What are the treatments for severe onychomycosis?

Onychomycosis is generally caused by an infection of dermatophytes on the toenails or below the nails. Its clinical manifestations are also divided into many types, including subungual onychomycosis, fungal leukonychia, and onychomycosis caused by Candida albicans. The general treatment methods are also different. Everyone should do more prevention in daily life to prevent nail infection or malnutrition. Severe cases will have a great impact on life and work. Let’s take a look at the treatments for severe onychomycosis.

1. Surgical nail removal

Suitable for single nails. Under local anesthesia, the affected nail is removed. This method causes large wounds, bleeding, and is prone to infection. The operation generally causes more pain and is prone to recurrence of infection, so it is rarely used in clinical practice. Patients with heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc. are not suitable for surgical treatment.

2. Oral medication

Suitable for multiple nails. For example, take 250 mg of terbinafine tablets orally daily for 6 to 12 weeks; take itraconazole 400 mg/day for 7 days and rest for 21 days as a course of treatment, and continue for 3 to 6 courses; take fluconazole 150 mg 1 to 2 times a week for more than 4 months. It can cure more than 80% of onychomycosis and onychomycosis. However, because this type of drug must reach the deck where the fungus is parasitic to exert its antibacterial effect, the dosage is large and the medication time is long, adverse drug reactions should be monitored regularly.

3. Topical therapy

Depending on the different drugs, the main methods include local application of drugs and sealing and cutting.

(1) Use a nail file (non-professionals should avoid using a razor blade to avoid bleeding and infection) to thin out irregular and damaged nails. The best time to do this is once every two days.

(2) Apply 30% glacial acetic acid or 10% glacial acetic acid to the affected nails once a day for more than 3 to 6 months. The effect will be better if the diseased nail is thinned before applying the medicine. Before applying nail polish, be sure to protect the skin around the nails with a mild ointment;

(3) Antifungal topical medications such as terbinafine tincture, amorolfine nail lotion, and ciclopirox nail lotion can be applied topically.

In short, you need to be persistent in treating onychomycosis. At the same time, you should actively treat ringworm and chronic systemic diseases in other parts of the body, improve your own resistance, and pay equal attention to prevention and treatment. Only in this way can you completely cure onychomycosis.

The above is what I want to introduce to you today about the treatment of severe onychomycosis. I hope you have understood it in detail. Everyone must pay attention to this in daily life, and receive treatment as soon as possible after infection. Do not take medicine indiscriminately, which may cause more trouble, and do not infect your family. I hope the above content will be helpful to everyone.