Fungal diseases of toenails or hands are treated with pharmaceutical products - antiseptics, creams and tablets. In addition, there is also the treatment of nail fungus with folk remedies; let's take a closer look at the most effective of them.
About the infection
Fungus on the legs, feet or nail plates leads to 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;
- immune system diseases, including HIV infection;
- obesity;
- profuse sweating;
- shoes are out of season and stay in closed shoes for a long time;
- neglect of personal hygiene;
- endemic factor;
- specific working conditions.
The main causes of mycosis are reduced immunity for one reason or another, lack of personal hygiene and the introduction of a fungal infection from the outside.
When conditions are conducive to a fungal infection, the infection progresses rapidly, causing symptoms characteristic of infection in certain areas:
- skin;
- nail plates;
- internal organs;
- joints.
Fungus on the nails 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.
The signs that appear
After some time 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;
- nails crumble;
- thickening of the nail plate, subungual tissue;
- roughness of the skin of the fingers and toes;
- formation of cracks between the toes;
- detachment of the nail from the bed on the sides of the plate;
- keratinization of the stratum corneum of the nail plate;
- deformation of the nail, acquisition of a brown tint to the plate;
- gradual detachment from the 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 toenail 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, stockings. For men, the treatment of nail plate fungus 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 – taking pills and using topical nail treatments. Some resort to folk remedies to treat mycoses. Which is better – medicinal practice or alternative therapeutic methods?
Mycosis therapy
Treatment of nail plate fungus is targeted and sequential suppression of the fungal environment using local antiseptics and drugs with fungicidal or fungistatic effects.
The essence of drug treatment consists in disinfecting the affected surface with antiseptic agents, followed by the application of creams or agents that inhibit the growth and reproduction of fungi.
Medicines are selected based on the type of fungus causing the infection, which is determined during diagnosis in the office of a doctor, dermatologist or mycologist.
If the pathogen is not diagnosed, the treatment of mycosis can drag on and turn into an acute chronic form, the treatment of which will give results only with the use of systemic antimycotics, but only onthe basis of a diagnosis.
Consequences of incorrect treatment of nail fungus:
- the appearance of symptoms of severe mycosis;
- development of dependence on the drugs used, which cancels therapy;
- damage to neighboring tissues - skin, neighboring nails;
- autoinfection leading to infection of the nail plates of the hands, intestinal dysbiosis;
- reduction in the body's defenses;
- the occurrence of concomitant dermatological diseases;
- treatment with systemic drugs that have a toxic effect on the liver, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract.
Alternative medicine methods are essentially similar to drug treatment, but the therapeutic means and methods used are different - drugs, properties of chemicals, herbs, oils.
Home treatment
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, inhibiting their reproduction.
For this purpose, traditional folk medicine uses:
- soap or detergent to soften fabrics;
- oils for antiseptic treatment, disinfection of 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 nail plate fungus, we will highlight the most effective ones.
Treats nail fungus:
- An aqueous solution of laundry soap.
- A solution of water and 9% food vinegar.
- Aqueous solution of manganese.
- An ammonia solution.
- Tea tree oil.
- Lactic acid.
- Glycolic acid.
- Boric acid for nail fungus.
- Ammonium persulfate.
- Potassium dichromate.
- Ammonia.
- Whitening powder.
- Formaldehyde.
- Alhydride.
These substances treat nail plate fungus, however, you must follow the rules of application, dosage of the substance and use respiratory protection.
The success of treatment depends not only on the correct choice of medication for treatment and diagnosis. After passing all the necessary tests and purchasing medications, there is always room for an unsatisfactory treatment result.
Three components of competent treatment:
- Correct diagnosis of the disease.
- Correctly selected medications, taking into account age, individual characteristics and contraindications.
- Accurate implementation of recommendations and application of products in accordance with instructions.
During treatment, you should monitor your personal hygiene and limit the consumption of simple carbohydrates and sugars.
ethnoscience
It is possible to cure toenail fungus using folk remedies if the fungal infection has not progressed to a mild or mild form. That is, the treatment will be successful at the initial stage of the progression of mycosis, when one or more nail plates are affected, without complete involvement of the skin of the foot in the inflammatory process.
