Q. I am an internal medicine physician. For a year I had progressive worsening brown discoloration of the medial and distal third of the right great toenail. On the advice of my dermatologist I used Vicks VapoRub topically and had complete clearing after about 12 weeks.
I stopped using it regularly and now I’m starting to see some recurrence. I’ll be using it again daily to keep my nails clear.
A. We are gratified when a physician benefits from a home remedy, especially if it is recommended by a specialist such as a dermatologist. Canadian researchers assessed a number of treatments for nail fungus and concluded:
“Vicks VapoRub has also been shown to be effective in the treatment of onychomycosis [nail fungus] without side effects and is a reasonable option in patients who choose to forgo conventional treatments” (ISRN Dermatology, online, Jan. 26, 2012).
For more information about Vicks and other remedies for nail fungus, we offer our Guide to Hair and Nail Care. We think the synergistic antifungal activity of thymol, eucalyptol and the other herbal oils in Vicks VapoRub help overcome some fungal infections, especially if the person is very conscientious about applying it.
Have you tried using Vicks for nail fungus? Tell us your story in the comment section below.
