Fungal diseases of toenails or nails are treated using pharmaceutical products - antiseptics, creams and tablets. In addition, there is also treatment of nail fungus with folk remedies;
About the infection
Fungus on the feet, legs or nail plate brings many unpleasant moments - from the inability to wear open shoes to itching and burning in the infected area.
Reasons for this discomfort:
- endocrine diseases that reduce immunity;
- diseases of the immune system, including HIV infection;
- obesity;
- sweating profusely;
- shoes not suitable for the season, staying in closed shoes for a long time;
- neglect of personal hygiene;
- endemic factors;
- certain working conditions.
The main causes of mycosis are reduced immunity for one reason or another, lack of personal hygiene, and the introduction of fungal infections from the outside.
When the conditions are suitable for a fungal infection, the infection develops rapidly, causing the characteristic symptoms of infection in certain areas:
- skin;
- nail plate;
- internal organ;
- joints
Fungus on toenails in the early stages of development may have mild symptoms characteristic of hypovitaminosis or dermatitis - slight peeling of the skin on the feet, slight itching.
Signs that appear
After some time is needed for the infection to develop, the signs of foot fungus become more characteristic:
- increased skin itching;
- slight swelling of tissue around the affected area;
- qualitative changes in the nail plate - changes in color, deformation;
- nails fall off;
- thickening of the nail plate, subungual tissue;
- roughness of the skin on the fingers and toes;
- the formation of cracks between the toes;
- nail detachment from the bed on the side of the plate;
- keratinization of the stratum corneum of the nail plate;
- deformation of the nail, the acquisition of a brown color to the plate;
- gradual detachment from bed.
The occurrence of these symptoms indicates the development of an infection, which, if untreated, involves the skin and the adjacent nail plate in a fungal infection.
The treatment of toenail fungus is not as simple as it seems at first glance the problem is that the nail plate is almost always covered in a closed state - by shoes, socks. For men, the treatment of mycosis on the nail plate is very difficult because of sweating more and wearing closed shoes at any time of the year.
How to get rid of toenail fungus? Some use medication - taking pills and using topical nail treatments. Some use folk remedies to treat mycosis. What is better - the practice of medicine or alternative methods of therapy?
Mycosis therapy
Therapy for mycosis of the nail plate is a targeted sequential suppression of the fungal environment using antiseptics and local drugs with fungicidal or fungistatic effects.
The essence of treatment with drugs is to disinfect the affected surface with antiseptic agents, followed by the use of creams or agents that inhibit the growth and reproduction of fungi.
Medicines are chosen depending on the type of fungus causing the infection, which is determined during the diagnosis in the doctor's, dermatologist's or mycologist's office.
If the pathogen is not diagnosed, then the treatment of mycosis can last for a long time and turn into an acute chronic form, therapy that will give results only with the use of systemic antimycotics, but only based on the diagnosis.
Consequences of wrong nail fungus treatment:
- occurrence of severe mycosis symptoms;
- the development of addiction to the drugs used, which invalidates the therapy;
- damage to nearby tissues - skin, neighboring nails;
- self-infection leading to infection of the nail plate, intestinal dysbiosis;
- a decrease in the body's defenses;
- the occurrence of concomitant dermatological diseases;
- treatment with systemic drugs that have toxic effects on the liver, kidneys, and gastrointestinal tract.
Alternative medicine methods are basically similar to drug treatment, but the methods and methods of therapy used are different - drugs, chemical properties, herbs, oils.
Treatment at home
Folk remedies for toenail fungus have one essence - changing the alkaline environment of the affected area to acidic, which leads to the death of fungal spores, preventing their reproduction.
For this purpose, traditional medicine uses:
- soap or detergent to soften fabric;
- oil for antiseptic treatment, disinfection of affected skin areas, nail plates;
- acid solutions, chemical compounds for therapeutic baths;
- medical preparations for application.
Among the various ways to get rid of nail plate fungus, we will highlight the most effective.
Nail mycosis treatment:
- A solution of laundry soap and water.
- 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 ingredients treat the fungus of the nail plate, however, you should follow the rules of application, dosage of the ingredients and use respiratory protection.
Successful treatment depends not only on the right choice of drugs for therapy and diagnosis. After passing all the necessary tests and buying medicines, there is always room for unsatisfactory treatment results.
Three components of efficient treatment:
- Correct diagnosis of the disease.
- Medicines are chosen correctly, taking into account age, individual characteristics and contraindications.
