The best treatments for toenail fungus in the UK 2023

The more the toenail fungus progresses, the more signs appear. To avoid the discomfort of this infection, opt for the right treatment. Toenail fungus treatments permanently eliminate the fungus from this part of the body. Here is our selection of the best toenail fungus treatment products.

Urgo Filmogel Damaged nails 1
8/10

Best value for money

Urgo Filmogel Damaged nails

Best toenail fungus treatment

Whether you want to treat nail fungus or improve the condition of your nails that have become unsightly on the surface, trust Urgo. In addition to being effective against bacteria, it also promotes nail growth.

11,18 £ on 1001Pharmacies

It is a product that has been manufactured under strict clinical and dermatological control. Once applied on the damaged or yellowed nail, it will isolate the wound from bacterial attacks in order to prevent that the evil which bites your nails does not degenerate any more. This isolation is ensured by the piroctone olamine: a conservative agent contained in Flimogel. Of course, Flimogel is expensive for a flake of only 3.3 ml, but it is really worth it.

As for the effectiveness, the duration of the treatment varies from one person to another. But on the whole, users are satisfied. Some have even found a way to increase the speed of action of the product tenfold and thus obtain a clear improvement from the first bottle. This is done by applying the Flimogel to their nails in larger quantities. If you are in a hurry, you should know that this product does not leave any polish and dries very quickly. Given the seriousness of the brand and the many positive feedbacks from buyers, we can only recommend the Urgo Flimogel.

Excilor nail care 2
8/10

Best value for money

Excilor nail care

Best entry-level toenail fungus treatment

This is a product that is unanimously appreciated with its 320 followers on Twitter, 20,000 likes on Facebook and 180 subscribers on YouTube. Moreover, the Patientsworld website highly recommends it.

9,40 £ on 1001Pharmacies

Excilor is effective in curing onychomycosis. The length of treatment with Excilor varies from person to person. For some, clear improvements were felt after only a few days, while for others, it took months. But in all cases, the verdict was unanimous: this anti-nail fungus varnish is effective.

The product is also easy to apply and therefore easy to absorb thanks to its very liquid texture. Simply paint the nail affected by fungus with the brush provided. It dries in a few seconds without leaving a visible film. So you won't have to wait forever to get back to your daily routine. Apart from that, the format offered here is a complete and effective treatment, allowing 400 applications. If you don't notice any visible improvements right away, be patient and use Excilor until your fungal problems have completely disappeared.

Purifying Spray - Eliminates 99.9% of Fungi 3
7/10

Best value for money

Purifying Spray - Eliminates 99.9% of Fungi

Best high-end toenail fungus treatment

For fast and effective results, choose this Purifying Spray from Poderm for your toenail fungus treatment. After treatment, your toenails are healthy. It is safe for pregnant women and diabetics.

20,19 £ on Amazon

This athlete's foot treatment from PODERM completely eliminates the bacteria and fungi that cause foot fungus. This spray helps you to have healthy nails. This natural solution is made for all family members looking for healthy feet. It is effective and 100% natural.

It is elaborated from essential oils and different vegetable ingredients, all certified BIO and having antiperspirant, antifungal and deodorant properties. It can be used for a preventive application. This Swiss product meets the requirements in terms of effectiveness and quality.

Antifungal oil-serum with essential oils 4
9/10

A great choice

Antifungal oil-serum with essential oils

Excellent mid-range alternative

This purifying, antifungal and repairing oil-serum with essential oils effectively eliminates nail fungus. It removes infections and repairs nails thanks to the antifungal, disinfecting and purifying effects of essential oils.

16,34 £ on Doctipharma

PODERM's purifying antifungal and repairing oil-serum with essential oils prevents the fungus from spreading to other nails. The composition of this formula contains 100% natural and organic plant ingredients, specially selected for their virtue and their ability to care for, regenerate and beautify nails.

