Toenail Fungus (Fungal Toenails)

Explore different treatment options for fungus in the toenails.

Hi, I’m Dr. Leo Krawetz of Healthy Feet Podiatry. One of the more common problems that I see in my office is fungus in the toenails. This is a very difficult problem to get rid of. There are treatments for fungus in the toenails although the cure rates are very low. In fact, the oral medication only has a cure rate of around 38% and the topical medication has cure rate of around 8%. Although these medicines can be used, there is no guarantee that the fungus will not come back. Many times, in probably close to 100% of the cases, the fungus does return within a 5‑year period. I’d be more than happy to prescribe one of these medicines too, but there are risks with taking the oral medication. There is a small chance that it could affect your liver so a simple blood test is done approximately three weeks after taking the medicine. If this does not work, another option is removing the toenail that has a fungus permanently so it never grows back. Even though this seems like a radical treatment, it does obviously cure the problem of the fungus in the toenail. This procedure consists of numbing the toe and removing the nail and then a chemical is applied to the base of the nail so the nail won’t grow back ever again. My patients that have this done usually complain of persistent pain in the nail and is usually failed in oral or topical fungal medicine. If you would like to contact me or have a treatment done in my office, please visit my website at https://healthyfeetpodiatry.com. Thank you

A: Your toenail can turn yellow, black or white If you have toenail fungus.

A: Laser treatment for toenail fungus has a 60% cure rate, pills have a 38% cure rate, and topical 8% cure rate. The best treatment is to have laser treatment for fungal toenails once a month for 6 months and then 3 times a year for maintenance so it doesn’t return.

A: Toenail fungus makes a toenail brittle and crumbly and have many colors like black, yellow, green or white marks.

A: Removing a toenail for fungus is only necessary if the toenail is coming loose but it does not increase the chance of getting rid of the toenail fungus unless toenail treatment is used.

A: There is no home treatment that will cure toenail fungus but applying antifungal toenail polish can slow down the process of the fungus growing in the toenail. Soaking feet in bleach, white vinegar and applying vicks vapor rub does not cure toenail fungus.

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