Scientists Discover The Root Cause of Stubborn Fungal Infections Have you ever wondered why it takes so long for antifungal products on the market to work? Or why, sometimes, they do not work at all? That’s because, according to recent studies, all these products only remove the fungus at the surface of the nail, but not its root. That is why it’s only a matter of time until the fungus would affect the nail again. You see, fungus is like a weed. And just how weed killers only remove the plant from the surface of the ground, leaving the root intact, so do common antifungal solutions.