Onychomycosis refers to nail fungus. It causes your fingernails or toenails to discolor, thicken and crumble. Contrary to what you may think, oral anti-fungal drugs such as erbinafine (Lamisil) and itraconazole (Sporanox) are often the first choice rather than the topical drugs, because they can clear the fungus infection more quickly. You need to take the drugs for 6-12 weeks. Medicated nail polish such as ciclopirox (Penlac) can also be used to treat nail fungus. You may need to use it daily for almost a year. You can also thin the infected nails using urea lotion or file at first and then apply medicated nail cream. The nails can also be remove temporarily so that antifungal drugs can be directly applied under the nail. Some nail fungus infection are hard to treat because they do not respond to any medication.
How is Onychomycosis treated in practice?