Fungal diseases of toenails and hands are treated with the help of pharmaceutical products - antiseptics, creams and tablets. In addition, there is also treatment of nail fungus with folk remedies; let's take a closer look at the most effective of them.
About the infection
Fungi on the legs, feet or nail plates bring many unpleasant moments - from the inability to wear open shoes to itching and burning in the areas of infection.
Reasons for this discomfort:
- endocrine diseases that reduce immunity;
- diseases of the immune system, including HIV infection;
- obesity;
- profuse sweating;
- shoes are out of season, remain in closed shoes for a long period of time;
- neglect of personal hygiene;
- endemic factor;
- specific working conditions.
The main causes of mycosis are reduced immunity for one reason or another, failure to observe personal hygiene and the introduction of a fungal infection from the outside.
When the conditions are right for a fungal infection, the infection progresses rapidly, causing symptoms characteristic of the infection of certain areas:
- skin;
- nail plates;
- internal organs;
- the joints.
Toenail fungus in the initial phase of development may have mild symptoms characteristic of hypovitaminosis or dermatitis - slight peeling of the skin of the feet, slight itching.
Signs that appear
After some time required for the infection to develop, the signs of foot fungus become more characteristic:
- increased itching of the skin;
- slight swelling of the tissues around the affected area;
- qualitative change in the nail plate - color change, deformation;
- nail disintegration;
- thickening of the nail plate, subungual tissue;
- roughening of the skin on the fingers and toes;
- formation of cracks between the toes;
- separation of the nail from the bed on the side of the plate;
- keratinization of the horny layer of the nail plate;
- deformation of the nail, acquiring a brown shade of the plate;
- gradual detachment from bed.
The appearance of these symptoms indicates the progression of the infection, which, if left untreated, involves the skin and adjacent nail plates in a fungal infection.
Treatment of nail fungus is not as simple as it seems at first glance, the problem is that the nail plates are almost constantly covered in a closed state - by shoes, socks. In men, the treatment of mycosis of the nail plates is especially difficult due to increased sweating and wearing closed shoes at any time of the year.
How to get rid of toenail fungus? Some use medication - pills and topical nail treatments. Some resort to folk remedies for the treatment of mycosis. Which is preferable – medication practice or alternative methods of treatment?
Treatment of mycosis
Therapy for mycosis of the nail plates is targeted, consistent suppression of the fungal environment using local antiseptics and drugs with fungicidal or fungistatic effects.
The essence of drug treatment is to disinfect the affected surface with antiseptic agents, followed by the application of creams or agents that inhibit the growth and reproduction of fungi.
Medicines are chosen depending on the type of fungus that causes the infection, which is determined during diagnostics in the office of a doctor, dermatologist or mycologist.
If the pathogen is not diagnosed, then the treatment of mycosis can drag on for a long time and turn into an acute chronic form, the therapy of which will give results only with the use of systemic antimycotics, but only on the basis of the diagnosis.
Consequences of incorrect treatment of nail fungus:
- the appearance of symptoms of severe mycosis;
- development of addiction to the drugs used, which cancels the therapy;
- damage to nearby tissues - skin, adjacent nails;
- self-infection leading to infection of the nail plates of the hands, intestinal dysbiosis;
- reduction of the body's defenses;
- the appearance of concomitant dermatological diseases;
- treatment with systemic drugs that have a toxic effect on the liver, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract.
The methods of alternative medicine are essentially similar to drug treatment, but the means and methods of treatment used are different - drugs, properties of chemicals, herbs, oils.
Home treatment
Folk remedies for the treatment of toenail fungus have one essence - changing the alkaline environment of the affected area to an acidic one, which leads to the death of fungal spores, inhibiting their reproduction.
For this purpose, traditional folk medicine uses:
- soap or fabric softener;
- oils for antiseptic treatment, disinfection of the affected areas of the skin, nail plates;
- acid solutions, chemical compounds for therapeutic baths;
- medicinal preparations for applications.
Among the various ways to get rid of the fungus on the nail plate, we will highlight the most effective.
Nail mycosis treats:
- Aqueous solution of laundry soap.
- A solution of water and 9% food vinegar.
- Aqueous solution of manganese.
- Ammonia solution.
- Tea tree oil.
- Lactic acid.
- Glycolic acid.
- Boric acid for nail fungus.
- Ammonium persulfate.
- Potassium dichromate.
- Ammonia.
- Bleaching powder.
- Formaldehyde.
- Alhydride.
These substances treat nail fungus, but you must follow the rules of application, the dosage of the substance and use respiratory protection.
Successful treatment depends not only on the correct choice of drug for therapy and diagnosis. After you have passed all the necessary tests and bought medicines, there is always room for an unsatisfactory result of the treatment.
Three components of competent treatment:
- Correct diagnosis of the disease.
- Correctly selected drugs, taking into account age, individual characteristics and contraindications.
- Exact implementation of recommendations and application of products according to instructions.
