Hand Nail Fungus Treatment: Easy and Effective Tips for Hand Nail Fungus

Developing hand nail fungus isn’t fun. While it’s not life-threatening, it can cause embarrassment, especially when shaking someone’s hand. You will spend most of your time hoping that no one will notice it. Thankfully, there are many ways to treat this infection and end your suffering. 

A hand nail fungus is a type of infection caused by the fungus, an organism that feeds on organic matter, such as molds and yeast. It can make your hand nails look brittle and yellowish and a little bit gross.  

Here are some tips for effective hand nail fungus treatment. 

1. Clean your Hands and Nails Regularly 

One of the most effective things you can do to protect your hands from developing fungal infections is to make sure you clean your hands and nails at all times. Use a nail brush and thoroughly clean the areas under your hand nails. But if you already have the fungus, make sure to use a different brush in cleaning the healthy nails and the infected nails. Remember, hand nail fungus is highly infectious. Thus, using the same brush to clean your nails could spread the fungus and infect healthy fingernails. 

Nail fungus can affect the toenails, too. In fact, it’s more common in the toenails than in hand nails. Thus, another thing you need to do to prevent nail fungal infection is to ensure that your socks are always clean and dry. The moisture could trap the fungus into your shoes, and that’s when you start to develop nail fungus. And if you already have it, wearing dirty socks could worsen your fungal infection. If your socks get damp or sweaty, make sure to change them immediately. 

When washing dishes, it’s good to wear rubber gloves to prevent your hands from getting overexposed to water, increasing your chances of developing thumb nail fungus. Make sure the gloves are dry inside by turning them inside out between washings. 

2. Prevent the Spread of the Fungus 

One of the most common causes of hand nail fungus is using nail cleaning tools that have not been sanitized, especially if you are fond of going to public salons for manicure or pedicure procedures. Make sure that you go to a salon that uses brand new or sterilized cleaning tools when getting your hand nails done. 

Another tip for preventing hand nail fungus is to keep your shoes on when using public bathrooms, such as in public pools or gyms. This is for you not to end up getting infected with the nail fungus coming from other people. It is a good idea to keep in mind the question, is nail fungus contagious?

3. Consider Using Essential Oils from Plant Extracts 

Essential oils from plant extracts are some of the most effective treatments for thumb nail fungus. You can find many essential oils that can effectively kill the fungus on your nails and are completely safe to use as well. 

Using natural oils for treating your nail fungus is highly recommended since these oils do not contain any chemicals that can cause harsh side effects. The most effective essential oils for treating nail fungus are jojoba oil, tea tree oil, and lemongrass oil. Using a blend of oils is also a good idea. Essential oil blends are more effective at treating nail fungus and are safe and healthy for the nails or skin. 

When to See a doctor? 

If your thumb nail infection is getting worse, and you do not see any improvements after using essential oils for treatment, it’s time to see a doctor. The doctor will examine your hand nails and the surrounding skin to confirm if you have a nail fungus. Since the fungus has the tendency to spread, the doctor will also check the skin surrounding the nails. 

Before giving you the diagnosis, the doctor might also have to take some samples by collecting some debris from underneath the nails, trimming off some parts of your hand nails, or scraping some skin. The samples will be taken to a lab to be examined under a microscope and determine what is causing the infection in your hand nails. 

How Doctors Treat a Fungal Nail Infection 

The treatment for hand nail fungus will vary depending on the type of fungal infection you have and the severity of the condition. But usually, the treatment will begin with your doctor trimming off your infected nails and scraping away the debris below the nails, which can help get rid of some fungus. 

To completely get rid of the hand nail infection, the doctor will recommend any of the following: 

• Medication to apply to the nail  

If you’ve got a mild case of thumb nail infection, the doctor will prescribe a medicine that you can apply to your nails to get rid of the infection. The medication can help keep the fungus out and allow new nails to grow. Fingernails will normally grow out after six months, but toenails will take longer, usually between 12 to 18 months.  

But perhaps the most challenging part of this treatment is remembering to use it as often as required. Some medicines should be applied every day, while others should be applied once a week. To achieve the best results, you should apply these medications exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Medications that are used for toe nail fungus treatment are often same that are used to treat fingernail fungus.

• Combination therapy 

Sometimes, hand nail fungus is hard to treat. Studies show that using a combination of antifungal pills and antifungal cream is more effective than using only a single treatment. 

• Nail removal  

For severe cases of thumb nail fungus, your doctor might recommend removing your nails to get rid of the infection. Your doctor can opt for a nonsurgical or surgical procedure when it comes to this. For nonsurgical nail removal, a chemical will be applied to remove the nail. A dermatologist can perform surgical or nonsurgical nail removal in a clinic or office. These procedures are done to allow new nails to grow back. But if the infection fails to clear, the dermatologist will treat the infected nail so it won’t grow back again.