The essential oils of Lemon and Rosemary Organic, Geranium have antifungal and purifying virtues that can eliminate fungi and repair nails. Organic Ricin and Organic St. John's Wort oils have antibacterial effects and purify the nails. Macadamia oil can promote the adhesion of the nails to the bed, this prevents the introduction of new bacteria. Wheat germ, Rosehip and Evening Primrose can nourish, revitalize and repair the nails, making them more beautiful.

NOREVA Laboratories 5
8/10

Very good

NOREVA Laboratories

Noreva invites you to simply varnish your nails and watch them heal. Effective and easy to use, this product will restore the shine to your nails affected by fungus.

17,15 £ on 1001Pharmacies

If until now you were skeptical about the real effectiveness of the anti-fungal nail polishes on the market, the Nailner Repair Brush will quickly change your mind. It is an anti fungal nail polish packaged in a 5 ml bottle that will ensure many applications before your next purchase. You will quickly notice that your yellowed, damaged and brittle nails will gradually regain their shine.

As for effectiveness, the speed of action of the product varies from one person to another. Indeed, if some people notice clear improvements in their nails after only a few days of use, others on the other hand, will feel the effect of the varnish only after a few weeks. In any case, arm yourself with patience and adopt a good daily care routine for your nails.

Buying guide • November 2023

Best treatment against toenail fungus

Any specific needs?

Best toenail fungus treatment

Best entry-level toenail fungus treatment

Best high-end toenail fungus treatment

Excellent mid-range alternative

Your guide : Samuel

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Comparison table of the best treatments for toenail fungus

TOP OF THE TOP NOT EXPENSIVE TOP OF THE RANGE EXCELLENT Very good
Urgo Filmogel Damaged nails 6
8/10
Excilor nail care 7
8/10
Purifying Spray - Eliminates 99.9% of Fungi 8
7/10
Antifungal oil-serum with essential oils 9
9/10
NOREVA Laboratories 10
8/10
OUR SELECTION
Urgo Filmogel Damaged nails
Excilor nail care
Purifying Spray - Eliminates 99.9% of Fungi
Antifungal oil-serum with essential oils
NOREVA Laboratories
Whether you want to treat nail fungus or improve the condition of your nails that have become unsightly on the surface, trust Urgo. In addition to being effective against bacteria, it also promotes nail growth.
This is a product that is unanimously appreciated with its 320 followers on Twitter, 20,000 likes on Facebook and 180 subscribers on YouTube. Moreover, the Patientsworld website highly recommends it.
For fast and effective results, choose this Purifying Spray from Poderm for your toenail fungus treatment. After treatment, your toenails are healthy. It is safe for pregnant women and diabetics.
This purifying, antifungal and repairing oil-serum with essential oils effectively eliminates nail fungus. It removes infections and repairs nails thanks to the antifungal, disinfecting and purifying effects of essential oils.
Noreva invites you to simply varnish your nails and watch them heal. Effective and easy to use, this product will restore the shine to your nails affected by fungus.
Efficiency
Texture/format
Liquid
Liquid
Spray
Liquid
Applicable polish
Volume
3.3 ml
33 ml
50 ml
8 ml
5 ml
Ingredients
Hydroxypropylchitosan, purified water, ethanol, preservative : piroctone olamine (Octopirox ®) 0.5%
Ethyl lactate, Acetic acid, Penetrating agent, Film-forming agent, Water, Glycerol, Polysorate 80, Cetyl acetate, Acetylated lanolin alcohols, Biotin and Preservatives.
Tea tree, mint, lemon
Geranium, Organic Rosemary and Organic Lemon essential oils, Organic Ricin and St. John's Wort oils, Macadamia oil, Wheat Germ, Muscat Rose and Evening Primrose oils
Ethyl Lactate, Glycerin, Aqua, Lactic Acid, Ascorbyl Lactoside, Citric Acid.
Weight
50 g
32 g
155 g
31 g
Not reported

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Buying guide - treatment against toenail fungus

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How to choose your treatment against toenail fungus

Here are some criteria to keep in mind when choosing a toenail fungus treatment.