- Exact implementation of recommendations and use of products according to instructions.
During therapy, you need to monitor personal hygiene and limit the consumption of carbohydrates and simple sugars.
ethnoscience
It is possible to cure toenail mycosis using folk remedies if the fungal infection does not develop into a mild or moderate form. That is, the treatment will be successful in the early stages of the development of mycosis, when one or more nail plates are affected, without the complete involvement of the skin of the feet in the inflammatory process.
It is possible to cure toenail fungus with folk remedies or with the help of drug therapy only with continuous and regular procedures aimed at curing mycosis.
Treatment options for toenails include:
- Using a bath to soften the nail plate.
- Local application of products with antiseptic properties.
- Application of active agent with fungistatic effect to the affected area.
- Application with active ingredients.
You need to understand that to get rid of toenail fungus quickly, they use therapeutic or traditional methods at the first signs of mycosis, without waiting for the central form of the lesion.
Folk recipes
Let's consider effectively, from the user's point of view, a recipe for mycosis that works perfectly in the treatment of nail fungus.
A solution of soap and water
- For a bath that softens nail plates and rough skin on the feet, use 72% regular laundry soap dissolved in boiled water.
- At an acceptable temperature, the feet are lowered into the basin with the solution and kept for 15-20 minutes.
- After the procedure, the stratum corneum of the nail plate is removed using a coarse file, and the keratin skin layer is removed from the foot. This will allow the absorption of more of the active ingredients of the antifungal agent used afterwards.
Lactic acid
- Lactic acid can be used for this purpose, but before soaking the feet in the acid and water solution, the feet must be steamed in plain hot water for 10-15 minutes.
- After that, lactic acid is 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 use the solution on your 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.
Vinegar essence solution
The essence of vinegar is to change the tissue environment to acidic, thereby killing the fungal spores.
- Solutions 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 using pharmaceutical antiseptics.
Ammonia solution
Ammonia, which has an antibacterial, fungicidal, healing effect.
- The use is advised in the early stages of the appearance of the fungus, otherwise the use can be classified as an antiseptic treatment.
- Ammonia is used for mycosis in the form of treating the affected area, the nails must be steamed and cleaned from the stratum corneum.
- The entire affected area and adjacent nails are treated with ammonia.
Oil
Eucalyptus oil has a large number of properties:
- disinfect;
- healing;
- destroy bacteria, fungi.
In addition, it does not dry the skin, relieves minor pain, itching and redness.
- Treatment of nail fungus with folk remedies using oil is carried out mainly on the skin.
- Its use helps a lot with cracks in the skin between the fingers due to fungus, and relieves itching in the periungual folds.
- Can be used directly on nails.
Glycolic and boric acid
I use this acid in the treatment of fungus, treating the skin and the surface of the nail plate. But it is better to carry out such treatment without existing cracks on the skin or other damage.
- As a rule, a 2-5% acid solution is used, which is applied to the steamed nail plate.
- The acid has an active fungicidal effect, it is used as a peeling, i. e. they destroy the upper layer of the dermis or stratum corneum of the nail.
- Application should be carried out carefully so as not to burn nearby tissue.
Manganese
If you use a concentrate, moisten the eardrum in water and apply dry powder to it, the product will burn the affected surface, killing all pathogenic flora.
Usually, a foot bath with the solution is used, where it is kept for 15 minutes, after which sulfur or zinc oxide ointment is applied to the affected nails.
Sulfur aldehyde
A highly toxic liquid gas that kills all flora:
- fungi;
- bacteria;
- lice;
- fleas
Disinfects and disinfects surfaces.
How to treat fungus with sulfur dioxide?
- It is used on steamed nails for 1 minute, it is advised to wear a gauze bandage and protect the skin of the feet with Vaseline.
- This procedure is repeated 3 times after 3 days.
Bleaching powder
- Dissolve 50 g of lime in 1 liter. water and mix well, lower the 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 oils.
Formaldehyde
- In its pure form, apply to the nail for 1 minute, after which it is washed in running water.
- After using formaldehyde for nail mycosis, you need to use soft products - creams, oils - on the nails.
- Apply formaldehyde 3-5 times, 1 time a week.
Before treating toenail fungus with this product, do a tolerance test and take precautions with toxic substances. Before using or processing 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 is the most reasonable option. Using topical pharmaceutical ointments after traditional procedures may be the most effective therapeutic option.