A 1994 study found that tea tree oil applied directly to toenail fungus is as effective as clotrimazole cream. Clotrimazole is an antifungal cream available on prescription or from a pharmacy.
Tea Tree Oil
It is an essential oil traditionally used as an antibacterial and antifungal treatment. Early research shows that it may help with nail fungus when used topically. However, more research is needed. If you do use tea tree oil for toenail fungus, only use it topically.
Combining Lotrimin cream, an antifungal drug, with tea tree oil was effective in 80 percent of patients after 16 weeks, compared with none in the placebo group.
You should not apply tea tree oil directly to skin. It's important to dilute the oil with a carrier oil, such as olive oil, coconut oil, or almond oil. For every 1 to 2 drops of tea tree oil, add 12 drops of a carrier oil.
Toenail fungus treatment options
After a gentle evaluation of your nails, a podiatrist may prescribe an antifungal medication, administer laser therapy, or surgically remove affected nails. Medications could include a topical cream or nail lacquer, as well as prescription pills.
Use tea tree oil to eliminate toenail fungus
Once or twice a day—every day—apply a drop or two of 100 per cent pure tea tree oil to the discoloured nail. Be careful not to apply tea tree to the skin, because undiluted tea tree oil may be irritating.
Try nonprescription antifungal nail creams and ointments.
Several products are available, such as terbinafine (Lamisil). If you notice white markings on the surfaces of the nails, file them off, soak your nails in water, dry them, and apply the medicated cream or lotion.
The best essential oil for toenail fungus
Although many essential oils have antifungal properties, one of the most popular and widely recommended is clove essential oil (Syzygium aromaticum). A 2007 study found that clove essential oil has antifungal properties and can destroy fungus.
Tea Tree Oil
This oil comes from a tree in Australia. It's a popular treatment for many conditions, including foot fungus. Research shows it works as well as clotrimazole, which is found in many OTC treatments.
Taking antifungal pills for two months can cure an infection under the fingernails. Usually three months of treatment cures a toenail fungal infection.
"Coconut oil is great for treating brittle and cracked nails as well as damaged cuticles because of its moisturizing properties," says Markowitz. "It's an ideal skin barrier that contains multiple fatty acids, which act as transepidermal water loss barriers."
Effective products include efinaconazole (Jublia), tavaborole (Kerydin) and ciclopirox (Penlac). All require daily applications, and it may take as long as a year to see noticeable improvement. These products may work for early, superficial fungal infections because they kill fungi on the surface of the nail.
Prescription oral antifungals, such as terbinafine (Lamisil) or fluconazole (Diflucan), are traditionally used to treat toenail fungus.
A pharmacist can help with fungal nail infections
nail-softening cream – it's used for 2 weeks to soften the nail so the infected part can be scraped off.
Nail fungus is a common infection of the nail. It begins as a white or yellow-brown spot under the tip of your fingernail or toenail. As the fungal infection goes deeper, the nail may discolor, thicken and crumble at the edge.
It may cause skin irritation and swelling. In people with acne, it can sometimes cause skin dryness, itching, stinging, burning, and redness. Cross-reactions: Applying tea tree oil might cause skin itching and burning in people with allergies to other plants.
Studies have shown that laser treatment can be very effective as it's uses energy to penetrate the nail bed and eliminate the infection from within. HOT laser – this is where the laser uses heat to destroy nail fungus by heating the nail plate.
Fungus thrives in moist and dark places so give it some light. Keep them naturally dry by exposing them to the sun whenever you can.
Medicare will cover treatment for fungus within your toenail. Another term for this treatment is nail debridement. To be eligible, you must have severe, debilitating pain. Evidence of several infections caused by the fungus may also qualify you.
“Applying Vicks VapoRub to fungus-infected toenails can clear up the notoriously hard-to-treat condition. Michigan State University clinicians found that applying the product daily to the infected nail cleared the condition in 32 of 85 patients, though it took anywhere from 5 to 16 months…”
a permanent loss of the affected nail. discoloration of the infected nail. the spread of infection to other areas of the body and possibly the bloodstream. the development of a bacterial skin infection called cellulitis.
It may be hard to imagine anything remedying the situation. Outright removing your toenails, however, is the absolute last resort option for treating toenail fungus, and only performed in very rare cases.