Nail Fungus Health Video

Video Transcript

JONATHON UY, M.D.: Hello, my name is Dr. Jonathon Uy and I'm going to talk about nail fungus. Nail fungus or onychomycosis is basically the infection of the nail due to fungus. The symptoms of onychomycosis or fungal nails are nail changes such yellow discoloration, thickening, and debris underneath the nail. Occasionally due to the thickness of the nail, it may cause pain particularly in shoe gear. Treatment for fungal nails consists of topical antifungals, oral antifungals, or surgery. Topical antifungal medications consist of creams or lotions that are applied on top of the nail. The problem with these medications is that they do not penetrate the nail plate and do not successfully cure the fungal nails. Oral antifungals is another treatment and basically prior to taking oral medications, one must have a liver function test to rule out any liver problems due to the metabolism of antifungal medication through the liver. If the liver function is normal, then the oral medications maybe taken. These oral medications depending on which particular medication, usually require several months of treatment. Usually during the process of the medications, you would notice improvement typically after one or two months of using the medication. Depending on which particular oral medication you are using, a follow-up liver test might be required in order to determine if the liver has been affected. If the laboratory results are abnormal depending on the level of the abnormality, it maybe required to discontinue medications if the liver has been affected but that would be determined by your doctor. The other alternative to the treatment of fungal nails is surgery; that would entail temporary or removal of the entire nail. If surgery is chosen, it is typical to be treated with either oral or topical antifungal medication to make sure that the fungus does not stay within the nail bed. To prevent fungal nails, proper hygiene is of utmost necessity. Fungus can be found anywhere and once it penetrates or gets underneath the nail, it may cause problems and maybe difficult to treat once the fungus is set.