How is nail fungus treated?
Because a fungal infection of the nail can be very deep in the nail, it is often necessary to tackle the fungus from the inside as well as from the outside.
INTERNAL REMEDIES
There are a number of antifungal agents that can combat the fungus in the nail. You should use these resources during a treatment period. A course of treatment lasts at least 3 months. In stubborn cases, a treatment can take up to 6 months before a satisfactory result is achieved. Examples include Trisporal (itraconazole), Lamisil (terbinafine), and Diflucan (fluconazole).
EXTERNAL REMEDIES
Until now there is no external remedy that can cure the fungal nail. Because a fungal nail often occurs together with an athlete's foot, the latter is treated at the same time with a cream (eg Daktarin or Nizoral). In addition, it is important to treat all your shoes and socks with a fungicide (strewn powder). The spores of the fungus remain in it, even after repeated washing. If you do not erase these traces, you would re-infect yourself again and again and no treatment can beat that.
LASER TREATMENT
Laser treatment against fungal nails is based on selective heating of the nail plate, which kills fungi. All ten (finger or toenails) are treated at the same time during the same session, even though not all nails are visibly affected. Because nails grow slowly, we only see the effect of the treatment after 3 to 6 months. Usually 1 to 3 laser treatments are needed to heal the nail plate. Despite the heat generated by the laser beams, the treatment is well tolerated. The type of laser that is used here is a Nd:YAG laser, eg the Pin-Pointe laser.
What can you do against fungal nails yourself?
It is a misconception to think that fungal infections are caused by a lack of hygiene. Fungal infections are caused by a combination of several factors. Below are a number of measures to help prevent fungal nails:
- Always dry your feet carefully. Any traces especially find the spaces between the toes a pleasant place to stay.
- Preferably do not wear nylons, plastic socks and shoes. This creates a sweltering climate around your feet, which is very conducive to fungal growth.
- Avoid excessive perspiration. When it is warm, wear preferably airy, open, footwear. Thin cotton socks and stockings are also recommended.
- Do not use too much soap when you wash and rinse off the soap residue well. Soap with disinfectant ingredients is not effective against fungi.
- Always wear slippers in public washing and bathing facilities (swimming pool, sports hall, sauna).
What is the prognosis for nail fungus?
Unfortunately, the result of a treatment for a fungal nail is not immediately clear. The fungi may have been eradicated, but the abnormalities in the nail may still be visible for months. It takes a lot of time for the affected parts of the nail to grow out and shed completely. The toenails in particular only grow a few millimeters per month. So it's a matter of patience, patience and more patience.
What is a fungal nail?
A fungal nail is a fungal infection of one or more nails of the feet and/or hands. It is also known as "fungal nails". It is a disfiguring condition, which is sometimes a bit painful, but can actually be lived with. The medical term for a fungal nail is “onychomycosis” (onycho = nail; mycosis = fungus). Although the fungal nail problem only really took off when mankind switched to wearing footwear, fungal nails are a problem of all times and of all peoples. To this day, however, few people know that these fungal nails are almost always the result of a fungal infection. Lime nails are therefore often fungal nails. Often the toenails are the problem, but fungi also know how to find the nails of the hands.
How often and in whom do fungal nails occur?
In the Netherlands, an estimated 2 to 13% of the population suffers from fungal nail(s). Men and women have about an equal risk of getting fungal nails. The risk of infection increases with age. It still occurs quite rarely in children, but 15-20% of people between 40 and 60 years suffer from a fungal infection of the nail(s).
How does a fungal nail develop?
Someone with healthy skin and healthy nails usually has a good defense against fungi. Fungal infections mainly occur in poorly growing nails, in damp nails and in damaged nails. Under these conditions, the “spores” of fungi take their chance to spread further. The spores of fungi are everywhere in our environment and we therefore easily come into contact with them. Especially common showers of changing rooms, swimming pools, sports halls and saunas are notorious. When you walk around there barefoot, you almost inevitably come into contact with fungal spores. If you then dry your feet insufficiently, slip into plastic socks and tight shoes, and also perspire excessively, the seeds for a fungal infection have been laid. Then you yourself are a source for new infections.
What does nail fungus look like?
If one nail turns white or yellow, this is usually an alarm signal. It is likely that a fungus is active. If the infection gets worse and thus penetrates deeper into the nail, the color changes to yellow-brown. The nail is thickened, bumpy and friable and sometimes comes off completely or partially. A fungal infection can occur on the nails of the feet as well as those of the hands. However, the condition on the feet almost always starts with the big toe. If not treated, the fungus continues its adventure and the other toenails become yellow and affected as well. Often at the same time there is also talk of "swimmer's eczema" : another term that actually suggests the wrong thing. There is also a fungus in swimmer's eczema,
How is nail fungus diagnosed?
Usually the abnormalities in a fungal nail are so characteristic that the diagnosis can be suspected with the naked eye. These abnormalities are sometimes misleading for the diagnosis. The nail abnormalities can also fit in the context of various chronic non-infectious skin diseases, such as psoriasis , lichen ruber planus or eczema. The "crown" of the diagnosis "nail fungus" is the demonstration of the fungus through a culture. To do this, your doctor cuts off a small amount of nail material and then sends it to the lab. However, the results of a nail culture are only known after a few weeks.
At least 2 weeks before you start a nail culture, it is important to stop using all internal and external anti-fungal agents. If you do not do this, there is an increased chance that the culture will give a false negative result.