If you have nail fungus, you might be able to cure it
Thick toenails are often thought to be caused by the growth of a fungus under the nail and in the nail itself.
If you have one or more thick or discolored toenails, you probably do have an infection or fungus under the nail bed, say doctors at Johns Hopkins and elsewhere.
Some thick toenails, especially if the nail is not discolored, result from pressure to the nail. Just as skin calluses, the nail matrix produces a thicker nail in an attempt to relieve the pressure on a prominent area. The thickened nail plate may then create extra pressure itself.
Podiatrists say that a toenail can become like this from a single trauma to the nail matrix. Severe or repeated injury can permanently distort the nail. There is no treatment other than filing.
A thickened toenail that becomes yellow or brown is affected with a fungus. There are many home remedies and over-the-counter treatments, but the Johns Hopkins doctors say these cures don't work and are a waste of time and money. They might cure athlete's foot and fungal infections of the skin, but they won't work for nail fungus. Prescription medications like Spornox and Lamisil are the most effective treatments. They are taken daily for three months and work by killing the fungus at the nail root. It could, however, take up to a year for the entire nail to grow out and be fungus free.
Some people are never cured in spite of medications. They must simply keep the toenail trimmed.
Toenail fungus should always be treated. If it isn't, there is a chance it could spread to fingernails and skin.
