O treatment of mycosis of the nails (onychomycosis) should take into account some factors:
- number of nails affected;
- percentage of the nail that is involved;
- diseases that the patient possesses and medications he makes use of.
After this evaluation, and considering that an exam has been performed ideally that proves the fungal infection, or if the clinical presentation is typical, should be chosen to perform treatment with medication antifungal, which can be topical or systemic. If a few nails are affected and as a percentage of involvement less than 50% of the nail, topical treatment should be attempted. The enamel should be applied once or twice a week and there are several options currently available. If many nails are involved, treatment with oral antifungal agents such as terbinafine, itraconazole and fluconazole is necessary. Systemic treatment may be associated with the use of nail polish. usually the dose is one tablet per day and periodic follow-up is necessary with laboratory tests of control.
The minimum treatment time is six to 12 months for the nails of the hands and six to 18 months for the toenails.
A relatively recent option is the use of laser. However, this technology does not have an unrestricted acceptance in the literature and serves as an auxiliary method, being necessary the use of antifungals as well.
The treatment of onychomycosis must be done by the dermatologist.
