# Toenail fungus (eww!) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 16, 2012, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toenail-fungus-eww/625303 "2012-06-16T00:30:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toenail-fungus-eww/625303/21 "2012-06-18T17:57:57Z")
Tea Tree Oil, worked a charm, for me, was recommended by a manicurist. Just get some and use it, you won’t be disappointed, truly! ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toenail-fungus-eww/625303/22 "2012-06-21T00:12:10Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Tea Tree Oil, worked a charm, for me, was recommended by a manicurist. > > Just get some and use it, you won’t be disappointed, truly! Well, I bought some tonight. It smells awful! I just showered, got my nail good and moist, then applied the oil with a Q-tip, then took a nail file to pry the nail up and get the oil under it. So, day #1. Let’s see how long this takes. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toenail-fungus-eww/625303/23 "2012-06-21T15:51:02Z")
It sounds like you have abandoned the Dremel idea, but I just wanted to reinforce the advice to leave the toenail surgery to the professionals. You have no idea how sensitive that area is. My husband had surgery to kill off part of his big toenails because of recurring ingrown nails and he had to lie down on the floor and have me change the dressing the first couple of times. He would literally pass out from the pain. ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toenail-fungus-eww/625303/24 "2012-06-21T16:33:17Z")
> [@cher3](#): > > It sounds like you have abandoned the Dremel idea, but I just wanted to reinforce the advice to leave the toenail surgery to the professionals. You have no idea how sensitive that area is. My husband had surgery to kill off part of his big toenails because of recurring ingrown nails and he had to lie down on the floor and have me change the dressing the first couple of times. He would literally pass out from the pain. I’ve given up (for now) on the dremel. The oil seems to have a very low viscosity (or is it high viscosity?), leading me to believe it’s capable of really seeping into the infection. I’m going to soak it tonight and cut as much nail off as I can. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toenail-fungus-eww/625303/25 "2012-06-22T03:29:10Z")
I had had toenail fungus, and got a prescription drug which cleared it up in about six months. ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toenail-fungus-eww/625303/26 "2012-07-19T01:22:42Z")
> [@sparky\_1](#): > > I’ve given up (for now) on the dremel. > > The oil seems to have a very low viscosity (or is it high viscosity?), leading me to believe it’s capable of really seeping into the infection. I’m going to soak it tonight and cut as much nail off as I can. This is week… 1, 2, 3, … something. So far, tea tree oil does not work. I had high hopes, and unlike most other home-grown remedies, this really seemed like it might work. I mean, it smells awful, almost like a fossil fuel, and it seems really, really good at soaking into even the tiniest crevice. But no, it has done no harm to my nail fungus. In fact, the fungus has now spread to the entire front portion on the nail, almost as though it was lead there by a very liquid and low viscosity carrier agent. I have two choices, I think: get all liquored up and drop a dumbbell on that toenail. I have a 20 pounder and a 30 pounder to choose from. Or I could go back to the dremel idea and just cut the damn toe off. Or! Choice three, pry the nail up morning and evening and soak thoroughly with undiluted bleach. It may hurt like hell to shove a metal object under my big toenail and pry it up, but it’ll be worth it to win this war. To people who had success with tree tea oil, there was some other thing at work there. Maybe just spending more time on your feet with a nightly wash before applying the oil, or just plain coincidence. ---
**Author:** ![kbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kbear)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toenail-fungus-eww/625303/27 "2012-07-19T02:24:04Z")
Exilor worked fine for me. Twice a day for the last year or so, however long it took for a complete new nail to grow in. Took a hiatus in the summer by covering the nails with nail polish so I think that’s why it took so long. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toenail-fungus-eww/625303/28 "2012-07-19T02:48:22Z")
I cured my nail fungus in an umconventional way. Somehow or another, while getting my vacuum cleaner out of the closet, I caught the edge of my nail and ripped it 80 % off. I said many bad words, but once I had calmed down I put tolfanate spray alll under the nail. I repeated this twice a day and bandaged the nail back in place. Eventually the nail fell off and new nail grew in, clean and healthy. The fungus has not reoccurred. I do not recommed my treatment but I do wonder if drilling tiny holes in the nail to allow the meds to seep under the nail might not be effective. ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toenail-fungus-eww/625303/29 "2012-07-19T03:37:22Z")
Glad to see this thread resurrected. I think the tea tree oil after 1 month is doing something, but I know it will take a while. I have been buffing the nail w/a diamond file before applying, and I notice they seem to be drying out. ---
**Author:** ![Enkel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@Enkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enkel)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toenail-fungus-eww/625303/30 "2012-07-19T06:28:17Z")
You might look at DMSO to carry the tea tree oil deeper into the tissue. Just make sure you read up about it before you use it because it can carry even bad stuff through the skin. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toenail-fungus-eww/625303/31 "2012-07-19T07:04:56Z")