#1 - the effectiveness of antifungal treatments for nails

The choice of treatment obviously depends on its effectiveness. It should be noted that the majority of the recommended medications are effective, but it should not be forgotten that nail infections take time to heal.

The nail fungus will not disappear until the damaged nail is replaced by a new healthy nail without fungus. Because of the slow growth of toenails, it takes 12 to 18 months to heal even if the medicine works normally.

Unfortunately, the recurrence rate of nail fungus is high. Recurrent nail fungus can be a tangible sign of nail infections.

#2 - The type of treatment

There are several ways to treat toenail fungus. Treatment is mainly a combination of treatment modalities and medications. With this in mind, it is essential to understand the different options available:

  1. Topical treatments.
  2. Oral or systemic treatments.
  3. Physical and laser treatments.

#3 - The severity and extent of the infection

Onychomycosis treatments can be a combination of local and general treatments, depending on the extent of the infection and its severity.

  • Onychomycosis can be treated with a treatment varnish and an antifungal cream for two to six months.
  • Sometimes, the diseased nail must be removed with a paste applied daily and covered with a bandage. The treated nail disintegrates at the end of the treatment, which lasts from two to four weeks; if it is not completely destroyed, the doctor will have to cut it off with special pliers. A treatment varnish and an antifungal cream complete this treatment.
  • In case of failure of the treatment or in case of mold onychomycosis, surgical removal of the nail is essential.
  • Advanced forms require a general treatment. It lasts from two to six months and must be taken orally. This treatment can cause undesirable effects, usually mild such as redness and digestive problems, but sometimes more serious such as blood abnormalities, skin rash, hypersensitivity...

#4 - The natural treatment

If symptoms are not very advanced, natural remedies such as essential oils can be used.

#5 - Acting on the body to prevent recurrence

Fungal infection often occurs in an organism with disrupted flora. Thanks to a cure of probiotics lasting 1 to 3 months, it is feasible to regenerate the intestinal flora and to reinforce the immune system.

Grapefruit seed extract can also be used to prevent recurrences. However, since grapefruit is known to cause drug interactions, if you are on medication, it is not recommended to take grapefruit seed extract without medical advice.

The main anti-fungal treatments for nails

Your doctor may prescribe anti-fungal medication, either orally or by application to the affected nail. In some situations, it is necessary to combine the two methods.

Antifungal medications

Oral antifungal medications are often the first choice because they neutralize the infection more quickly. Oral antifungal medications are often the first choice because they neutralize the infection more quickly. Oral medications include terbinafine (Lamisil) and itraconazole (Sporanox).

These medications encourage a new nail to grow without infection, and slowly replace the infected part. You usually take this type of medication for six to 12 weeks, but you won't see visible results until the nail grows back completely. This can take four months or more. However, the success rate of treatment with these drugs seems to be lower in adults over 65.

Oral antifungal medications can cause side effects ranging from a rash to liver damage. You may need occasional blood tests to check how your body is handling this type of medication. Doctors may not recommend them for people with liver problems or congestive heart failure. The same goes for those taking specific medications.

Antifungal nail polish

Your doctor may also advise you to use an antifungal nail polish called ciclopirox (Penlac). You apply it to your infected nails and surrounding skin once a day. After seven days, you wipe the piled up parts with alcohol and start new applications. For best effectiveness, you will need to use this type of nail polish daily for almost a year.

An antifungal cream

Your doctor may also prescribe an antifungal cream to rub on your infected nails. To speed up the effectiveness of these creams, you should first buff and clean your nails with a lotion containing urea before applying them. This helps the medicine to penetrate the hard surface of the nail before it can reach the fungus.

Good to know

Toenail fungus treatment can be tedious and time consuming. It is tailored to each situation, and lasts six months for fingernails, between nine and twelve months for toenails. The treatment is renewed more slowly than that of the hands. The doctor will usually prescribe antifungal medication after your diagnosis is confirmed. These medications contain the following main molecules: terbinafine, fluconazol, itraconazole and grineofulvin.

