FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is Onychomycosis?
Onychomycosis is a term that is used to describe the infection by fungi of the nail.

Is nail fungus common?
It is estimated that as many as 1 million Australians may suffer from nail fungus.

Will nail fungus go away if untreated?
It is rare for the condition to disappear and actually it may spread. That is why it is important to seek treatment from your pharmacy.

What does anti-fungal mean?
A medication that inhibits growth of or kills fungus.

What are dermatophytes, yeasts & moulds?
These are types of fungi that may infect the nail. They may cause cracking, crumbling, discolouration or lifting of the nail. An antifungal product should be broad spectrum: active against different types of fungi.

Fungicidal and fungistatic
If a product is fungicidal it means that it destroys (kills) fungus. A fungistatic product inhibits the growth of fungus. Ideally an anti-fungal should be fungistatic and fungicidal. Loceryl® Nail Lacquer is both fungistatic and fungicidal.

Why is it important to have a medication that penetrates the nail?
Fungal infections usually live under the nail. For a topical medication to reach the infection, it must be able to penetrate the nail to the nail bed. Loceryl® penetrates the nail to get to the nail bed.

Are all topical anti-fungals convenient to use?
There are several topical products available that must be used 2 or 3 times each day. This is not usually convenient. Loceryl® is the only once weekly topical anti-fungal product in Australia.

How long does it take for a nail to grow back?
Finger nails grow at a rate of 3 mm per month, and toe nails grow at just 1.5 mm a month.

As growth starts from deep in the nail matrix (under the skin), it can take (on average) 6-8 months for a finger nail to grow back completely and 10-12 months for a toenail. A topical medication should be used until the nail is completely clear of infection.

What are the potential side effects of treatment?
Loceryl® is formulated to penetrate the nail. If applied to the skin it may cause some temporary irritation but it does not have the same side effects as therapy that is swallowed.

Can artificial nails or cosmetic nail enamel be worn during the treatment?
This is not recommended as it will interfere with the way Loceryl® works.

Is Loceryl® cost effective therapy?
Treating three toe-nails costs about $1.00 a week, while treating three fingernails costs just 50 cents a week.