- Does it seem like you are getting nowhere with your nail fungus treatment?
- Are you fed up living with an ugly looking yellow toenail?
- Are you ready to start a treatment plan that works?
- Do you want to know the most important word in nail fungus treatment?
There are an estimated 35 million people in the US with a nail fungus infection (Onychomycosis). That’s about 1 in every 10 people.
Wonder why that number is so high?
Well, it’s because most people are not treating their infection effectively. And every person with an active infection is a carrier who can pass the condition to others, many of whom will also fail to treat their infection effectively. And become carriers. And so the cycle continues …
Using the right approach to treatment, anyone can cure their nails and get back on with their life.
Want to know the secret for effective nail fungus treatment? (it’s not what you think)
You probably think the answer lies in the particular brand of treatment that you use. You’re probably expecting to be told that Brand X is best or that Product Y is the right approach for you.
But that’s not what we’re going to focus on. Why?
Because after living with a nail fungus infection for five years and having tried dozens of different topical treatments, each one claiming to be better than the next, I can tell you one thing from my personal experience:
The most important factor that will determine your success is not the specific product that you use but your ability to stick to a regular application routine over several months.
The good news is that you can do all this in the privacy of your home. Most people don’t need to take prescription oral antifungals and run the risk of liver damage or undergo an invasive surgical procedure. Topical treatments will work for most people,*** but you need to stick to a plan.
Here’s the ultimate treatment plan
- Choose a topical nail fungus product that contains a powerful antifungal ingredient. Funginix or Zetaclear are two good options.
- Prepare yourself mentally for the fact that you are not going to see any visible signs of improvement until at least 8 weeks have passed. This is key to managing your expectations and keeping your motivation up.
- Take a photo of your infected nail and put it aside. Don’t look at it again until two months has passed. (This is important).
- Tie a ribbon around your toothbrush. The ribbon is there to remind you to apply your nail fungus treatment every time you pick up your toothbrush. For most people this will ensure a twice daily application.
- Buy a coarse nail file to debride the nail layers over the fungus. Your goal is to open up the fungus to treatment, allowing the topical antifungal to penetrate as deeply as possible.
- Make sure you follow the product instructions that come with the product.
- After 8 weeks have passed take another photo and compare it to your previous one.
If you have been consistent with your treatment you should see some improvement. Then keep going.
That’s it. Simple really.
The hardest part of nail fungus treatment is keeping going even if you don’t see visible signs of improvement. Although tracking your progress is important, and will help with motivation, you should only do this every two months.
I found it helpful to think of it this way: The treatment that you apply today will only help you in two months time.
So what’s the most important word in nail fungus treatment? Consistency.
Not exciting and not sexy.
But unfortunately there are no quick fixes when it comes to nail fungus infection. For most people the fungus lies underneath the nail so it simply takes time for the antifungal medication to reach it and destroy it.
Good luck on your journey to becoming fungus free.
***Of course if you have a very severe infection with many nails affected or your nails are starting to distort and lift off the nail bed it makes sense to speak with a qualified medical professional about your condition. FungusFacts.com is not a doctor and information provided here cannot substitute for the advice of a medical professional.
Nice article Mary. Not your standard “buy this product post”. Thanks for this perspective.
So that’s why I’m going wrong. Often the reason is so obvious, isn’t it. You’ve motivated me to really knuckle down on my treatment and STICK to it. I keep thinking my fungus is going to go away on its own. But it’s been over a year now, and it hasn’t.
Pleased you enjoyed it Mariella. There are some great products out there for sure. But none of them is a magic bullet. You’ve got to put in the work (repeated application) to make them work.
I’m pleased you’re motivated to get started on a proper treatment routine. Best of luck Peter on your journey to becoming free of fungus.
wow, well researched, details and well written article. Like Mariella says not your average sale pitch article. its a real helpful one.
Good tip about taking a photo pf the infected area!! I had something on one of my toes last year and the over the counter medication I bought worked well.
Thanks for the note Joanne, yes taking a photo helps with motivation. Nails grow very slowly so it’s very hard to notice an improvement if you look for it every day. Having a monthly tracking photo will show you that you are winning the battle.
Hey Sri Lanka – I’m pleased the post does not come across as a sales pitch. Thanks for contributing.
Your site is really well presented and provides such classy coverage on what could be considered, let’s face it, a disgusting topic. You’ve done a truly excellent job of providing quality educational materials and your illustrations are top-notch. Great job!
I had a good friend who had issues with his toenails – it took him two years for him to finally see results. Hopefully it doesn’t take this long for everyone, but he definitely had to be very consistent even when he wasn’t seeing results. Pretty hard to do, but worth it in the end for sure.
That is pretty amazing that so many people have nail fungus. When you don’t have it, you never think about it at all, or wonder if there is such a thing. Thanks for providing a great step-by-step plan to help people finally get the treatment working the way it is supposed to!
We will wish her the best of luck on her journey as she takes on some fierce competition.
Thanks for the comment elle. Unfortunately nails grow slowly so it can take a long time to treat. In many ways the goal is simply to stop the spread of the fungus across the nail and then let the nail grow out. I’m pleased your friend got rid of the infection eventually.
Hi Susan, Pleased you liked the guide. Thanks for the comment.
Hi Sierra. Yes the competition is certainly tenacious. But if we are disciplined and stick to a repeated course of action, we’ll beat it!
Very interesting. It is great that you have decided to share all of this!
Thanks Sally, pleased you found it interesting. It’s certainly not your usual “this is the best treatment product for nail fungus” kind of post.