Essential oils for toenail fungus is a treatment you may consider. At-home treatments for toenail fungus are popular for many reasons. For one, the condition is generally aesthetic and isn’t usually medically urgent. The lack of physical symptoms like pain reduces people getting medical attention. This means more people will be able to tolerate the symptoms for longer.
At-Home Remedies
This can make ineffective home remedies appealing since they don’t come with high costs or require a visit to a podiatrist. Essential oils are praised online as treatments for different medical conditions and are sometimes recommended for fungus.
Treatment with Essential Oils
Essential oils are often used by people who prefer natural remedies. Some of them can be very beneficial for certain purposes when used correctly. Many treatment options for toenail fungus like oral antifungal medications can have dangerous side effects like liver toxicity. In lieu of these treatments, some people may think essential oils are a better option because they are more natural.
However, essential oils are not an effective treatment for toenail fungus. While some, like tea tree oil, may have mild antifungal properties, they aren’t effective at eliminating the fungus. Additionally, it is difficult for them to penetrate through the nail into the nail bed where the fungus resides.
Lastly, concentrated essential oils like this can actually irritate or damage the skin. This is a bigger risk when essential oil use is prolonged. It is likely since they are ineffective at eliminating fungus.
Rubbing Alcohol
Rubbing alcohol for toenail fungus isn’t the best option. At-home treatment for toenail fungus is growing in popularity since the condition isn’t medically urgent. A few of these methods aren’t directly harmful. Although, there are some at-home methods for toenail fungus treatment that can cause damage to your toes. The dangerous at-home treatments commonly include chemicals that you can find in your home, like rubbing alcohol.
Using rubbing alcohol to treat toenail fungus will be ineffective at curing your toes. This chemical isn’t meant to be used as a medical treatment for fungus and doesn’t effectively kill fungal spores. Additionally, rubbing alcohol doesn’t penetrate through to the nail bed to kill the fungus where it actually resides. Using it undiluted on your nails can dry out the skin around your toe. This can make the skin more prone to ingrown toenails and other conditions. Sometimes, online websites will recommend diluting the alcohol and then soaking your feet in it regularly. This is a waste of time and will not cure the fungus.
Safer Treatments for Toenail Fungus
Antifungal topical medications that are prescribed and designed for toenail fungus removal are ineffective at treating the infection. These medications sometimes require more than a year of application before any results are shown at all. Even then they have a low success rate. Rubbing alcohol is even less effective than these medications. Also, it has the potential to damage your skin and toe over time.
Laser Treatment for Toenail Fungus
If you have toenail fungus and are worried about the safety of the treatment you receive, there is good news. The PinPointe laser treatment is able to kill the fungus under the nail with no toxic medication necessary.
The laser penetrates through the nail to the nail bed to kill the fungus. Also, without harming any of the skin, toe, or body. It also only requires one treatment to eliminate the fungus. To schedule a consultation with a licensed podiatrist for the PinPointe laser treatment, give us a call at 1-(800) 672-0625 or visit our website for more information.