During therapy, you should observe personal hygiene and limit the consumption of simple carbohydrates and sugars.
ethnic woman
It is possible to treat mycosis of the toenails with the help of folk remedies, if the fungal infection has not passed into a mild or moderate form. This means that the treatment will be successful at the initial stage of progression of mycosis, when one or more nail plates are affected, without the full involvement of the skin of the feet in the inflammatory process.
It is possible to treat toenail fungus with folk remedies or with the help of drug therapy only with constant and regular procedures aimed at curing mycosis.
Treatment options for toenails include:
- Using baths to soften the nail plates.
- Local application of products with antiseptic properties.
- Application of active agents with a fungistatic effect on the affected area.
- Applications with active substances.
You should understand that in order to quickly get rid of toenail fungus, they use therapeutic or traditional methods at the first signs of mycosis, without waiting for the average form of the lesion.
Folk recipes
Let's take a look at user-effective nail fungus recipes that work flawlessly in the treatment of nail fungus.
A solution of soap and water
- For baths that soften the nail plate and rough skin on the feet, use ordinary 72% laundry soap dissolved in boiled water.
- At a tolerable temperature, the feet are lowered into a basin with the solution and kept for 15-20 minutes.
- After the procedure, the horny layer of the nail plate is removed using an abrasive file, and the keratinized skin layer is removed from the foot. This will allow greater absorption of the active substances of the antifungal agents used afterwards.
Lactic acid
- Lactic acid can be used for this purpose, but before immersing the feet in a solution of acid and water, the feet should be steamed in plain hot water for 10-15 minutes.
- The lactic acid is then diluted with water in a ratio of 10 g of 40% acid and 0. 5 l. water.
- Keep your feet in the solution for no more than 5 minutes, and before use it is recommended to apply the solution to the elbow to test the sensitivity.
- If there are cracks between the fingers or other wounds, it is not recommended to use acid or limit it to 2-3 minutes.
Solution of vinegar essence
The property of the vinegar essence is to change the tissue environment to acidic, thus killing the fungal spores.
- The solution should be used based on their individual sensitivity.
- Acid baths are used for the treatment and antiseptic treatment of toenail fungus with folk remedies and drug therapy before pharmaceutical antiseptics are used.
Ammonia solution
Ammonia, which has antibacterial, fungicidal, healing effects.
- The use is recommended in the initial stages of the appearance of fungus, otherwise the use can be classified as an antiseptic treatment.
- Ammonia is used for mycosis in the form of treatment of the affected area, the nail must be evaporated and cleaned from the stratum corneum.
- The entire affected area and adjacent nails are treated with ammonia.
Oils
Eucalyptus oil has a whole bunch of properties:
- disinfects;
- heals;
- destroys bacteria, fungi.
In addition, it does not dry the skin, relieves mild pain, itching and redness.
- The treatment of nail fungus with folk remedies using oils is mainly carried out on the skin.
- Its use helps a lot with cracks in the skin between the fingers caused by fungus and relieves the itching of the nail fold.
- Can be used directly on the nail.
Glycolic and boric acid
I use these acids in the treatment of fungus, treatment of the skin and the surface of the nail plate. But it is better to carry out such treatment without existing skin cracks or other damage.
- As a rule, a 2-5% solution of acids is used, which is applied to the steamed nail plate.
- Acids have an active fungicidal effect, they are used as peeling, i. e. they destroy the upper layer of the dermis or the horny layer of the nail.
- Application should be done carefully so as not to burn nearby tissues.
Manganese
If you use the concentrate, moisten an ear swab in water and apply it with dry powder, the product will burn the affected surface, destroying all pathogenic flora.
Usually, foot baths with a solution are used, in which they are kept for 15 minutes, after which the affected nails are applied with sulfur ointment or zinc oxide.
Sulfur aldehyde
Highly toxic liquid gas that kills all flora:
- fungal;
- bacterial;
- lice;
- ticks.
Disinfects and disinfects surfaces.
How to treat fungus with sulfur dioxide?
- It is applied to steamed nails for 1 minute, it is recommended to wear gauze and protect the skin of the feet with petroleum jelly.
- The procedure is repeated 3 times after 3 days.
Bleaching powder
- Dissolving 50 g of lime in 1 liter. water and mix it well, lower your legs for 2 minutes.
- Then we lower our feet into a bath of water and soda for 15 minutes.
- We repeat the procedure 2 times a week.
- After using this product, treat the skin and nail tissue with essential oil.
Formaldehyde
- In its pure form, it is applied to the nail for 1 minute, after which it is washed off with running water.
- After using formaldehyde for mycosis of the nails, you need to apply a soft product to the nails - cream, oil.
- Apply formaldehyde 3-5 times, 1 time per week.
Before treating toenail fungus with these products, perform tolerance tests and observe toxic substance precautions. Before applying or processing the nails, they must be steamed and the stratum corneum of the plate must be removed.
Conclusion
Folk remedies for mycosis are quite diverse, and with the right approach, you can achieve a positive response to treatment. Combining medicines and folk practices is acceptable and the most reasonable option. Using topical pharmaceutical ointments after traditional treatments may be the most effective treatment option.