It's pedicure time and I have a yellow nail

[alwayshavepeckham]

Sorry, it's gross, I think it must be a fungal thing. Any quick cures, I need to paint them soon?

[cuntyMcCunterson]

Do you wear a lot of nail polish normally? Long shot but that can cause yellowing of the nail
Does the nail have any other signs/symptoms of fungal infection?

[Pumpkinette]

Coconut oil works on clearing up fungal nails as it's antibacterial. Not sure how to get rid of the yellow quickly. You could maybe try something from boots (or chemist) but not sure how fast they work - sorry.

[alwayshavepeckham]

Only in the summer.
It does look a bit thick that's why I thought fungal. Will it do any harm if I paint over & ignore?

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

If it's fungal there's no quick cure unfortunately but you could apply one of the topical laquers (like Loceryl from your GP) that goes on weekly , your nail varnish over the top , then remove the polish from that nail to reapply after the week. It's a long process, can be a year

Use Tea Tree Oil under the nail daily so you can treat both sides (it'll run under the nail plate)

Your GP might give you 3 months of Lamasil tablets, in which case you just paint them as usual, ( though your nail varnish colour would help to disguise it anyway.)

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Thickened nail might just be damaged (though a damaged nail is more likely to get a fungal infection)
Fungal nail can be brittle yellowy brown if it's established but difficult to tell in early stages.
Try the Tea Tree Oil anyway.

[alwayshavepeckham]

Thanks for the replies, I feel a berk troubling my GP but I could ring her.
I have tea tree and coconut oil so I'll start with them.

[scarletforya]

But antibacterial won't have any effect of a fungus surely Pumpkinette?

I can see how tea tree oil might though, it's antifungal as well.

[cuntyMcCunterson]

Thickened and yellow does sound like a fungal thing and I don't think there's any quick fix. Pp has mentioned tablets and topical treatments.
A chiropodist could also treat/advise on how best to get rid. My DH had a pretty stubborn fungal nail that only cleared up fully after seeing the chiropodist-no idea what they did but the tablets from the gp only had minimal results!

[alwayshavepeckham]

Thanks for the advise. I was hoping for a quick fix but it seems I'll need medical help. Luckily it's not my big toe so not too noticeable.

[MooMinCow]

I remember people recommending massaging Vicks onto the area. Guess would work like tea tree oil but not sure how quick you'd see results?

[alwayshavepeckham]

Vicks, as in breathe easy ?

[alwayshavepeckham]

Well Moo just had a google & it seems you're right!
www.nail-fungus.net/blog/treatment/how-does-vicks-vapor-rub-help-to-cure-toenail-fungus

[MooMinCow]

Here www.mumsnet.com/Talk/style_and_beauty/1730428-You-know-the-Vicks-in-your-toenails-thing

[Pumpkinette]

I'm pretty sure it works on fungal infections too scarletforya I know it works on yeast infections (aka thrush) and I'm sure I've read it works for fungal nail infections too.

[FadedRed123]

Vicks, or cheaper supermarket generic, cleared my fungal nail infection very quickly but it does recur after using nail varnish for a while. Keeps using it and have break from varnish regularly.

[Pumpkinette]

Found quite a few articles on coconut oil curing fungal nails. Also listerine mouthwash is supposed to work really well too. Apparently listerine was originally used to treat gonorrhoea who knew?

[Lailoo]

Olbas oil is good and used to treat it as well and is stronger than vicks.

[scarletforya]

Interesting thanks Pumpkinette -I googled it also and saw that it is anti microbial, which I think covers both fungus and bacteria! Must get some.

[burnishedsilver]

I tried lots of expensive over the counter treatments to no avail. The one thing that was effective was vicks vaporub rubbed onto and under the nail twice a day. It took several months to clear up completely but the improvement was almost immediate.