Background: Onychomycosis is a persistent fungal nail infection that is notoriously hard to treat. Approximately 20% to 25% of patients with onychomycosis do not respond to treatment, and 10% to 53% of patients relapse. As such, successful treatment is imperative for long-term disease management.
Objective: To identify ways to improve cure rates for onychomycosis.
Method: The literature on onychomycosis treatment and recurrence was reviewed to summarize treatment approaches and suggest strategies to increase cure rates.
Results and conclusion: To improve treatment success in onychomycosis, we suggest the following measures be followed: (1) onychomycosis must be correctly diagnosed, (2) the treatment regimen should be tailored to the individual patient, (3) the efficacy of antifungals must be maximized, and (4) recurrence must be prevented.
Keywords: antifungal medication; complete cure; dermatophytes; mycological cure; recurrence; tinea unguium.
© The Author(s) 2016.