Does it kill 99.9% of germs though?

Perhaps you should jump in the sea and find out? heheh, sorry I couldn’t resist… sincerely no offence intended, but salt water is actually a good disinfectant for minor wounds, eye wash, etc.

I just wouldn’t extract it from the beach in Blackpool, safer to make your own.

Maybe a regimen of immersing your foot in salty water, combined with tea tree oil?

https://www.healthline.com/health/tea-tree-oil-for-nail-fungus#recovery

Maybe just a tiny amount of detergent (fairy liquid) too, just to help the salt and tea tree oil to penetrate.

Tea tree oil, as in the proper essential oil (not the some crappy cream from Boots) is actualy quite vicious stuff… smells loveley but acts like paint stripper on skin. Use with caution.

After decade plus of attempts to stop the growth and regrowth of fungal nail on my right big toe, I got it removed in October last year, professional NHS person but in essence pliers pulling out the toenail.

No issues with fungal toenail subsequently.

Apple cider vinegar, I know, I know but hear me out. Use it topically on your nail and have a splosh in some water to drink. I have some every morning with my Vit D pill. Got rid of my manky nail in a few months.

just wouldn’t extract it from the beach in Blackpool, safer to make your own

Maybe THIS is why we get so many toe nails in at work, our sea doesn’t work as well as everyone else’s! 😜

Interesting reading. I have some on a couple of toes, I tried treating it with a paint on liquid, and it grew out a bit but never truly cleared.

It came back a bit, I try to keep it trimmed as much as possible but it doesn’t really bother me so haven’t been arsed to do anything else with it.

I have had a fungal infection on the first two toes on one foot for years. After trying the paint on stuff with zero effect, I have had two course of terbafine from the GP. Each time it seemed to work brilliantly but just as the remaining infected nail was almost grown out it started to spread again at the base. I am considering asking the GP for another go but assume the same is just going to happen again. So frustrating and makes me very self conscious about taking my socks off!

I was like that for a few years. It didn’t bother me so I didn’t worry. However it started to ache a bit, then enough to annoy me, and I was suspicious it might have started to spread to another toe, so I got on with treating it. It is hard to shift but I suspect it’s easier to shift if treated sooner so I’d suggest get it treated.

we have to manually identify it once it does, no fancy tech for that (yet.)

no MALDI-TOF ?

<LAZORS, baby !>

This thread would be much better with some photos so we understand what is actually considered bad.

I thought you’d never ask.

Lovely stuff MSP.

Seems like people respond differently to terbinafine – it definitely cleared mine in one big toe but it was slow AF. 8 months iirc and then one of my liver enzymes got elevated so I had to stop. Some remnants were left and it’s slowly coming back. Don’t fancy another long sesh of terbinafine so should investigate some of the home-brewed remedies posted above.

Finally, I’ve found my people!

I to, am a carrier of the dreaded toe fungus.

Thought I’d shifted it with some stuff from the chemist but it’s come back again..

Thankfully mine isn’t anywhere near as manky as that freak show MSP! He wants that foot hacking off 😂

My 2 big toes looks like that…and a third has gone funny as well – all 3 started after dropping rocks on the toes (although the 3rd one might have been the handle of a wheelbarrow!). Pretty sure my nailbed is beyond repair in the 3 toes. Have had Terbinafine treatment for almost 2 years and it made no difference.

Got a referal to a foot specialist coming up and I suspect I might be offered toenail removal – assuming that will then leave the exposed stuff to be dealt with.

Classic male feet – sweat like mad, frequently wear soggy footwear for extended periods i.e. the whole day and I suspect my daily foot washing with occasional extra washes and sock changes aren’t enough to do anything.

My 2 big toes looks like that…and a third has gone funny as well

You are Jake the Peg and I politely decline my Rolf Harris signed copy.

This thread is great. After a lifetime of running and 1000s of hours of wearing wet cycling shoes my toes make @msp look like a supermodel.

I’ve always taken the view that if I’m going to have a truly disgusting body part (as opposed to just offensive like the rest of me) then I count my lucky stars it’s the bit that is the furthest from my face.

So I’ve just ignored them. It was a useful filter when dating too… Like me, Like my toes.

I like the nails when they grow into a sort of high pyramids shape/ arch to the point where the Clippers don’t open enough to get around the beasts.👍 The nail forms the “roof” with a kind of dry/ crumbly underside/interior that’s neither nail nor dead tissue.

I’ve a couple like that and it’s a joy to go get the snips I use for bike stuff/ DIY and hack at them. Its actually bloody therapeutic. Mentally anyway.

no MALDI-TOF

Yes, but we haven’t got the fungi add-on installed! Although apparently when we trialled it it wasn’t very reliable. There’s a couple of us keen to give it another go though.

The maldi broke recently, the newer staff were completely stumped!

