I wanted to share a quick update on my big toe situation. I have been battling thick, yellow nails for over a year with very little success using standard drops.
About three weeks ago, I started applying a 40% urea gel every night and covering it with a bandage. This really softened the nail plate significantly. I have been able to gently scrape away the dead material, which allows my antifungal cream to actually reach the nail bed.
It looks much thinner now and the new growth at the base finally looks clear.
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This is exactly what my podiatrist recommended. You have to get that thickness down or the medicine just sits on top of the dead nail.
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Which brand of urea gel are you using? I see a few different ones online and some are more like a thick paste.
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Be careful with the skin around the nail. 40% is strong stuff and it can make the healthy skin raw if it leaks out from under the bandage.
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I tried this but I couldn’t stand the feeling of the bandage at night. Did you get used to it quickly?
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The ‘mushy’ stage is key. Once you get that debris out of the way, the Terbinafine or whatever you are using can actually penetrate. It takes forever for the nail to grow out though, so don’t stop once it looks ‘better’. You have to keep going until the whole nail has been replaced by clear growth which can take 9 to 12 months for a big toe.
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Glad to hear you are seeing progress! It’s such a slow process.
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What are you using to scrape it? I’m worried about using something too sharp and causing an infection.
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Keep us posted. I’ve been considering the urea route but was worried it would make the nail fall off entirely.
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Pro tip: Put some Vaseline on the skin around the nail before the urea gel. It acts as a barrier so only the nail gets softened. Saves a lot of irritation.
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I don’t know, I tried this for three months and it just made my feet messy. Switched to oral meds and saw results much faster.
Are you using waterproof bandages or just the fabric ones?
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I did this exact routine last year. It took about 7 months but my nail is 100% clear now. The urea is the only way to get the fungus out from the deep layers. Stick with it!
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Don’t forget to sanitize your socks and shoes too, otherwise you just reinfect the new growth.
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How often are you scraping? Every day or just once a week?
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The clear growth at the base is the best feeling. It means the ‘factory’ is producing healthy nail again. Keep going!
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