hello concerned patient and thanks for writing into HCM.
I have read your query and understand your concern regarding
fungal infection of toe
it is called
onychomycosis.
following details would have helped:
your age and sex,medical or drug history if any?how long have been having this?have you taken any medicine for this?do you have diabetes or any circulatory problems?
yes ,first of all ,once it is confirmed that a fungal infection is affecting your toe nail (that is done by scraping and examining under microscope),i would advise the following:
Maintain hygiene,avoid humid,moist and warm environments as far as possible
diabetes control if you have diabetes
yes,fungal infection can cause the nail to be dull and brittle and it will come off.
i would recommend a regimen consisting of
oral antifungal drugs like
terbinafine and
itraconazole,and they will help in growing new nail devoid of infection.
You typically wil have to take this type of drug for six to 12 weeks. But you won't see the end result of treatment until the nail grows back completely. It may take three to four months to eliminate an infection.
Another recommendation would be to use antifungal cream to be applied after soaking the nails,if the nail is thick on the surface applying urea can help
If the
nail infection is severe,i would recommend surgery to remove infected nail and combined therapy with
ciclopirox.Visit your doctor if this is the case you have .Also Understand New nail will grow back healthy
Hope i have clarified and hope it helps.Followup if needed.Good day