My prob is the end joint on the right index finger. Due to cutting it off in a machine accident years ago and having it stitched back on it means the nail hardly grows and its nearly open at the back. Recently it keeps getting an infection, and im wondering if i should ask about having that last joint amputated.
Would make braking a bit problematic, but what can you do.
I try not to look at me toes. They’re akin to something out the lord of the rings hobbit like.

This is the thread for me.

I’ve been on a journey with bad toenails for years.

It started with one discoloured toenail about 5 or so years ago. I went to the doctor’s who took a sample to test for a fungal infection. It came back negative so I was told it was most probably just damage.

Slowly but surely it got worse so I went back and same again – tested and negative.

In the meantime I started to get psoriasis on the foot and got referred for that. Given a steroid cream and told to keep moisturised. That’s ongoing and it periodically flares up but is mostly under control.

Still the nail got worse, to the point it was thick and impossible to cut – it looked grim. So I went to a podiatrist who filed it back and said get it checked again.

I started to see symptoms on other toes on the same foot. I’m convinced this is down to the podiatrist filing the original nail and that infecting the others….but that’s most probably rubbish.

After the initial nail grew back just as bad I went to the doctor’s and the put me on terbinafine.

I took that for six months and it did nothing. Doctor told me to stop taking it.

So as we speak I have a foot of not great looking nails. I’m convinced my finger nails are affected as they don’t feel right though no sign of discolouring.

Bottom line it’s horrible and I’m at the point of trying some of the suggestions on here as I’ll give anything a go.

I’m going to try and get referred to a specialist.

I’ve decided the way to discourage the fungus is to wear shoes one size too small. There’s not mush room for it to grow.

Also been on the journey for about 15 years. Started with big toenail on left foot and then spread. Did terbinafine early on and it sorted it for a year or so, but then it’s come back. I now just file it back as best as possible and treat with tea tree oil. It’s not going away, so it’s just a case of trying to keep my nails looking as decent as possible. Will try Vicks though, heard that a few times.

There’s not mush room for it to grow.

Genius 😂

Yup, fully paid up member of this thread!

Have the dreaded lurgi on most of my toes on both feet. Didn’t do anything with them for years, started dabbling with the over the counter stuff a year or so ago, but have not been consistent. This thread has made me make a renewed effort!

Does footwear contribute? I mostly wear merino socks, with trainers, or Crocs (yeah, rock the socks in crocs look!) around the house! Would cotton socks and/or leather footwear help?

https://www.psoriasis-association.org.uk/nail-psoriasis My wife has psoriasis and bad nails

https://www.stanleytools.co.uk/product/2-14-563/stanleyr-fatmaxr-straight-cut-compound-action-aviation-snips?tid=576756

Yes leather shoes will help! It’s a fungus just like athletes foot and thrives on warm and wet conditions. If your feet are excessively sweaty because you wear footwear that doesn’t breathe well, like synthetic trainers or rubber crocs, the fungus will thrive. I used to wear cheaper shoes with rubber soles, my feet were sweaty and toe nails infected. Now I wear leather shoes with leather soles if it’s possible, and my feet are fine and have been for years.

Salt water?  discredited 30 years ago IIRC

Bleach – not on your skin please.  Get proper advice

MSP- thats nothing.  I’ve seen some real beauties in my time

I had the triangle pointy nails and all that business. Took 6 months of drugs to get rid of it, but been clear for a while now (+ 5 years maybe).

Salt water? discredited 30 years ago IIRC

Still curent advice on the NHS?

soak a gauze pad or cloth in saline solution

https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/accidents-first-aid-and-treatments/how-do-i-clean-a-wound/

Presumably it’s a good disinfectant in the absence or pure alcohol or anything better. And don’t put your sweaty socks and trainers back on.

Its not an antiseptic tho or a duisinfectant- thats about minimizing tissue damage.  a long time ago salt water was used as an antiseptic and that fell out of favour with the rise of evidence based practice

All I know is a lot of sunlight, sea water and avoidence of socks and plastic shoes clears my feet up in days rather than weeks or months.

I guess in this scenario it’s all about staying dry and aired. If you put your feet back into manky trainers you’re just going to re-infect yourself?

Thanks for all the replies and fungi-love!

I’m going to try some of this for sure….

Seemingly credible options (ignoring GP meds)

Curanail
Potassium permanganate
Apple Cider vinegar
Vicks vapour rub
Tea tree oil

I’m going to start with the Vicks as there is some in the cupboard!

I too have started on the Vicks, thank you Amazon.

It’s a bit messy, I guess you just need to slap it on all over the affected bit?

Just wipe a bit of Vicks on. Don’t need a lot. Do it after putting your contact lenses in though.

Using Vicks…after a week the toenails look a healthier colour, still fugly but looking slightly less vomit-inducing!

Mine look somewhat like MSP’s after various over-the-counter remedies, long courses of Itraconazole (shifted it but it came back) and Terbinafine (no real impact) so this should be the ultimate test for Vicks…will report back…

I don’t think Vicks will sort the nail, but it does seem to make them look a bit more presentable.