How to treat nail fungus with folk remedies at home

Hello dear readers. Nail fungus is one of the most common forms of fungal damage to the body. The disease is quite unpleasant and it is not easy to recover from it. The disease cannot be triggered, since it is not a cosmetic problem, but a serious pathology. But not everyone knows which approach will be the right one. It should be noted right away that self-medication is not the best choice in this situation. But information about the nature of the disease and how to quickly get rid of nail fungus will not be superfluous for anyone.

What causes nail fungus

Nail fungus, or as it is called in medicine, onychomycosis, is a disease that damages the nail plates and adjacent areas by parasitic fungal microorganisms. It is one of the subspecies of mycosis. If we consider all the diseases to which the feet can only be prone, onychomycosis is the most common.

You can catch the infection in public places where the humidity is excessive. This includes baths, hammams, swimming pools, beaches.

Wooden objects (benches, deckchairs, etc. ) are widely used here. Due to the porosity of the wood, the fungus is difficult to kill in it.

In addition, doctors distinguish several risk groups. For people belonging to one of them, the probability of infection increases significantly.

• cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy;
• after a course of antibiotics or steroids;

It is not always possible to quickly get rid of the disease. The rate of recovery depends on the variety of the parasite that caused it, the stage of development of the disease, the area of the lesion, the presence of complications and concomitant diseases, and the general condition of the body.

Symptoms of onychomycosis

Nail damage caused by a parasitic fungus cannot go unnoticed. Symptomatic changes in the nail plates are quite pronounced and boil down to the following.

1. Lost natural shine, transparency.
2. The color changes. It can be yellowish, brownish, whitish, bluish, greenish, grayish.
3. Surface roughness appears.
4. Scratches, stains and thickenings are clearly distinguishable.
5. Stratification is observed.
6. There is exfoliation of the nail bed.
7. Different areas are painted and crumbled.
8. The surrounding tissues may become red, swollen, and itchy.
9. There are feelings of pain.
10. The feet give off an unpleasant smell.

Despite all this, self-diagnosis can be difficult. Early in development, the signs of onychomycosis resemble the symptoms of certain other lesions: trauma to the nail.

How to quickly get rid of nail fungus with folk remedies and drugs

You need to be realistic and understand that fungal infection of nails and nail areas is not cured in a week. According to doctors, the healing period can last from 6-8 weeks to six months, and sometimes 8-12 months.

It depends on many factors, as well as nail growth activity. On the hands, this process proceeds much faster than on the legs, and therefore the remedy here comes earlier.

The best and fastest positive results can be achieved if you follow the recommendations below.

1. Use a variety of therapeutic measures in the complex. Do not rely on the effectiveness of a single miracle cure. Competently combine pharmacological preparations and recipes of traditional medicine.
2. Treatment should be active, but gentle - aggressive agents, often used for therapeutic purposes, should not affect healthy areas of the body located near the affected areas.
3. Strictly observe hygiene requirements so that the fungus does not spread, also in order to avoid re-infection soon after the cure. And the likelihood of that happening is very high.
4. Watch for dryness of affected extremities. Remember that humidity and heat are ideal conditions for the active reproduction of the fungus.
5. Eliminate all the causes that provoked the appearance of onychomycosis and eliminate them.
6. Every day, gently, but as much as possible, cut the edge of the growing nail affected by the disease. If possible, go through the laser exposure procedure, which very effectively inhibits the pathological activity of pathogens.

Pharmacological agents

Means acting against pathogens are usually divided into three subgroups depending on the active components. Each of them has in its arsenal both external ointments and tablets for general action on the whole body.

It should be borne in mind that the latter have a long list of side effects. Therefore, you should not prescribe medications. To minimize the risks, you need to undergo an examination, identify the varieties of fungi that caused the disease and act with "targeting" drugs.

Subgroups of antifungal drugs

1. Azole agents. They are based on triazole or imidazole, as well as their derivatives. Depending on the concentration, they exhibit fungistatic or fungicidal effects. They are effective in the fight against molds and yeast-like fungi.
2. allylamine agents. The active principles can be terbinafine, naftifine, butenafine. They are able to stop the growth of the fungus, and also have an anti-inflammatory effect.
3. Other drugs. They act on the basis of additives flucytosine, morpholine, griseofulvin, chlornitrophenol. They are distinguished by a narrower activity targeting certain types of fungal pathogens.

External means

At the beginning of the development of onychomycotic lesions, one should resort only to the help of ointments. Only if they turn out to be ineffective, the administration of antimycotics in tablets is introduced.

The difference between creams and ointments:

• have a direct effect on lesions;
• have fewer contraindications;
• side effects are limited.

If you catch the disease early in development, you can cope with it within a month.

The most popular antifungal creams and ointments

1. Zinc ointment. Allows you to relieve inflammation, dry the affected areas, get rid of itching, achieve an adsorbent effect.
2. Clotrimazole. Broad-spectrum substance. Duration of use - from 2 weeks to six months. It also has an antiseptic effect. May cause skin dryness, burns, allergic manifestations on the skin. Contraindicated for pregnant women and nursing mothers, as well as young children under three years of age.
3. Naftifin. Fights inflammation, has an antimicrobial effect. The agent tends to accumulate in treated surfaces. Use the ointment no more than twice a day. The tool is not used during pregnancy and lactation.

