Trying to eliminate nail fungus? There are a few very important tips you need to know to stop nail fungus before you choose your remedy or else you’ll never get rid of it. Trying to get rid of nail fungus can be almost impossible especially if you have had it for years. The main reason is that nail fungus lives deep under the nail and not on the nail’s surface. In fact, fungus can NOT be killed. It merely grows off the nail as a healthy nails grows in. This means that whatever treatment you use must be able to penetrate the nail in order to stop the nail fungus. Many topical brush-on solutions can’t.
In order to get rid of the nail fungus you must combat it by following a number of steps before and during your chosen remedy/treatment that together may make a difference. What follows below are not the actual anti-fungus treatments, but things to do in conjunction with a prescribed or homemade treatment to improve their effectiveness.
Proper nutrition is key to fighting fungus
Although not proven as far as fungus is concerned, it is accepted by many that when the body has the proper nutrients and vitamins, that it is better able to ward off against many ills.
Before starting off on any anti-fungal treatment it is important to eat properly and began taking a multi-vitamin at the very least. Start eating a healthy mix of fruits and vegetables, lay off all that sugar laden food and soda and watch what you eat.
Key vitamins include:
- Vitamin C
- Pantothenic acid (a.k.a. B-5) at least 500mg daily
- Vitamin E
Please note that multi-vitamins like Centrum… are not adequate and it is best to buy a dedicated bottle of each vitamin. Exercise and sun exposure appear to help in stopping fungus under nails
Daily hygiene
Thoroughly cleaning and drying the affected nail and area twice a day before applying any antifungal solution is a must. Use soap and water and consider a small soft bristled scrub brush to get under nails. Thoroughly dry your hands and feet as water trapped under nails is a breeding ground for fungus and could very well have been the way the fungus may have started in the first place.
Immersing nails in water for long periods as in washing dishes weakens nails which can bring on splitting nails thus becoming an entry way for fungus. Reduce that risk by always wearing cotton lined Playtex gloves to wash dishes.
Choose a nail fungus solution or remedy wisely
Many products claim to stop nail fungus, but few actually deliver. In fact the description on many say they are not recommended for nail fungus and only finger and toe fungus on the skin surface. Things at your local store like FungiNail do NOT work on nail fungus!
There are remedies that work in getting rid of nail fungus, but it can take as long as a year for complete results to be obtained. By reading all the recommendations and suggestions from others suffering from fungus infection of the nails on KillNailFungus.info you should find something that works for you. In some cases it could be using two or more anti-fungal remedies in tandem.
File Infected Nails Down
The effectiveness of your anti-fungal remedy is contingent on its being able to penetrate the nail bed to get at the fungus. To speed things along one should lightly file down the surface of the entire nail so that the liquid or gel can soak through the infected nail quicker. The only thing to watch for is that the ends of the nails can split very easily because they are thinner so be careful putting your hands in your pockets where it is easy to rip a nail if it snags on fabric or objects.
Keep nails short.
In addition, clip and trim fingernails and toenails so as to get rid of the fungus infected portions as they grow out to avoid re-infection. Keeping nails trim and short also prevents moisture, which breeds fungus, from being trapped under the nail.
Remember to thoroughly clean all nail files and nail clippers in hot soapy water to avoid reinfection. Of course never share these items with others.
Stick to your anti-fungal schedule
Nail fungus is extremely difficult to get rid of so it is very important to keep applying your chosen remedy at least twice daily. Even more important is to continue doing so even after your nails look healthy again and all the fungus appears gone. In fact you may have to do this for a year or more. Just when you think you’ve gotten rid of the nail fungus and then stop, you find that it has started all over again so keep at it no matter what.
Try not to contaminate and spread the fungus to other healthy nails. Use a different set of nail clippers, emery boards… for your healthy nails. Change socks and shoes daily and replace them often as fungus spores breeds within the fabric of socks and inside shoes. Wash socks in detergent and hot water and allow shoes to air dry for a few days before using them again. Use flip flops when walking in a locker room or public shower to avoid recontamination.