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Nail Fungus

Nail fungus is more common than you think.  There are millions of people who live with embarrassment; in fact around 2% - 18% suffer from a fungus infection in the world, whether it’s on the toes or fingers.  But it doesn’t have to be that way, in one hand it can be treated effectively by the use of treatment combinations, and in the other hand it can prevented easily.

Causes

Fungus on the nails, appears because of particular factors such as: foot hygiene, exposure to warm, moist environments (such as public showers or lockers), footwear, disease immunity, pH of the skin and circulatory problems.  Any of these factors can lead to a fungus infection on the nail, so if you relate to any of these your risks are higher.  Age is another important factor too; nail fungus problems are almost non-existent in children and as years pass, the risk of contracting a fungal infection increases accordingly.

Treatment

The best treatment to fight fungus on the nails is oral medication. Itraconazole (Sporanox) and Terbinafine (Lamisil) are recommended by doctors, but you should know that there is no quick treatment.  Nail fungus treatment with oral medication can take up to 3 months of daily dosage to start healing the nail form the fungus infection, and the effectiveness id of 60% - 80%.  So it is best to combine oral medication with another treatment.

What are the other nail fungus treatments available? Well we have the Ciclopirox (Penlac) lacquer which is available through prescription; but we also have the home remedies and natural treatments.  These include using bleach on the nail, tea tree oil for nail fungus, grapseed extract and vick vaporub.  These treatments are very safe and many people have enjoyed success using them.

In the end, you have to know that fungal nails can be treated, and even more important, avoided with proper nail fungus prevention. Remember to always ask a doctor first if you think you have nail fungus, otherwise you may be exposing yourself to unwanted side effects.