Archive for December, 2012

Nail Fungus Prevention Tips

Monday, December 31st, 2012

The goal is simple.  Stop a toenail fungus infection before it gets a hold of you.  There are plenty of products on the market that claim to be a toenail fungus cure.  Be sure to do your research before purchasing any ingestible toenail fungus treatments.  Many of these oral treatments have potential side effects and have to be ingested for long periods of time in order to be effective.  We have found that topical solutions are the safest and easiest way to cure toenail fungus if used in the proper way and at the proper time. However, the best solution to foot and nail fungus is actually preventing the fungus before it starts.  Let’s begin with what causes nail fungus…

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Is Laser Therapy Effective?

Friday, December 7th, 2012

The answer to this question is still unclear.  Most forms of laser treatment have only provided the industry with small, poor-quality studies involving a small sample groups of patients with lighter cases of nail fungus, some of whom appeared to experience improvement after the treatment.

And while most studies have reported no adverse effects, the system zaps the nail fungus with very high heat, which in theory could damage healthy tissue around the toenail.  In addition, many treatments can often cost up to or over $1,000 and most medical insurances do not cover these costs.  And perhaps most disappointing is the fact that the majority of patients who tested and saw positive results from laser treatment had to return for additional treatments within 4-6 months.  The idea of the “one-stop-shop” solution is evidently not the case.

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What Are Dermatophytes?

Sunday, December 2nd, 2012

Dermatophytes are fungi that can cause infections of the skin, hair, and nails due to their ability to utilize keratin.  Once detected, it is critical to start using a toenail fungus treatment in order to minimize the severity of any infection.  The organisms colonize the keratin tissues and inflammation is caused by host response to metabolic by-products.  These infections are known as ringworm or tinea, in association with the infected body part.  Occasionally the organisms do invade the subcutaneous tissues, resulting in kerion development.

The organisms are transmitted by either direct contact with infected host (human or animal) or by direct or indirect contact with infected exfoliated skin or hair in combs, hair brushes, clothing, furniture, theatre seats, caps, bed linens, towels, hotel rugs, and locker room floors.

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