Many patients come to my office after months or even years of using topical treatments for toenail fungus with little or no success.
They've tried tea tree oil. Vicks. Apple cider vinegar. Over-the-counter creams. Prescription lacquers like Jublia or Kerydin. But their toenail still looks yellow, thick, and infected.
The fungus lives in the nail bed — not just on the surface. And most topical agents only reach the top layer of the nail.
Imagine trying to kill weeds by spraying water on the driveway. It doesn't work because you're not getting to the root.
The nail is like a hard shell. It protects the fungus. So wiping or painting something on top isn't enough.
Patients ask me about these all the time. I understand the appeal. They're cheap, they're natural, and you can find them at the pharmacy.
But in my experience, they just don't work. Not in any consistent way.
They may make the nail smell better or look shinier temporarily, but they don't penetrate. The fungus is still there, underneath.
Another thing people don't realize is that this isn't a simple infection. It's not one layer of fungus. It's a combination of organisms — sometimes yeast, sometimes mold, sometimes dermatophytes.
Each layer may respond differently. So even if you kill one part, the rest survives and grows back.
This is why I always tell patients: if you're serious about fixing it, you need a plan that attacks the fungus from multiple angles.