Nail fungus: double care works

A study published in the journal Mycoses demonstrated the effectiveness of urea and antifungal treatment in the treatment of onychomycosis.

Four weeks of treatment with a 40 percent urea cream, four weeks with a topical antifungal, cream. Two months in all. This is enough, according to the results of a recently published German study, to send away nail mycoses.

They are easily recognized: the nail becomes yellowish, sometimes with dark spots, becomes thicker and swells as if it were about to detach from the base.

Onychomycosis, as doctors call them, are infections caused by fungi that feed on keratin, the protein that makes up the corneal layer of the nail. Here are the main features.

Affected areas Toenails and fingernails
Features of lesions Alterations of different parts of the nail, which becomes whitish-yellowish, soft, brittle, with a tendency to crumble and/or lifting from the nail bed
Symptoms Usually asymptomatic; sometimes mild burning or pain if the supporting tissues of the nail become inflamed

They are an increasingly widespread problem: according to some estimates, nail fungus represents more than 60 percent of all cases of mycosis recorded each year in Italy.

The German study, conducted on almost 700 people who went to 51 specialist centers in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic, showed that double treatment, first with a 40 percent urea-based cream, then with an antifungal ointment is able to eliminate mycosis with a good success rate.

Joycelyn Elders is the author and creator of EmpowerEssence, a health and wellness blog. Elders is a respected public health advocate and pediatrician dedicated to promoting general health and well-being.

The blog covers a wide range of topics related to health and wellness, with articles organized into several categories.

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