Go back to the damned doctor, dude! Tell him what you have tried, for how long and still no results. Explain just how important it is to clear up this bullshit (I believe telling him you are seriously and actually contemplating dropping a dumbbell or using a Dremel at home should be enough) and your reservations regarding Lamisil. Let’s see, extremely small chance you may damage your liver, or have massive self-inflicted trauma almost guaranteed to cause damage to far more than the toenail and/or potentially invite horrific infection in through an open wound. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toenail-fungus-eww/625303/32 "2012-07-19T10:58:28Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > I’m not so sure that toenail fungus is that gross. I have a fungal infection in my armpit. As I wait for the medication to work on it, the infected area is red, moist, puffy and stinks to high heaven. Oral thrush also involving my lips. [Aren’t medications and their side effects wonderful?] Before it was all over all the skin peeled off my lips and into the inside of my mouth like a glove. Have they tried nystatin on your pit fungus? [and that sounds like it is a combatant:dubious::D] ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toenail-fungus-eww/625303/33 "2012-07-19T11:08:56Z")
Putting it on with a Qtip? Yeah, I put drops of it on, until the toe was soaked, then wiped away any excess. But yes, it can take a while if you’ve, say, let the infection really settle in. Please stop with the hacking at the nail, and trying to tear it out, and just let your body do it’s job and heal. It give me the willies, reading about what you’re doing to it! There is no need, beyond keeping in short and trim, like your other nails. Please consider giving it a rest. Step back. Keep up with the tea tree oil. Persist. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toenail-fungus-eww/625303/34 "2012-07-19T14:15:58Z")
I don’t think there’s anything that can actually restore fungusy nail back to its healthy state, the most any treatment can do is kill the fungus and keep it from spreading further. So even if the tea tree oil is working (and it’s certainly possible that it isn’t), there’s not going to be any obvious change in appearance until the new nail has grown in enough to be visible. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toenail-fungus-eww/625303/35 "2012-07-19T14:58:54Z")
It’s not even very important to treat toenail fungus. It’s a cosmetic issue. I would strongly advise against pulling up your nail or drilling holes in it or anything like that. Do you know how many different types of bacterial infections you can get by doing that? They make fungal infections look really good by comparison. ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toenail-fungus-eww/625303/36 "2012-07-19T15:08:47Z")
I’m not really going to do anything drastic like inflicting harm on myself. My earlier examples were in jest/as a rant over my frustration. I really don’t think the oil is working, judging by how the redness of the nail bed is spreading. With luck, I’ll accidentally whack my toe hard enough for the nail to fall off (and hopefully it’ll happen to the correct nail!). ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toenail-fungus-eww/625303/37 "2012-07-19T20:14:15Z")
Please try the vapor rub suggestion. I’ve known a number of people who have had rapid success. Slather it around and under the nail as best you are able. Put it on before bed and then pull on a pair of cotton socks. Apply nightly for at least a month before giving up. When the problem clears use weekly as a preventative. I am unsure whether digging around on your toenails can transfer the problem to the fingernails or not but I wouldn’t risk it. Apparently no one here has seen a case of fingernail fungus or they wouldn’t consider the problem insignificant. Those poor folks can’t find anyone to eat their lunch with. Patience is key. It takes time for a toenail to regrow. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toenail-fungus-eww/625303/38 "2012-07-19T20:44:29Z")
I have sweaty feet and toenail fungus too, they get hot in the summer or winter. I’ve tried tea tree oil and have been on Vicks for months now, doesn’t seem to be helping my case but I will continue trying. Oral medications are off the table. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toenail-fungus-eww/625303/39 "2012-07-19T22:39:55Z")
A prescription topical called PENLAC may help. It works like a nail polish, actually coats the nail. It does take a long time, because the nail has to grow out. Have yourself checked for Diabetes: Diabetics are vulnerable to nail fungal infections. My doctor told me that OTC remedies don’t work (she said, “Save your money.”) and if you take the oral prescription medication, as soon as you stop taking it, the fungus comes back. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![urflambe2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/c57346/32.png) [@urflambe2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urflambe2)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2013, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toenail-fungus-eww/625303/40 "2013-10-27T19:32:39Z")
I discovered this about ten years ago. If you use 50% propylene glycol [food grade] and 50% cider vinegar plus 40 drops of a citricide [grapefruit seed extract] per ounce and apply this solution with an eye dropper twice daily you will get rid of any nail fungus. It may take months to rid the fungus, but you will regrow healthy nails. Your cost will be about $50.00. You will have 2 quarts of the solution, easily enough to treat your nails and some of your friends too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toenail-fungus-eww/625303.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toenail-fungus-eww/625303.md?page=3)