Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I've had nail issues for fifteen years. About four years ago I found a miracle cure: a blue gel that painted my nails like thick polish. In three months, the infection was gone and my nails were clear. Whether the blue coloring was actually part of the active ingredient, if it was just cosmetic, or if the blue material somehow held the active ingredient in contact with the nail I do not know. Figuring I was "cured" (hah!), I tossed the bottle and made no note of the name; and since I bought it somewhere between Washington and New Jersey, I could not find it again when six months later the problem came right back. I have since tried numerous topical medicines with zero success. My doctor wanted to give me oral terbinafine (Lamisil), which has a high success rate - but carries a very real risk of liver damage and is still not a long-term cure (which, I discovered, simply does not exist). I'd likely be taking it, off and on, for life - or until liver failure killed me. Jeesh! Before going on the oral Lamisil, I decided to give one more topical a try: ProClearz. This contains an OTC chemical (Tolnaftate) that is highly effective against athlete's foot but had failed me as a nail cure. I gave it a try anyway because of a feature I'll describe in a moment. I carried out a controlled experiment: ProClearz on one foot, "Tea Tree Oil extract" on the other. I also sprayed my feet in the morning and evening with Tolnaftate spray (the CVS "continuous spray," high recommendations as it sprays evenly from any angle) and occasionally sprayed my shoes and slippers. After about six weeks, the ProClearz foot showed definite improvement, with clear nail gradually moving up from the bed. Six weeks more and the entire nail was clear. The other foot, with both the spray Tolnaftate and the Tea Oil brush-on, showed no change at all. I therefore declare ProClearz a complete success. Now the not-so-good news: the carrier in ProClearz is acetone, and I suspect that this is actually the secret to its success; the acetone soaks right in, through the skin, under the nail, even right through the nail itself if applied liberally (which I did, at least initially). I am sure that its penetrating characteristic is what makes it so effective. The proof is obvious: I was using Tolnaftate on both feet via the spray, but only the foot that had the acetone-based Tolnaftate ProClearz actually improved. But on the other hand (or foot), acetone is not entirely benign; it has all-but disappeared from home nail polish removers, for example. When brushing it on (and we're talking a lot more than a woman would use to remove nail polish) I can feel it soaking through the skin under the nail. Not painful, in fact the sensation is indescribable (tickling is the closest I can come, but not in a pleasant way). I should point out that acetone is generally one of the safer household chemicals (your body produces it whenever you burn fat anerobically), but bear in mind that you will NOT permanently cure your nails and so you will likely be using this chemical, off and on, for life. Still, more effective than the alternative topical and safer than the oral medications, so right now this is my winning choice. Why not five stars? Well, the medication leaves the nails with a coating of whitish debris (this disappears when the nail is wet, which is how I know the nail is in fact getting better) although I suspect some sort of moisturizer will fix it - and in any event is far better than the original diseased nail. And - I realize this is a minor detail - the dispenser brush in one of the bottles fell apart and required using a pair of pliers to hold the brush. The second bottle had no such mechanical problem. So in conclusion, ProNailz is effective and has minimal safety issues. Other than a mysterious blue medication I cannot find again, it is the only nail treatment that actually is able to penetrate through the nail and the bed to get to where the fungus hides. I expect that I will probably be using it in a "maintenance" mode from now on, applying it perhaps a few days each month while using a general spray more often.