Fingernail Fungus Treatment
Toenail fungus has been recognized by the medical community as one of the ailments that plague the human body that are difficult to treat. This is most likely true simply because there are many types of fungi that can invade your nail bed and cause some degree of discomfort, whether it’s self-consciousness or a more serious physical condition,depending on your overall health. If you have diabetes, seeking treatment from a doctor is essential, because if complications set into your feet, a life-saving foot or leg amputation may be the only course of action.
Whether you are diabetic or not, you should get to a doctor to seek treatment for toenail fungus–any kind of fungus that it might be. If you notice a yellowish or otherwise discolored nail bed when you look down at your toenails, have a doctor examine it as it could even be nail cancer.
Risk Factors
According to Susan Miller, RN, you are most at risk for this condition if you are older, diabetic, have suffered 
previous nail trauma, have HIV, or practice poor overall hygiene when it comes to your feet. Fungi enjoy parts of the body that are not well-cleaned. In addition, if you’re a person who likes to swim, you expose yourself to a variety of fungi that can invade your toenails.
Diagnosis
A doctor will ask you to cut your toenails. Then he will collect the resulting scrapings and send them to the lab for further analysis. Only after the lab has returned your culture can the doctor determine that a fungal infection has taken place. Then you and he can decide on the best course of fingernail fungus treatment, since there are many.
Treatments
There are a number of oral treatments on the market. Two of these are griscofulvin and fluconazole, which doctors have used for ages. These treatments are proven by years of safe administration, and are known to be effective. Nevertheless, toenail fungus patients are reluctant to take them because of the lengthy treatment intervals. For example, the treatment for fluconazole is up to nine months. Should you and your doctor decide on this treatment, it’s important to stay faithful about taking it, even after improvements in your toenail bed are apparent.
Two newer oral medications, terbinafine and itaconazole, are also available. According to Miller, these are much more effective than the two more traditional medications mentioned earlier. If you decide to try these, know that you take them daily in weekly cycles, with three weeks off. These cycles continue over a period of roughly three to five months. They are known to be safe. However, one caveat is worth mentioning: If you are already on protease inhibitors, avoid itaconizole. Also a new over-the-counter drug called Zetaclear has said to be giving great results and there is more info on that product on the Cure Toenail Fungus homepage.
If you wish to shun the oral medicines altogether, and wish to try a topical fingernail fungus treatment, try a nail polish that you paint onto your toenails for a full year. It is not as effective as the by-mouth drugs, and the dosing period tends to be longer.
If all of the above treatment types fail, surgery is also an option. However, many physicians use this as a last resort, after all other medication options have failed, and surgical removal of the nail is the remaining option. It is not very popular with patients as it is too invasive, and the resulting pain is intense.