Hair & Nail Health

Articles

Nail fungal cream
Treatment

Nail fungal cream

Fungal nail infections will not get better without treatment. Treating a fungal nail infection can take a long time, and it is important to know that treatment is only necessary if the person is bothered by the look or feel of the nail. Here Healthwords's pharmacists walk you through the options available.

Rogaine (minoxidil)
Treatment

Rogaine (minoxidil)

Rogaine contains minoxidil as its active ingredient. Minoxidil is a medication originally used to treat high blood pressure. However, it was later discovered that a side effect of minoxidil tablets was an increase in hair growth and thickness, which pleased those patients who were experiencing balding. It’s now been formulated as a liquid or foam to apply to the scalp to target the most common type of hair loss, often associated with aging, called male or female pattern baldness or androgenic alopecia. Minoxidil tablets can still be used to treat hypertension, but it’s not one of the common treatments. Minoxidil hair loss treatment can be obtained without a prescription from a pharmacy or online in two strengths, 2% (recommended for females) and 5% (recommended for males). Minoxidil should be applied twice daily, 12 hours apart, and allowed to work for at least 4 hours without washing or rinsing the area.

Selsun Shampoo
Treatment

Selsun Shampoo

The active ingredient in Selsun shampoo is a medication called selenium sulfide. It is effective in treating itching, flaking, or scaling of the skin due to conditions such as dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis. Selenium sulfide has antibacterial and mild antifungal properties. It also has an effect on reducing irritation and slowing down the production of skin cells and excess natural oil (sebum) on the scalp, which can cause dandruff.

Curanail (amorolfine)
Treatment

Curanail (amorolfine)

Curanail 5% is an over-the-counter product containing amorolfine, and is a topical treatment used for fungal nail infections. The nail solution is painted onto the infected nail using the brush provided. It works by soaking in through the nail to kill the fungus responsible for the infection. A fungal nail infection most commonly affects the toenails but can also affect the fingernails. It is most commonly caused by the same fungi that cause athletes foot. The fungi often cause the infected nail to become discolored, brittle, thickened or distorted. If left untreated the nail may be destroyed and the surrounding skin can also become infected. This medicine is available for purchase over-the-counter in some pharmacies, but is not available in the United States. How does Curanail work? Curanail contains amorolfine which kills fungi and prevents the infection from spreading further. Amorolfine is able to penetrate the nail’s surface and creates small holes within the fungi’s outer membranes. This causes the fungal cells to leak which is why the fungi dies. In order to get the best result using Curanail, it’s vital to make sure you file down the infected nails using the nail files provided before each weekly application. This allows Curanail to absorb deeper within the nail to have the best chance of fully killing off the fungal infection.

Loading...Loading...Loading...Loading...Loading...Loading...Loading...Loading...Loading...Loading...Loading...Loading...