Daily nail care routine

Taking care of your nails is essential to keep fungus at bay. For this purpose, Marseille soap is a soap to be used daily for hands and feet. In addition to deep cleaning the nails, it also whitens them. To do this, use a cotton swab soaked in Marseille soap water under your nails. After that, always finish your routine of care with a hydration of your feet and your hands with a vegetable oil by insisting on the nails.

Topical treatments or Local treatments

Topical treatments

In general, topical treatments are applied directly to the affected nails and have a local effect, i.e. they can eliminate the fungus in the nail and nail bed.
Their main disadvantage is that they require sufficient amounts of medication to penetrate under the hard nail and produce the expected effects on the infected area.

Oral treatments

With oral treatment, the blood carries the medicine to the infected area without having to bypass the hardness of the nail. For fungal nail infections that affect the roots, oral treatment is often necessary.

Verdict

Topical treatments are absorbed by the body in small amounts and have less interaction with systemic drugs taken orally or parenterally. The risk of serious adverse effects is minimal and their side effects are usually mild and concentrated in the area where the drug is used.
Oral medications, on the other hand, can interact with other medications and be toxic to the liver. In case you are taking oral antifungals, it is recommended to check your liver function.

The best brands of treatments for toenail fungus

In our opinion, the best brands of treatments for toenail fungus in 2022 are :

Poderm
Urgo
Exclior
Simon&Tom
LCN

Poderm was born in 2015 in Geneva thanks to the work of Maud Falconnet, a podiatrist who has satisfied more than one million customers worldwide. The effectiveness of its products is justified from laboratory tests and clinical studies conducted by independent podiatrists and dermatologists.

First Aid, Feet Hands, Face, Pain and Nursing Care are the specialties of Urgo. The French company has laboratory facilities that enable it to provide consumers and patients with innovative solutions based on its technological and scientific know-how.

The Exclior brand was born thanks to the young Belgian company JeCare, founded in 2010. The company offers effective and convenient nail treatment solutions at affordable prices. Its products are clinically proven to be effective and Excilor's motto perfectly displays its innovative spirit and scientific rigor.

The Simon&Tom story began in 2005 when two industry expert friends developed a revolutionary nail care product "Fungusless". Using their decades of cosmetology experience, Simon&Tom based their cosmetic products on Moroccan argan oil which is known for its antioxidant properties. Simon&Tom products therefore offer innumerable beauty and wellness benefits.

LCN supports nail artists across Canada in many ways. The brand is represented in many professional salons across Canada. It is best known for its light-curing products that are free of acetone, solvents or harmful acids.

Tips

How to treat toenail fungus

First of all, it is worth mentioning that if you think you have a fungus on your nails, you should consult a specialist or a dermatologist for a proper examination and to determine the appropriate diagnosis.

Usually, a combination of topical and oral antifungal treatment is prescribed. In most cases, treatment of toenail fungus is time consuming. It takes at least 2 months to be effective. This is why patience is important.

Local treatment is usually done with a kind of varnish, applied continuously on the infected nail, for the time necessary for the nail to regenerate and the fungal infection to disappear. Contact your doctor or pharmacist for the most appropriate advice. In the most serious stage, through a simple surgical operation, the specialist doctor removes the infected nail to cure the fungus.

Recognize the factors that promote onychomycosis and avoid them if possible

Many factors have been identified, including age (one third of people over 60 are affected), frequent contact with water, physical exercise, repeated microtrauma and associated diseases such as diabetes.

