Antifungal Treatments for Nails

Symptoms of a nail fungal infection include dry brittle nails, thick or dull nails, nails distorted in shape or appearance or a darkened shade of nail. A fungal nail infection is also called onychomycosis. Infected nails may also separate from the nail bed, which may result in pain and a bad odor.

Prevention

• To keep fungal nail infections from occurring or coming back after treatment, it is important to follow some general hygiene and safety tips. Use antifungal sprays on your feet and inside your shoes. Protect your fingernails by wearing rubber gloves when doing dishes or other chores that get hands wet. Avoid artificial nails or even nail polish when fighting nail infections. Avoid going without shoes, particularly in public places. Avoid trimming the skin around your nails. Wash your hands after touching an infected area as it is contagious and can be spread. Choose a nail salon that practices good hygiene.

Antifungal Lacquer

• Some mild to moderate fungal nail infections can be treated with an antifungal nail polish. It is most effective when used in cases where only 80 percent or less of the nail plate is infected and the growing part of the nail plate is not involved. Those with skin conditions like psoriasis or diseases like diabetes are not good candidates for antifungal lacquer. Typically the drug ciclopirox or Penlac is prescribed. To use, you paint the lacquer onto your infected nails and surrounding skin daily. After a week, you wipe away the accumulation of lacquer with alcohol to create a fresh surface, and start again. Treatment may continue for up to a year.

Topical Medications

• Physicians may advise the use of topical antifungals for a milder infection of the nail due to fungus. Sometimes doctors recommend using an over-the-counter lotion containing urea to help speed up the absorption of the antifungal cream. They may also debride the area, or remove areas of infection by filing it down to reduce the amount of infection being treated. Often, topical treatments are used in conjunction with oral medications.

Oral Medication

• The most effective medications to treat fungal nail infections are oral prescription medications such as terbinafine, or Lamisil, and itraconazole, or Sporanox. Doctors are especially likely to prescribe oral medication treatment for a fungal nail infection if the person has diabetes, a history of cellulitis, have discomfort or pain due to the infection or find the infection unsightly. These medications slowly replace the infected areas of the nails. Treatment can take up to four months, but recurrent infections are common. Minor side effects include rash, but serious side effects include liver problems. Physicians are likely to avoid prescribing these drugs to people with liver disease or congestive heart failure.