Diagnostic and Therapeutic Considerations for Onychomycosis and Cutaneous Superficial Fungal Infections

Dermatophyte infections of the skin and nails are increasing, with up to 25% of the worldwide population affected; and they account for approximately 10% to 20% of all visits to the dermatology office in the United States. Increased awareness of the clinical impact of these infections is essential because, if left untreated, they can predispose patients to superinfections and potentially serious medical complications. Onychomycosis in particular constitutes an important public health problem because of its high prevalence and associated morbidity.

New antifungal medicines on the market include topical drugs such as luliconazole, naftifine, efinaconazole, and tavaborole. This CME supplement translates a plethora of recent data on efficacy, ease of use, and safety data for each drug into dermatologists’ real world practices to help them optimize clinical outcomes in the treatment of onychomycosis, tinea corporis, tinea cruris, and tinea pedis.

However, proper drug selection is only one part of achieving a successful clinical outcome. This supplement also explains the patient education needed to avoid primary treatment failure, recurrence, or spread to other body parts or close contacts.