Fungal toenail infection - Help please

[Lavendersbluedillydilly1969]

DS is 9 and for last few years has suffered with first athletes foot and then an infected toenail. It's the fourth nail on one foot and is now really manly and uncomfortable for him.
We have been to GP but they just prescribed a lacquer which has had no effect at all. The nail has gone yellow and is raised on a bed of thick white stuff that looks like compacted dead skin. The nail now looks as though it is separating from the nail bed.
I'm grateful it's only one nail but its unsightly and uncomfortable for him. Has anyone got any amazing cures or remedies we could try. Most of the things I have found while googling seem to be for milder cases or where nail itself is marked or white spotted. Haven't found anything for the gunky stuff between the nail bed and the nail. It's not a thickened nail as such it's just lifting on a thick wedge of 'gunk'.
Any assistance appreciated as he just wants to pull his nail off now.

[Ileithyia]

I had amazing results from using Tagetes essential oil on my eldests verruca, I tried all the usual treaments and nothing touched it, Tea Tree is also a good all-round anti-fungal/anti-viral treatment, but not as strong as tagetes.

[Vivalebeaver]

Watching with interest as dh has the same problem.

Has your gp sent a scraping of the nail to the lab? DH had a nail scraping sent and it came back clear so the gp has now refused to do a repeat prescription of the lacquer stuff.

Which dh was annoyed by because afetr about 4 weeks he thought it was starting to make a difference. He's managed to get some without a prescription but its £20 over the counter!

[Lavendersbluedillydilly1969]

Ileithya- will have a look at that oil thanks. I've never heard of it. Have read lots about tea tree oil but some say its great, others say nothing happens. Really hoping for someone who's had the same thing and actually got rid of it. I've had the rough thickened nail thing in the past which was nowhere near as bad and had tablets from GP. They worked a treat but they won't prescribe for a child.
Viva-have sent clippings off but it grows so slowly not sure they've got much to work with.

[peeriebear]

I read on here that liberal application of Vicks or similar was good for this.

[3littlefrogs]

I have cured mine after suffering for 2 years!!!

I have tried everything, the whole mail was thick, nasty, yellow and looked awful.

I have tried tea tree oil, athletes foot cream, vicks. nothing worked.

6 weeks ago I started a routine of soaking my foot in HOT water with sterilising tablets in it, then removing as much of the nail as possible once it had softened.

The last time I did it the whole nail just fell off and is regrowing normally.

There are some tiny bits of the fungal infection at one of the top corners, but I will keep on with the treatment until it has all gone.

HTH

[3littlefrogs]

Nail, not Mail.

[Floralnomad]

I had a fungal nail problem and tried everything ( I'd also had recurrent athletes foot ) in the end I had a long course of terbenafine ( think its spelt correctly) from the GP which worked wonders . Not sure if children can take it though but I'd def go back to the GP and ask for something systemic. I stopped taking it about 18 months ago and have had no problems since , including no athletes foot , whereas before I was constantly having to use lamisil etc.

[3littlefrogs]

Also, the fungus can live in trainers and socks so you need to wash socks on as hot a wash as you can, and either wash or chuck out the trainers.

[Lavendersbluedillydilly1969]

Peeriebear - I think this prob works better if it is the nail that's infected but it seems to be under the nail that's the problem.
3littlefrogs- that's interesting, might give it a go tonight and see. The nail itself is not thickened or crumbling though just on a bed of yucky stuff and has gone a dark yellowy colour. Will boil his socks I think and get some more powder, he has an awful habit of keeping his socks on in bed.
Floralnomad- the GP won't prescribe it unfortunately as he's so young. They just don't seem to see it as a serious problem whereas its affecting his confidence in PE etc at school.

[BramblyHedge]

Vicks worked for me!

[Conflugenglugen]

Gehwol toe oil is fantastic. Recommended by chiropodists; works a charm.

[Conflugenglugen]

*toe nail oil

[3littlefrogs]

Keeping socks on in bed will definitely make it worse.

Letting the air at it as much as possible will help.

[Vivalebeaver]

I don't know how true it is but there are some laser clinics who say they're 80% effective with a one off treatment. Am thinking of sending Dh.

www.inyourstride.net/laser.html