Exploring Toe Fungus Treatment Options

Prescriptions, over the counter drugs and home remedies are the three main choices when it comes to toe fungus treatment. Each of these options requires the user to be patient because it takes months to see true results. Because of the wide variety of fungal infections that can effect the foot the same treatment does not work for everyone. It make take a few different products before you see results.

Most minor toe fungus infections can be treated at at home with some great home remedies. One of the most effective cures is right in the pantry, apple cider vinegar. Vinegar is an extremely acidic substance that is thin enough to seep into places where fungus can hide. Fungus cannot survive such a highly acidic environment and will be killed off with repeated doses.

For those on a tight budget home remedies are the obvious first choice when trying to cure the infection. Each treatment only costs pennies and the majority of households already have it in the pantry. Another pro to the apple cider vinegar is no side effects or potential drug interactions. The con of all home remedies in the length of time the vinegar takes. With daily use most will start to see results in a few months but a true cure will take a year.

Many prescription drugs are available to treat the infection. For mild infections that do not involve the nail a topical cream is often prescribed. For more serious infections or infections that involved the nail bed an oral medication is recommended. Before prescribing a pill the doctor will take samples to determine what kind of fungal infection the patient has, this will better help them prescribe an effective medication. Patients will then be asked to return to the office throughout the time you are on the medication to make sure it is working.

Prescription drugs are so effective because they are tailored to the exact fungal infection effecting the patient instead of a general medication like most over the counter medications. This leads to better results than home remedies and over the counter medications. But these drugs are not without some cons. Because of the high risk of liver damage doctors ask patients to come in regularly for blood work to ensure the liver is functioning normally. Failure to do this can be deadly.

The most recent advancement in fugal infection treatment is lasers. Doctors use them to heat the infection up so high it kills the organism. The procedure has been effective in small test groups but is still inconclusive in larger test samples.

The majority of the time one treatment is all that is needed kill off the infection, this is a huge pro for those who are not interested in months of medications. The con is the expense, it is not covered by insurance and extremely expensive for one treatment still in its experimental phase.

All these treatments are useless without proper prevention. For the course of every treatment users must keep their feet dry, wear natural fiber sock and footwear that allows air to get to the foot. Without these precautions the toes will become reinfected.

When it comes to toe fungus treatment there are a number of options out there. Most options will take months before results are noticeable so patience is a must. Beautiful toes are worth the wait.