On my 50-year battle with a skin fungus, now being won with a variation of salad dressing

The point about knowing a trick that might be useful to many who suffer, is to spread the knowledge of it.  Why else have a forum like this?  This post concerns a corporeal problem that affects millions of people in this country, alone.  It can be both painful and depressing to contract a skin/nail fungus.  Soldiers in Vietnam would end up in the infirmary, unable to walk, with what was referred to as "jungle rot" - a condition, normally, of multiple infections precipitated by a primary fungal infection.  That knowledge has been widely shared.  Less well known, is the extent to which the same condition undermines the quality of life of the civilian population affected by it, or what can be done about it, short of a $900 laser treatment.

I first contracted foot fungus, affecting the skin of both hands and feet, plus the nails thereof, in boarding school, 50 years ago.  Nothing available to me then would cure it.  In the heat of the South African (and later, Brazilian) summer, flare ups were extensive and serious.  Masses of tiny blisters lifted the skin right off the flesh, creating openings for secondary bacterial infections.  At times, hands and feet would have to be bandaged.   Ever the faithful companion, it came with me to the US, when I moved here.  Thankfully, those days are over; but the systemic presence of the fungus remained, creating an unsightly mess of the nails of both feet and hands.   The advent of over-the-counter topical anti-fungal creams was a huge help for me.  When Grocery Outlet started selling Tolnaftate for under two bucks a tube, suddenly I could manage my condition totally affordably.  A full cure remained out of reach, however.  Then the situation took a dramatic turn for the better.  I read, on the internet, how this doctor treated soldiers in Vietnam who had contracted sever cases of foot fungus, easily and cheaply, by having them soak their feet in vinegar daily, after which coconut oil was applied, along with a fresh pair of thoroughly washed socks.  I wasted no time trying the procedure.  It works, by gosh, but you have to make it part of your routine for it to be successful.  Here's my routine (I have a pretty physically intense life, out here, in middle of nowhere, which makes the dedicated patient existence impractical).  I forbid myself from putting on a fresh set of thoroughly washed socks without first doing a full foot soak in apple cider vinegar, combined with a thorough rubbing to remove dead skin cells all the way to just below the knee, one foot at a time.  This way, both hands get the immersion as well.  Then the foot is allowed to air dry, leaving the acid residue right where it is, killing all microbial hitchhikers.  When a foot is dry, I mix a liberal amount of coconut oil with an equal measure of tolnaftate cream and massage the mixture into the skin of both hands and feet.  After that, the clean socks go on and I'm good to go for days after.  The used vinegar is not thrown away.  It is passed through a paper filter and stored in two former mayonnaise jars for future reuse.  This will be my routine, henceforth.  It;s so easy to do.  The longer sock wear between changes totally offsets the extra time taken.  I'm not cured yet, but I have seen growing improvement in the condition of my nails and that's very encouraging.  For soldiers in foreign places, where facilities for cleanliness are scarce, or nonexistent, it should be standard procedure, if only to enhance full readiness.

SOMETHING ELSE YOU CAN NOW DO TO REINFORCE TREATMENT.  Sorry if this is late in coming, but when I posted the above, what I'm going to recommend was not available at the local drugstore, or online.  Now it is, and what a boon it is too.  I'm totally psyched about it, because, People, it really works.  I'm talking about the various formulations of liquid in a glass bottle, with applicator, that utilize a 25% by volume active ingredient of undecylenic acid (the substance that really kills this type of fungus).  It's the limit allowed by the FDA.  It goes to work at the cuticle, from whence, new collagen moves outward to form the nail.  If you are diligent in making your applications, you WILL see improvement.  From that point, obtaining a cure is simply a matter of persistence, and then, vigilance and maintenance, if needed. 

Imagine, no more hiding your hands when talking to people.  What a treat!

Okay, so how do you get this stuff at a price that is attractive?  Shop!  Google “25% undecylenic acid nail treatment”.  Note the prices quoted, PLUS SHIPPING COST, then see if you can't find a comparable product at your local, brick-and-mortar pharmacy (remember, these establishments are the ones providing scarce employment to your friends and neighbors).  Your chances of finding what you're looking for have recently improved to the level of very good.

I am thrilled to be able to pass this information on to anyone who can use it.  In a world not necessarily getting any better, overall, this is one thing to cheer about.