Advice on Foot Care

An essential oil is extracted directly from a plant or a part of a plant and contains the concentrated properties of a plant extract. The oil will carry a distinctive scent, or essence, of the plant from which it is extracted. Essential oils are concentrated substances that may be composed of alcohols, hydrocarbons, aldehydes, ketones, phenols, esters or acids. Essential oils have been used for centuries across many cultures for medicinal purposes. Today they remain very popular worldwide.

Continue Reading »

A new topical nail solution is being studied for it’s effectiveness in treating onychomycosis, also known as nail fungus. Toenail fungus is extremely difficult to treat and despite there being a number of medications on the market, many topical medications are not very effective. Terbinafine HCl 10% nail solution (TNS) is currently ending phase III of clinical trials and looking for government approval for patient use. Terbinafine is most commonly known as Lamisil® and is the most popular and effective oral antifungal medication on the market currently.
Continue Reading »

Researchers from the Department of Dermatology at Sheba Medical Center in Israel evaluated 68 individuals with nail abnormalities after removing artificial nails. Samples of the nail were taken from the tip of the nail and at the base of the nail and sent to the lab for fungus evaluation.
Continue Reading »

Researchers at the Institute for Diabetic Foot Research in New York, studied 49 type II diabetics with distal subungual onychomycosis (DSO - the most common type of toenail fungus). The patients were treated with ciclopirox 8% topical laquer (Penlac®) once daily for 48 weeks.

Results: At the end of the study 63% of the patients achieved clinical improvement, 86% of patients had mycologic improvement and 54% attained a mycologic cure. No serious adverse advents were observed during the trial period.

Summary: This study concludes that Penlac® is a safe and effective treatment for diabetics with mild to moderate toenail fungus.

Brenner MA, Harkless LB, Mendicino RW, Page JC. Ciclopirox 8% nail lacquer topical solution for the treatment of onychomycosis in patients with diabetes: a multicenter, open-label study. J Am Podiatr Med Assoc. 2007 May-Jun;97(3):195-202.

Continue Reading »

Ick! This is the normal reaction to the fungal toenail picture. Most people don’t want their toenails to look like this. This picture shows a more severe toenail fungus with discoloration, thickness, flaking, peeling and an abnormal shape.

A dermatophyte is a type of fungus which affects skin, hair and nails. You may be familiar with Digger the Dermatophyte from the horrifying commercial where Digger climbs under a toenail and makes a home with his buddies. But, Digger and the dermatophytes are not the only ones making homes, non-dermatophytes and yeast also can infect the toenails. The fungus causes the nails to first become slightly yellow or white and spotchy. Continue Reading »