Toenail fungus treatments at home can be very easy to work with and manage. There is a lot of information available on the internet on toenail fungus treatment, many different suggestions on home remedies, and other things to treat your toenail fungus at home. Although there may be a lot of toenail fungus treatments at home, they may not be reliable at all.
Toenail fungus is a medical condition and should be treated as such. This means relying on the advice of a nail doctor to treat your toenail fungus, instead of turning to home remedies with no research to back them up. Unfortunately, treatments at home for toenail fungus simply do not work and may even be harmful.
Treatments at Home
Some of the most common treatments at home for toenail fungus include rubbing or soaking toenails in common household items such as Vicks VapoRub, tea tree oil, or apple cider vinegar, with the claim that these substances have antifungal properties. There is no formal research to prove this, and these claims rely heavily on anecdotal evidence. And then there are some who try to treat their toenail fungus by soaking their nails in a dilution of bleach. This is one home remedy that not only does not work but can be very dangerous and harmful. Bleach is very strong, and even a dilution can harm your skin severely. Furthermore, it can be fatal if accidentally ingested in even a small amount, and it emits harmful fumes.
Topicals for Toenail Fungus
Over-the-counter topical treatments are the only option that truly has antifungal properties, but their effectiveness in treating toenail fungus is less than 5 percent to 10 percent. This is because they are very weak, and while they may be effective at preventing infection or reinfection, they are just not strong enough to treat and kill toenail fungus. This is because they cannot reach the toenail fungus on the nail bed underneath the nail.
Chances of fungal infection
Simply living with someone who has been infected with nail fungus will greatly increase the chances of you getting a nail fungus infection yourself. This is because nail fungus is highly contagious. But don’t worry too much. Just because someone else has nail fungus doesn’t guarantee that you will also become infected. There are certainly ways that you can decrease your chances of ending up with your own case of nail fungus. If you think that the nail fungus has already spread around the house, you should carefully wash any places you suspect that the fungus already lives. You should then ask the person you live with to wear shoes around the house.
4 of the most common places where nail fungus can originate in your home
- Carpet: Carpets create dark pockets in which fungal spores can grow easily, especially if your carpets are damp. Most people tend to wear shoes in their homes, which can bring in dirt and pathogens from outdoors. Or walk barefoot in the house, which can deposit nail fungus in the carpet. Coupled with the fact that carpets are not deep-cleaned particularly often, many people end up catching nail fungus from their carpets.
- Towels: Towels are another place where nail fungus can thrive. Towels are often damp for hours after use, which creates the perfect environment for fungus to thrive. Most people only wash their towels every week or every other week. The ideal frequency of washing it is every other day, with hot water.
- Linens: If you are sleeping barefoot, nail fungus can be transferred from your feet to your bedsheets. While there is nothing wrong with sleeping barefoot since your feet need time to breathe, make sure to wash and thoroughly dry your feet before bed, and wash your sheets with hot water every week.
- Nail Tools: Intuitively enough, your nail tools – including nail clippers and nail files – can collect a lot of debris and fungal spores, thereby acting as an origin for your nail fungus. Remember to sanitize your nail tools every time you use them, and dry them completely before putting them away.
Cleaning shared places
The most important place you should be wary of is the shower, especially if you share it with another person. The shower is one of the most common spots for nail fungus to spread, so the best thing you could do is find a new place to wash up if possible. If, for any reason, you have to use the same shower and the other person can’t wear sandals or water shoes while using it, it is important for you to make sure that the shower is properly scrubbed and washed before you use it yourself. Follow these tips, and you won’t have to worry as much about becoming infected with your housemate’s nail fungus infection.
Tips on how to get rid of nail fungus
Below are some ways in which you can try to rid your home of nail fungus. Also, increase your chances of protecting yourself and your family from nail fungus:
- Clean your carpets: Fungal spores love to live in the dark pockets of your carpet. Especially thrive if they are ever moist for any reason. When you walk on your carpet, you may catch nail fungus from it. You should therefore routinely clean your carpet with a carpet cleaner. Also, you may benefit from having it deep-cleaned once in a while.
- Use house slippers: When you wear your outdoor shoes in the house, you are bringing in a world of dirt and germs. This includes fungal spores, which will ultimately cause nail fungus. However, if you walk totally barefoot, you are exposing your feet to the stray fungal spore that may have somehow come into your home. The best course of action for hygiene, health, and preventing nail fungus is to have designated shoes or slippers to wear at home.
- Disinfect devices: Computer screens, keyboard, and iPads collect a huge amount of germs, including possibly fungal spores that can cause nail fungus. You should regularly clean and disinfect these items, as well as TV remotes, which are also held by many sets of hands.
- Disinfect Nail Clippers: You always want to disinfect nail clippers after using them. Especially if other people in the household are using them as well. Also, if you use them on both your feet and hands, the fungus can go from your toenails to your fingernails and vice versa.
Laser Treatment for Toenail Fungus
If you have caught nail fungus, it can be easily treated using the FDA-approved PinPointe laser, which typically only takes one treatment. Other treatments, like topical solutions and oral medication, are not as effective. Topical solutions have a very low cure rate. This is because the solution does not penetrate all the way through the nail bed. This is because it can lead to liver toxicity. You would need to have consistent blood tests throughout the course of taking the medication.
Our nail doctor in San Diego, CA, recommends this treatment for Toenail Fungus. The PinPointe Laser treatment has the highest cure rate in the market. It has no side effects and no recovery period. As a result, you can go about your daily activities right after the treatment. Also, it is not painful.
If you have any signs of nail fungus, call us at (800) 672-0625 or visit our website for more information on our doctors at one of our over 150 locations.
