Topical Treatments For Toe Fungus

Toenail or toe fungus, also known as onychomycosis, affects many people. Even though most cases of toe fungus causes mild and mostly cosmetic change to the toes and toenails, others will experience painful bacterial infections.

Toe fungus can be difficult to get rid of. The fungus resides within the nail, even penetrating the nail bed underneath. That makes treating toe fungus with topical treatments less effective, prompting most doctors to prescribe oral medications for toe fungus. That doesn’t completely rule out topical ointments as a toe fungus treatment, though.

Topical treatments for toe fungus

Some people can’t take oral medications for toe or toenail fungus. Thanks to this, they typically need to use topical medications to treat their condition. Let’s look at some of the most commonly prescribed topical anti-fungal treatments.

Ciclopriox, best known under Penlac Nail Lacquer, is a clear lacquer that can be applied to an infected nail for a certain period of time. Most people need to apply this topical lacquer for months at a time. This lacquer is prescribed for mild to moderate cases of toenail fungus, particularly when the fungus has only affected the tip of the nail.

Sometimes, the infected nail needs to be thinned before removing the infected parts. Topical urea is a type of paste or cream that gets applied to the infected nail and wrapped under a protective bandage. It thins the infected nail, more or less helping it break away from the nail bed, so a doctor can safely remove the nail. It usually takes 2 to 4 weeks for the nail infection symptoms to improve.

The most common topical toe fungus treatments are over-the-counter medications. Interestingly enough, it’s unconventional topical treatments that have reliable results in reducing toe fungus.

Vic’s VapoRub and tea tree oil have been found to have great results when applied to an infected toe. They have anti-fungal properties and an oily texture, which works best for absorption by the nail.

The best way to improve symptoms from toe fungus involves combining topical treatments with regular maintenance of the infected area. That includes trimming and cleaning the infected area on a daily basis. In most cases, the treatment of a fungus-infected toe or toenail lasts for weeks, but topical treatments will help keep the symptoms under control.