Q. About 30 years ago, I slammed my thumb in a heavy desk drawer, below the nail bed. It hurt like the dickens, and over the years the nail has become uglier and uglier–thickened, very wavy and dented, but now it is beginning to discolor.
I’m starting to wonder if this is due to a fungal infection. If so, would one of the remedies for toenails help my thumb?
A. Other readers have noted that an injury to finger- or toenails may lead to a subsequent fungal infection. The remedies that work for toenails should be helpful for fingernails.
They include soaking the affected nail in a variety of antifungal solutions including dilute vinegar, cornmeal mush, Pau D’Arco tea or hydrogen peroxide. Applications of vitamin E oil, Vicks VapoRub or tea tree oil have also been reported to be effective.
For more details on these and other approaches we are sending you our Guide to Hair and Nail Care.
