungus infections - nail fungus polish - has become available. Penlac, a commercial tradename for the drug ciclopirox is a nail laquer, a preparation that comes in a little bottle like a bottle of nail polish, and that is applied to the infected nail with a small brush. Ciclopirox is only recommended in cases where the infection does not affect the lunula (the cresent shaped white area at the base of the nail). In an advanced infection where fungus has invaded the lunula, Penlac is not recommended.

Ciclopirox copies the method of the average natural cure for nail fungus: an antifungal substance is applied to an infected nail in the hopes that it will penetrate the nail to reach the fungus and kill it. This approach has obvious advantages over systemic antifungal drugs. A nail fungus polish specifically treats the affected area and does not expose the rest of the body to antifungal agents. The possibility of adverse side effects of a systemic drug are eliminated and periodic blood tests to measure the drug's effects on body functions are also avoided. Penlac is not perfect however.

Like every topical natural cure for nail fungus, ciclopirox takes a long time to work, frequently doesn't result in a perfectly clear nail, doesn't work on every species of fungus that may infect a nail, and should be used with caution in certain circumstances (such as immunosuppression, diabetes, epilepsy, pregnancy etc.: consult your doctor). Another marked disadvantage of this prescription drug is that Penlac nail fungus polish is expensive, putting it out of reach of many people without drug plans to cover the expense.

When ciclopirox nail fungus polish cannot be used for health or financial reasons, or if the patient prefers not to use a prescription drug, a natural cure for nail fungus is an obvious choice. Relatively new products on the market, especially those that contain the antiseptic tea tree oil, are backed up by some scientific study but derived from natural sources and not controlled by pharmaceutical companies. Like ciclopirox, tea tree oil appears to be capable of penetrating the nail to reach the fungus, and it's clear that tea tree oil has antifungal activity. It works well for many people.

Before prescribing ciclopirox nail fungus polish, your doctor should take a sample of your affected nail for laboratory testing. At this time, only microscopic examination and fungal culture can confirm that the problem with your nail is truly fungal growth. Other nail abnormalities can look a lot like fungal growth empirically, but are caused by something that will not be cured with antifungal agents. Likewise, before spending time and money on a natural cure for nail fungus, it's a good idea to have the tests done to confirm fungal infection. Studies have estimated that as many as one third of patients treated with antifungals based on nail appearance alone, do not have nail fungus infection.

Cause of Nail Fungus

The cause of nail fungus infection is nearly always one of a small group of fungi and yeasts that are capable of drawing nutrition from keratin, a protein found in nails, or of invading the soft tissue around the nail. The organisms that can do this fall into three groups: dermatophytes, saprophytes, and yeasts. The dermatophytes are the most common offenders.

An advancing fungus under nail plate areas is usually a dermatophyte. These fungi are adapted for life on the hair, skin, nails, and horns of animals. They metabolize keratin and spread throughout a finger nail or toe nail and often to other nails as well. These fungi are the most common cause of nail fungus because keratin containing tissue is their natural environment - they survive well in damp areas in the environment, but proliferate on the nonliving tissues of live animals. These fungi are often picked up from shared shoes and from walking barefoot in public places where moisture favors the fungi - swimming pool decks, public showers and dressing rooms etc. Some type of footwear is advised in these locations.

Saprophytes are environmental fungi that normally grow on dead and decaying organic matter; therefore, they are a relatively rare cause of nail fungus infection. They are all common in the environment and can be contracted by farmers, gardeners, landscapers, and other people who work with plants or soil. It's a good idea to wear gloves if you're working outside: dirt and fungus under nail edges can set up a fungal infection if there are any breaks in the skin.

While it's usual to get a fungus under nail edges and plates, yeast infections tend to set in under different circumstances. These organisms take advantage of very damp conditions - the fingernails of people who have their hands in water a great deal are particularly vulnerable. When there is constant moisture, the nail becomes soft. Yeast cells invade and start to proliferate, causing lifting and buckling of the nail itself, and swelling and inflammation in the surrounding soft tissue. In severe infections, there is extreme inflammation and production of pus. Unlike the average fungal cause of nail fungus, a yeast nail infection tends to be more acute, more uncomfortable, and more urgent.

