Fungal toenails are common and can be uncomfortable, thickened, misshaped, discoloured, crumbly and smelly. Also known as onychomycosis (on-ih-koh-my-KOH-sis), toenail fungus can be a source of embarrassment and insecurity and can even lead to skin breakdown due to excess pressure on the nail bed. Contagious in nature, they can spread from one person to another or from one toenail to another.
Toenail fungus is evident in the toenail itself, but the infection resides in the nail bed underneath the nail plate. The nail matrix or cells from which the nail grows is the part of the toenail that becomes infected with fungus. If toenails are injured or if a person’s immune system is not working as well as it should, there is a greater risk for a fungal infection developing.
Fungal Toenails & Important Things to Remember
Fungal toenails can be hard to eradicate. The challenge with treatment is penetration of the medication, as it must get through the nail plate down to the nail bed where the fungus lives. The thinner the nail plate, the better a topical treatment will work! Before starting any anti-fungal treatment, it is recommended to know if your toenails are in fact caused by a fungus. Not all thick and discoloured toenails are fungal and not all fungal toenails are thick and discoloured! BioPed Medical Footcare Clinicians can work with your Primary Care Provider to help determine the answer and the best next steps.
Fungal toenails can be treated with topical medications applied directly to the nail and/or oral medications, which are prescribed by a Medical Doctor, Nurse Practitioner or a Chiropodist. These oral medications are quite powerful and can have undesirable side effects and interactions with other medications.
Treatment Options for Onychomycosis
BioPed Footcare clinics offer an array of treatments for toenail fungus. We offer topical treatments such as paint on anti-fungal medication and Photodynamic light therapy (PDT).
At-home treatments may be prescribed or purchased over the counter. Jublia is a well-known prescription treatment. Over-the-counter options include Footlogix Nail Tincture and Formula 3. Formula 3 contains the active medicinal ingredient, tolnaftate. Tolnaftate has been used in products for over 50 years to treat fungal infections, such as ring worm and athlete’s foot. Formula 3 uses jojoba oil as the base or the vehicle that delivers the tolnaftate, creating an in-solution, NOT a suspension. This prevents separation of the ingredients and allows immediate absorption of the oil with the tolnaftate right alongside! Both options are available at BioPed and can be used to treat and/or promote healthy nail growth.
In-clinic treatments such as PDT are highly effective treatment options for fungal toenail infections. At BioPed, we use the ClearToe Therapy Light specifically, which is a class 2 photodisinfection device approved by Health Canada for the clearance of fungal nail infection. ToeFx® has a proprietary non-toxic, ClearToe Serum which when applied to toenails, binds to fungus and becomes concentrated with the light. Toenails are exposed to the light therapy for 15 minutes each session. Sessions are biweekly for 4-5 months. Studies out of McMaster University, revealed this ClearToe Light Therapy system resulted in complete or substantial clearance of toenail fungus in 76% of patients after 8-10 sessions.
Give BioPed Footcare a call today to book a Medical Footcare consultation with one of our Footcare Nurses or Chiropodists and inquire if you need treatment for toenail fungus!