Natural remedies for nail fungus

When the symptoms are not severe, there are natural remedies:

  • The extract of olive leaf is known for its antifungal and antibacterial properties. Its capsule is to be taken during one month (1 or 2 per day).
  • Cider vinegar has interesting antifungal properties. In practice, every day, you can wash your feet with cider vinegar. You pour three spoons of cider vinegar into a basin of water and then soak your feet.
  • Lemon juice with citric acid in its composition also has the ability to treat nail fungus. Every day, you wash your feet with a few drops of lemon diluted in a basin of warm water.
  • Baking soda is also an effective remedy to treat fungus on toenails, to make a daily foot bath, you dilute in a basin of warm water two tablespoons of baking soda.
  • The effectiveness of essential oils is not also to discuss in the natural treatment of nail fungus. The essential oil of tea tree (or tea tree) and the essential oil of thyme grass can be used for the treatment of pregnant women and children. As for oregano essential oil, its use in its pure state is not recommended and is not suitable for pregnant or breastfeeding women or children under 15 years old.

You apply on the infected area the essential oil diluted in vegetable oil. Before the local massage of this zone, this one must be cleaned in-depth. You put some drops in the hollow of the elbow to check the absence of allergy. Contact with the eyes should be avoided.

Some tips to avoid nail fungus

To optimize the effects of the different treatment methods and footbaths, cut the nails short. Do not forget to destroy pathogenic germs on the nail clippers with a disinfectant product. It is not advisable to share towels with people around you.

After washing, make sure your feet are dry, especially between your toes. Do not apply nail polish to infected nails. Choose wool or cotton socks over synthetic socks. Avoid wearing the same pair of shoes for several days. Ideally, if the season permits, choose open-toed shoes.

Please wear sandals to protect your feet, if you want to go to the pool, steam room or frequent the locker rooms of gyms.

A simple and effective grandmother's remedy for nail fungus

Some people say that white vinegar can be used as a grandmother's remedy to cure nail fungus. The trick is to rub a cotton swab soaked in white vinegar on the infected nail. First, you soak the cotton swab in white vinegar. Then, you wipe the cotton swab on the damaged nail. You apply this treatment, morning and evening, for 2 months.

FAQ

What is the best treatment for toenail fungus?

The best toenail fungus treatment depends on your needs and budget. Read our buying guide for the best products available.

What is toenail fungus or onychomycosis?

Toenail fungus or Onychomycosis is a fungus or fungal infection in the nails. It is often painless and can change colour, thicken and deform. Toenail fungus is contagious and can spread to the skin and to other nails.

How to recognize nail fungus?

Symptoms of nail fungus include: The nail changes color, turning yellow, white, or slightly brown. It becomes thicker or raised, sometimes changing shape. The infected nail is more brittle or breakable. A very unpleasant odor, caused by the decomposition of the nail and the accumulated residue, may appear in the most advanced stage.

How do you get onychomycosis?

The main risk factor is contagion from someone around you who is already infected. This disease is transmitted by infected keratin fragments scattered in shared beds or bathrooms. You can also get this fungus outside the home, in hotels, in gyms, in swimming pools... wherever you are barefoot.

Should onychomycosis be treated quickly?

Yes, for two reasons, the first is to interrupt the transmission chain. Secondly, if the nail matrix is not damaged or is only slightly affected, the problem can be solved more quickly. It should be remembered that every millimetre of nail that is lost requires additional treatment for several weeks, and there are three possible treatments: oral antifungal medication, application of a medicated nail polish or cream and removal of the infected nail.

Sources

Note: Below are some of the sources we have consulted in writing this article. Links to other sites are not continuously updated. It is therefore possible that a link may not be found. Please use a search engine to find the desired information.
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  10. , webmd.com
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  14. , mycosedesongles.com
  15. , doctissimo.fr
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  17. , santemagazine.fr
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See more

Updates

March 2022 : Translation of this buying guide from our partner meilleurtest.fr

See more
Our selection
Urgo Filmogel Damaged nails 11
Urgo Filmogel Damaged nails
Excilor nail care 12
Excilor nail care
Purifying Spray - Eliminates 99.9% of Fungi 13
Purifying Spray - Eliminates 99.9% of Fungi
Antifungal oil-serum with essential oils 14
Antifungal oil-serum with essential oils
NOREVA Laboratories 15
NOREVA Laboratories

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