Nail Fungus Symptom

The most prominent nail fungus symptom is a visible change in the appearance of a toe nail or fingernail. Signs of infection (onychomycosis) often begin at the end nearest the tip of the nail, underneath the nail where it naturally separates from the nail bed. This is frequently where fungi gain access to the nail and begin to slowly spread through the layers of nail under the surface. Fungal growth may first appear as a white patch or yellowish discoloration. The color change then typically spreads slowly across the nail and back towards the cuticle.

When the cause of toe nail fungus is a yeast species, rather than a typical fungus, the symptoms can be quite different. Yeast infections often begin at a break in the skin at the edge of the nail, or in a soft moist nail, and involve the soft tissue of the finger as well as the nail at an early stage. A yeast infection of the nail can be very painful with a red swollen finger tip or toe, and possibly the production of pus. A red swollen painful nail or fingertip should be seen by a doctor as soon as possible.

A filamentous fungus is the most common cause of toe nail fungus. A number of different fungi cause this slower, more chronic type of onychomycosis. Though these infections are generally not painful in the early stages, fingers and toes can become quite tender when the infection is advanced. At an advanced stage a typical nail fungus symptom is a thickened, discolored, crumbling nail that may be white, yellow, brown or even black. Infection tends to spread to other nails, and some fungi are also capable of spreading to infect the surrounding skin.

Though many people believe they are familiar enough with a typical nail fungus symptom to diagnose it themselves, other things can cause a very similar picture. Bacterial growth underneath a nail can look green or black, and some nail deformities caused by noninfectious processes can also look a lot like onychomycosis. Even when the problem is nail fungus, it's a good idea to get a doctor to look at it so that lab testing can determine the exact cause of toe nail fungus - the species of fungus involved. If you believe you have onychomycosis, see your doctor immediately so that you can start treating it properly, early.

Vicks for Nail Fungus

Have you ever heard of someone using Vicks for nail fungus? Vicks VapoRub is one of the over-the-counter products that are recommended by many people as a topical treatment for nail fungus infection (onychomycosis). Reports of its efficacy are anecdotal and contradictory: no controlled studies have been done and some people report success while other say it doesn't work. In reality, no onychomycosis treatment works for all cases - but does Vicks work often enough to be worth a try?

We can only guess why some people apply Vicks and toe nail fungus retreats, but there are some clues that might explain it. First, anecdotal reports claim success in children. Children tend to have thin, soft nails, so perhaps the active ingredient in the ointment is able to penetrate children's nails more easily than the thick hard nails of many adults. If this is the case, using Vicks for nail fungus may work better for adults with thin soft nails. It may also be more effective when the infected nail is trimmed and filed until it is as thin as possible. While this is good advice for any topical nail treatment: it may be especially relevant for Vicks VapoRub.

Why would using Vicks for nail fungus work at all? If there is something in the ointment that kills fungi, it is likely one or all of the essential oils derived from plants. Vicks VapoRub contains camphor, menthol, spirits of turpentine, eucalyptus oil, oil of cedar leaf, and myristica oil, all of which are derived from plant sources. Interestingly, essential oils of plants are common ingredients of many of the newer alternative remedies available for nail fungus treatment. Tea tree oil is the ingredient most often mentioned, but essential oils from herbs such as oregano are also used.

Appealing as it may seem, however, the evidence for Vicks and toe nail fungus isn't particularly strong. There is more evidence to support the efficacy of tea tree oil and other blends of essential oils specially formulated for this purpose. Though it may be cheaper to use Vicks for nail fungus, it seems likely that better results will be obtained with one of the other products.

Before self-treating a nail fungus infection, consult a health professional for a proper diagnosis and competent medical advice.