Additionally, unlike other products that suggest applying to the affected area times per day, you have to apply this times per day to see results. If you have a serious case of toenail fungus but want to give OTC products a shot, consider trying Fungi-Nail Anti-Fungal Liquid Solution , a medicated anti-fungal liquid that kills fungus.

It contains the active ingredient tolnaftate, which is an antifungal agent. Products with tolnaftate can be applied directly to the affected nails, allowing the medication to penetrate the nail and reach the site of infection.

You can apply this product to the affected area in the morning and at night. The cream came highly recommended by our experts, and its active ingredient, terbinafine, is extremely effective.

We also love that this treatment is accessible and affordable. To find the best toenail fungus treatments, we interviewed two board-certified dermatologists and one medical pedicurist. We asked for their recommendations and commentary on the best toenail fungus treatments, as well as advice for active ingredients to look for and avoid.

Based on their suggestions, we researched the most popular and effective brands on the market, read reviews, and studied the active ingredients to narrow down our final list. According to Correa, one of the most effective treatments for toenail fungus is to receive a monthly medical pedicure, along with the application of medication as prescribed by a healthcare professional or the use of an appropriate over-the-counter remedy.

She also recommends using a toe cap to keep moisture at bay, as well as sterilizing your footwear daily to avoid cross-contamination. There is no instant or immediate cure for toenail fungus.

Treating toenail fungus requires persistence and consistency, and may warrant a trip to a dermatologist for prescription medication. While toenail fungus can be challenging to treat and eradicate completely, there are treatments available that can be effective for many individuals.

Correa says to keep in mind that some cases may be resistant to treatment, and that factors like your overall health and the severity of the infection play a large role in how quickly you can treat toenail fungus. Daley Quinn is a freelance journalist, specializing in beauty and health, who has contributed to numerous publications, such as Elle, Real Simple, Allure, The Cut, WWD, and more.

She also runs a blog called The Daley Dose. She interviewed multiple experts for their recommendations for the best toenail fungus treatments on the market.

Bramston C, Robinson C. Is eucalyptus oil an effective antifungal treatment for onychomycosis with and without nail matrix infection? J Foot Ankle Res. Use limited data to select advertising.

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health's editorial guidelines. Medically reviewed by Adam H. Kaplan, DPM. Adam H. Kaplan, DPM, is a podiatrist and attending physician practicing at Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health and Roosevelt Care Center.

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Fact checked by Richard Scherr. health's fact checking process. In This Article Expand. Our top picks. Where We Stand. How We Selected. The Experts. What to Know About Toenail Fungus Treatments. Your Questions, Answered. Who We Are. Our Top Picks. Best Overall:. Best Cream:. Best Patches:.

Best Budget:. Best Ointment:. Best Solution:. Best Multi-Purpose:. Best for Severe Cases:. Best Overall. Lamisil Athlete's Foot Antifungal Cream. Best Cream. Lotrimin AF Cream for Athlete's Foot. Best Patches. Kerasal Fungal Nail Patches. Best Budget.

Baar Toelieva Antifungal Liquid Solution. Best Ointment. Federal government websites often end in. gov or. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

The site is secure. NCBI Bookshelf. A service of the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. org [Internet]. Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care IQWiG ; Created: January 14, ; Last Update: June 14, ; Next update: Nail fungus can be very persistent.

Topical treatment with nail polish may take up to one year. Tablets for treating fungal nail infections usually have to be taken for several weeks or months. They are much more effective than topical treatments, but they have more side effects. Brittle crumbly nails and a whitish-yellowish or brownish discoloration are typical signs of nail fungus.

The nails may also become thicker and change shape. The affected part of the nail sometimes detaches from the nail bed. The treatment options for nail fungus include nail polishes and creams as well as tablets.

Nail polishes and creams are available in pharmacies without a prescription. Lots of people first try to treat nail fungus with a colorless nail polish. Before applying the nail polish, the affected nail has to be cut and filed down as much as possible.

The nail polishes contain the growth-inhibiting and antifungal ingredients amorolfine or ciclopirox. The products differ in how often they have to be used:. With both treatments, the old layer of polish has to be removed using an alcohol swab before applying the new layer.

