Tea Tree Oil for Toenail Fungus

Many of our patients suffer from fungal infections of the toenails and have tried the creams and potions from the pharmacy with no improvement. Many patients ask about tea tree oil and so we thought we would put the facts on tea tree oil for nail fungus.

• Tea tree oil is a natural product derived from the "tea tree". It was first used widely in world war 2 as an antispetic.

• Research has shown that applications 2 times per day of 100% tea tree oil cured 18% of the nail fungal infections. The appearance improved in 56% of the patients.

• Side effects: Skin and nail dryness, itching, stinging, burning, redness

At Step Up Podiatry we often advise patients to use tea tree oil in cases where the person may be allergic to certain medications, or would prefer a natural alternative. Due to it's low success rate however, we have found resolve solution used in conjunction with nail laser has the best results.

We do however recommend that if you have a pedicure at a nail salon or beauty spa, that afterwards apply a drop of tea tree oil to each nail to kill any bugs you may have on your nails as a preventative treatment.