Nail Infection Treatment - These Natural Oils Get To Work Quickly

If you notice that one or more of your nails begins to look thicker and slightly discoloured taking on a greeny-yellow tinge dont panic. The chances are you have a nail infection, which aside from looking unsightly can be successfully treated.

About 3 in 100 people in the UK will develop a nail infection at some stage with toenails being more commonly affected than fingernails. Those over the age of 60 tend to be most at risk, as are those who use communal swimming pools or showers.

Often the infection is limited to just one nail, but several may be affected. The nail can become soft and crumble, with the surrounding skin becoming inflamed, painful and scaly.

If left untreated, the infection can spread to other nails and may eventually destroy the nail and nail bed completely, causing the whole nail to come away. If a toenail is affected this can cause walking to become extremely painful.

Nail infections develop when fungi and parasites which normally live on your skin without posing a threat multiply out of control. This can occur when your immune system is below par or following a course of steroids or antibiotics. You are also more prone to getting a nail infection if you suffer from athletes foot (a fungal infection that affects the skin between the toes), eczema or sweaty feet.

Conventional treatments can take up to a year to work

Other nail conditions can sometimes look like a fungal infection. Therefore, to confirm the diagnosis, your doctor will probably take a nail clipping and send it to the laboratory for testing.

Doctors routinely prescribe anti-fungal drugs such as Clotrimazole, Griseofulvin and Terbinafine for nail infections. However, they can involve a long course of treatment six weeks for fingernail infections and 12 weeks for toenail infections sometimes longer. Another drawback is that these drugs can cause serious side effects such as rash, nausea, vomiting and liver problems.

Your doctor may also recommend an anti-fungal nail paint, which needs to be applied daily for 6 to 12 months and is not always effective especially in cases where the infection involves the skin around the nail.

Prevention is the key to warding off further infections

Studies suggest that in about 1 in 4 cases where the infection has been successfully cleared from the nail, the infection returns within three years. To prevent this, take these simple steps:

• Keep your nails cut short, and file down any thickened nail.
• Use a separate pair of scissors to cut the infected nail(s) to prevent contaminating the other nails. Do not share nail scissors with anyone else (for the same reason).
• Treat athletes foot as early as possible to stop the infection spreading to the nail.
• Avoid injury and irritants to your nails. For example, if fingers are affected wear gloves especially when washing up.
• Wear properly fitted shoes with a rounded toe, as tight shoes can cause further injury to your toenails.
• Keep your feet as cool and dry as possible wear cotton socks and use talcum powder between your toes.

The infection started to improve even after just four weeks of treatment

John, a 34 year old banker from Coventry who is a keen swimmer and long distance runner, developed a nail infection in his big toe after getting athletes foot. After taking anti-fungal tablets and applying an anti-fungal nail paint for about four months without any signs of improvement, he decided to try an alternative approach:

"I then decided to use a herbal treatment with a mixture of lavender, tea tree, lemon grass and fennel oils. Although I was skeptical about this treatment at the beginning, I found that the infection has started to improve even after just four weeks of treatment. I now plan to continue this treatment for another six weeks, and hope that the infection will clear completely."

Like John, you may find that you need to use a combination of the following oils for best results.

1. Tea tree oil found to be just as effective as a leading anti-fungal drug. One study, carried out at the Highland Hospital in New York, involved 117 patients with nail infections. Half of the patients were treated with the conventional anti-fungal drug clotrimazole, while the other half were given tea tree oil to apply to the affected area twice a day.

The scientists found that the tea tree oil treatment was just as effective as clotrimazole in clearing the infection. This is promising news, as clotrimazole can cause nasty side effects including blood and liver problems, whereas tea tree oil is not known to cause any adverse effects (Buck DS, Nidorf DM, Addino JG. J Fam Pract. 1994;38(6):601-5).

Tea tree oil can be massaged directly on the nail and surrounding skin to promote healing and soothe inflammation. Use a few drops at a time, two or three times a day.

2. Lavender oil contains a chemical called fenchone a potent anti-fungal. Italian scientists from the University of Cagliari found that extracts of the leaves and stems of lavender are effective against several different types of fungi, including those implicated in causing nail infections (Angioni A, Barra A, Coroneo V. J Agric Food Chem. 2006 Jun 14;54(12):4364-70). Apply to the affected area twice a day.

3. Fennel oil can prevent further problems. Sometimes, a secondary infection can develop around an infected nail. For this reason its best to use a treatment that is effective against several different types of infection. This is where fennel oil can help not only is it active against fungal infections, it also possesses anti-bacterial properties which are effective against staphylococcus (a common secondary infection of the skin) (Khaldun AO. Zh Mikrobiol Epidemiol Immunobiol. 2006 May-Jun;(3):92-3). Apply to the affected area two to three times a day.

4. Lemon grass oil is another excellent anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory herb. Scientifically known as Cymbopogon citrates, lemon grass helps combat infections and is particularly effective against fungal infections. Apply to the affected area three times a day.