Cosmetic nail polish can be applied on top of the medicated nail polish. Newer ciclopirox nail polishes are water-soluble. They are applied daily, and the remaining polish is removed using water before each new application. Treatment sets that contain two creams and a nail scraper spatula can also be used for the topical treatment of nail fungus:.

For this treatment, the affected toe or finger first has to be soaked in warm water for ten minutes and then dried. After that, the urea-based cream is applied to the nail, and the nail is covered with an adhesive bandage.

After 24 hours, the bandage is removed and the toe or finger is held in warm water again. The softened layer of the nail is then scraped off using a spatula, the cream is applied again and the nail is covered with a new bandage.

This treatment is carried out over 14 days. Once the infected part of the nail has been scraped away completely, the skin beneath is treated for another four weeks with a bifonazole cream.

So far, only a few studies have looked into topical nail fungus treatments with nail polishes or creams. Because these studies had weaknesses, the results should be interpreted with caution.

Amorolfine has not yet been well studied. Ciclopirox polish and treatment sets with urea and bifonazole cream were tested in a few studies. In other words, treatment with ciclopirox got rid of the fungal infection in about 22 out of people.

The nails only looked healthy after treatment in 7 out of people. Treatment with sets containing urea and bifonazole cream was tested in one study. It was compared with a treatment in which only urea cream was applied and the nail was removed, but without applying bifonazole cream afterwards.

Three months after treatment was completed, it was found that:. In other words, the combination of urea and bifonazole got rid of nail fungus in an extra 10 participants. But there was no difference between the two groups six months after treatment. People did not take part in the study if their fungal infection covered more than half of the affected nail area or if the infection started at the base of the nail.

To treat fungal nail infections from inside the body, you can take tablets that inhibit the growth of fungi or kill them. They are all prescription-only. Terbinafine and itraconazole are typically used for this purpose. Itraconazole and terbinafine tablets can both be taken either continuously or with breaks between treatments.

But they are used differently:. In continuous treatment, the medication is usually taken once a day for three months dose: mg. Even in this approach, the treatment typically doesn't take any longer than three to four months. In continuous treatment, itraconazole is taken once daily for a maximum of three months.

The dose is then mg per day two mg tablets. In treatment with pauses, mg of itraconazole is taken daily for a week two mg tablets in the morning and two in the evening. That is followed by a three-week break in treatment.

This treatment also lasts three months or less. It is taken once a week dose: mg. But fluconazole has to be taken for about 6 to 12 months to work properly.

Tablets for the treatment of nail fungus have been tested in several studies. All participants had an infection on their toenails caused by a skin fungus. Overall, the study results showed that tablets are considerably more effective than nail polishes or creams. In other words, the treatment with terbinafine got rid of the fungal infection in about 59 out of people.

In other words, the treatment with itraconazole got rid of the fungal infection in about 36 out of people. Some studies directly compared itraconazole and terbinafine with each other.

They confirm that terbinafine is somewhat more effective than itraconazole. Treatment with breaks is thought to be about as effective as continuous treatment. But that has only been looked into in a few studies. The possible side effects of itraconazole include headaches, dizziness, stomach and bowel problems, and rashes.

Itraconazole can also interact with a number of other drugs. These include cholesterol-reducing and blood-sugar-lowering medications, as well as certain sleeping pills. It is therefore important to let your doctor know about any medication you take. Itraconazole is not an option for people with heart failure cardiac insufficiency.

Terbinafine can cause gastrointestinal stomach and bowel problems and a temporary loss of taste and smell. It can also interact with certain antidepressants and heart medications. Overall, terbinafine has far fewer drug-drug interactions than itraconazole. As a precaution, this medication should not be taken during pregnancy or if you are breastfeeding.

The studies only rarely reported on how often the different side effects occurred. But most people tolerate nail fungus medications well.

Only a few people in the studies stopped treatment because of side effects. But there is a very small risk of liver damage from taking itraconazole or terbinafine. Sometimes home remedies such as applying tea tree oil or vinegar are recommended for the treatment of nail fungus. Topical treatment is also usually recommended for children.

White superficial onychomycosis is also often treated with a nail polish or cream. If the fungal nail infection is severe, tablets can be used in combination with nail polish or cream. For example, if the nail is very thick, urea cream can be used in addition to taking tablets to gradually remove or partially file off the affected nail.

Combining these treatments may also be an option if there are large collections of fungi beneath the nail.