Q. I used to have ingrown toenails. I had them removed by surgery (both sides were sliced up and removed, not the whole nail). The nail bed was burnt to stop those portions growing back.
Now my nails have a really bad fungal infection. The nails have not grown for about a year and they are very thick, curved, yellow and flakey. What can I do?
A. Trauma can sometimes trigger fungal infections in the nails. Prescription pills to treat nail fungus can have serious side effects, including liver damage.
There are a number of home remedies that you might try first, but you’ll need to be patient. It can take several months for any nail fungus treatment to work. Foot soaks in cornmeal mush, Listerine and vinegar or Pau D’Arco tea may be surprisingly effective. Other treatments include Vicks VapoRub, tea tree oil, hydrogen peroxide, oregano oil or vitamin E.
We are sending you our Guide to Nail Care for more details on these and other ways to get rid of nail fungus.
