Fingernail fungus is an unsightly and embarrassing infection that is quite common and notoriously hard to get rid of. Our bodies are usually efficient at fighting off fungal infections: fungi's main activity is to help break down dead material such as decomposing plant and animal material and anything else organic that is not living. Intact living tissues of both plants and animals have immunity and don't allow fungi to get a foothold. Finger- and toenails, hair, horn and hooves are different: they are not living tissue, and some types of fungi have adapted to survive quite well in these substances. Most of them fall into a category we call dermatophytes.
The same characteristic that allows fungi to establish themselves in nails makes finger nail fungus hard to get rid of: the nonliving nails do not mount any immune response, and the body's immune system, along with any medication applied externally, cannot reach the fingernail fungus where it grows protected inside the matrix of the nail. The last straw is that our fingers and toes go on producing more nails, each one perpetually growing like a conveyor belt in a cafeteria, so there is always a new food supply to keep the infection going. Nails grow very slowly, but so does fungus. It's a relationship that works.
It works for the fingernail fungus, but not for us, and generations of finger nail fungus sufferers have tried to devise ways of getting at the infection and knocking it out. Many home remedies are intuitive. We all know that soaking in liquid softens nails, and a soft nail should allow better penetration of a topical remedy. Acid conditions discourage fungi as well, so soaking in vinegar should be more effective than soaking in water. Solutions that are known to be disinfectants, like dilute chlorine bleach, hydrogen peroxide, and Listerine mouthwash, have also been used as soaking solutions.
Another way to soften a nail to treat finger nail fungus, is to continually apply oil. Of course, oils that contain medicinal ingredients may attack the fingernail fungus at the same time as they are softening the nail. This idea has lead to the use of things like Vicks VapoRub, and essential herbal oils like oregano oil, and thyme oil. Recently, the distilled oil of the Tea tree has come under scrutiny because of apparent antifungal properties. Scientific research is supporting the idea that Tea tree oil is an effective remedy for finger nail fungus, and the oil is being sold commercially and added to natural remedies for the infection. Though any of the home remedies may work for fingernail fungus under the right circumstances, Tea tree oil is one for which there is a growing body of scientific evidence.
R. Drysdale is a freelance writer with more than 25 years experience as a health care professional. She is a contributing editor to Fingernail fungus, a blog dedicated to the treatment of fingernail and toenail fungus.
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