It is possible to cure toenail fungus with folk remedies or with the help of drug treatment only with constant and regular procedures aimed at curing fungus.
Treatment options for toenails include:
- Use baths to soften nail plates.
- Local application of products with antiseptic properties.
- Application of active agents with fungistatic effect to the affected area.
- Applications with active substances.
It should be understood that in order to quickly get rid of toenail fungus, therapeutic or traditional methods are used at the first signs of mycosis, without waiting for the middle form of the lesion.
Folk recipes
Let's consider effective recipes, from the point of view of users, against fungus that work perfectly in the treatment of nail fungus.
Soap and water solution
- For baths that soften the nail plate and rough skin of 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 stratum corneum of the nail plate is removed using an abrasive file and the keratinized skin layer is removed from the foot. This will allow better absorption of the active substances of the antifungal agents used subsequently.
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 hot water for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Then lactic acid is diluted with water in the ratio of 10 g of 40% acid per 0. 5 l. water.
- Keep your feet in the solution for up to 5 minutes and before use, it is recommended to apply the solution to your elbow to test sensitivity.
- If there are cracks between fingers or other injuries, it is not recommended to use acid or limit it to 2-3 minutes.
Vinegar Essence Solution
The property of vinegar essence is to change the tissue environment to acidic, thereby killing fungal spores.
- The solution should be used according to their individual sensitivity.
- Acid baths are used for treatment and antiseptic treatment of toenail fungus with folk remedies and drug therapy, before using pharmaceutical antiseptics.
An ammonia solution
Ammonia, which has antibacterial, fungicidal and healing effects.
- 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 mycoses in the form of treatment of the affected area, the nail must be steamed and cleaned of the stratum corneum.
- The entire affected area and adjacent nails are treated with ammonia.
Oils
Eucalyptus oil has many properties:
- disinfected;
- heals;
- destroys bacteria, fungi.
In addition, it does not dry out the skin, relieves minor pain, itching and redness.
- Treatment of nail fungus with folk remedies using oils 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 of the periungual fold.
- Can be used directly on the nail.
Glycolic and boric acids
I use these acids 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 skin cracks and other damage.
- Typically, 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 stratum corneum of the nail.
- Application must be carried out carefully so as not to burn neighboring tissues.
Manganese
If using the concentrate, moisten an ear stick in water and apply dry powder to it, the product will cauterize the affected surface, killing all pathogenic flora.
Usually foot baths with a solution are used, in which they are kept for 15 minutes, after which sulfur ointment or zinc oxide is applied to the affected nails.
Sulfurous aldehyde
Highly toxic liquid gas that kills all flora:
- fungal;
- bacterial;
- lice;
- ticks.
Disinfects and disinfects surfaces.
How to treat mushrooms with sulfur dioxide?
- It is applied to steamed nails for 1 minute, it is advisable to wear a gauze bandage and protect the skin of the feet with Vaseline.
- The procedure is repeated 3 times after 3 days.
Whitening powder
- Dissolve 50 g of lime in 1 liter. water and mix well, lower your legs for 2 minutes.
- Then we immerse our feet in a bath of water and soda for 15 minutes.
- We repeat the procedure 2 times a week.
- After using this product, treat skin and nail tissue with essential oil.
Formaldehyde
- In its pure form, apply to the nail for 1 minute, after which it is washed off with running water.
- After using formaldehyde for nail fungus, you need to apply a gentle product - cream, oil - to the nails.
- Apply formaldehyde 3 to 5 times, once a week.
Before treating toenail fungus with these products, perform tolerance tests and follow precautions with toxic substances. Before applying or treating the nails, they must be steamed and the stratum corneum of the plaque must be removed.
Conclusion
Folk remedies for mycosis are very diverse, and with the right approach you can achieve a positive response to treatment. The combination of medicines and traditional practices is acceptable and the most reasonable option. The use of local pharmaceutical ointments after traditional procedures may be the most effective therapeutic option.