Use of tablets

To provide a systemic effect on the whole body, the doctor prescribes oral tablets. Broad-spectrum drugs are prescribed.

1. Substances fluconazole, medoflucon. It is enough to take it once a day. The agent is well tolerated. In rare cases, intestinal disorders and rashes on the body may occur. The duration of treatment can be from 1 to 4 weeks.
2. Substances orungal, sporanox. Can be used for pulse therapy. The drug is not prescribed for renal failure, pregnancy, hypersensitivity to the action of the drug. May cause allergic reactions, dizziness, hypokalemia, abdominal pain.

All medicines for fingernail or toenail fungus should only be taken after consulting a doctor.

How to treat nail fungus with folk remedies at home

First of all, you should strictly adhere to all medical recommendations, not to skip taking medications and terminate treatment, and not to interrupt the course after the elimination of particularly nagging symptoms.

Additionally, you need:

• regular use of local baths;
• apply a specialized varnish that blocks the spread of the fungus, and also has a therapeutic effect;
• daily remove the protruding parts of the growing nail, which is affected by the disease;
• use special means to soften the nail plate in order to remove it;
• spray hands or feet before using external topical agents;
• take measures to prevent household infection.

Special lacquers

Lacquers have many advantages. The active ingredients penetrate very deeply into the affected nails, but at the same time they harden and do not leave marks on clothes, sheets, shoes.

The hardened layer reliably blocks the supply of oxygen to pathogens, which blocks their activity. But varnish products are effective only at the initial stage of onychomycosis.

Before using varnishes, you need to resort to a hot local bath. Tempered plates affected by a fungus are cut to the maximum, processed with a file or other grinding device. The surface is wiped

Lacquer is also recommended to cover healthy nails. The procedure is repeated every evening for a long time - from several months to six months.

The help of a surgeon

Part and all of the plate can be removed. But this is not a guarantee of complete relief from the disease. The probability of further spread of a fungal infection is very high.

After surgery, the finger heals for a long time. Additionally, suppuration may develop. A newly grown nail can be deformed. A preferred alternative to such a method is laser therapy.

After the surgical removal of the damaged nail formation, special emphasis is placed on the drug treatment of the fungus. In some, especially severe cases, the growth zone can be removed, after which the finger will remain "bare" - the nail will not be able to grow here.

traditional medicine

Alternative methods are slower than medical methods, but have fewer side effects. They can be effective only for the treatment of the early stage of the development of the disease.

Later, folk recipes are used exclusively in combination with pharmacological preparations as auxiliary measures.

For the treatment of nail fungus, such remedies are used.

1. Garlic. Apply garlic gruel in the form of applications to sore nails. A fixing bandage is placed on top. A nightly repeat of the procedure is performed. You can also use squeezed garlic juice in an equal mixture with alcohol. The nails are treated with the resulting balm twice a day.
2. The vinegar. Acetic acid acidifies the environment, which inactivates pathogens. This tool daily lubricates damaged nails. You can use vinegar compresses. To do this, cotton balls are moistened in vinegar and fixed on the desired fingers in the affected area. The compresses resist all night, withdraw in the morning.
3. Peroxide. Like vinegar and other similar products, apply directly to nails or on cotton swabs. The peroxide acts as an antiseptic.
4. Alcoholic solution of iodine. They can cover the nail plates, including healthy ones, 1-2 times a day. In addition, an iodine supplement is suitable for all baths. To do this, it is enough to add a few drops of the product.
5. Tincture of propolis. It can be used for lotions, as well as injected into local hand or foot baths. Compresses are left on the nails overnight. You can prepare an ointment, which is a mixture of propolis and butter. The composition is superimposed on gauze and placed on the desired area. The agent is left for 10 o'clock.
6. Burning remedies based on vegetables. For the treatment of onychomycosis, onions or horseradish are suitable. They have antimicrobial activity. Herbal products are used in the form of porridge. You can also make a kind of ointment by mixing liquid pomace with butter or melted chicken fat.
7. Essential extracts. These funds have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and regenerative effects. For the preparation of local baths or as part of mixtures for compresses, fir oils and some others can be used.

Essential extract is mixed with petroleum jelly in a 1: 1 ratio. It should be rubbed into damaged nail plates. As always in such cases, the remedy will have a stronger effect if the nails are sprayed first.

What is nail fungus?

fungal nail infectionsalso known asdermatophytic onychomycosis. The initial fungus that affects the skin of the feet is a common infection of the skin of the feet, especially between the toes. On the skin of the feet, the original fungus lives in the keratin that makes up the outer layer of the skin. When the fungus spreads to the keratin of the nails,nail fungus.

What causes fungal infections?

Mushroomsextending from the foot (called"dermatophyte fungi"), cause most nail fungus. Less commonly, nail infections are caused by other types of fungi, usually yeasts (eg.candidiasis) andmold.

These fungi tend to attack already damaged nails because it is easier for the fungus to penetrate. Fungal toenail infections are very common (1 in 4 people may be affected at any given time), toenail fungus is less common. Both types are more common in older people, people with weakened immune systems, and people with diabetes and poor peripheral circulation. A warm, moist environment helps fungi grow and cause infections. Wearing tight shoes or using showers, bathrooms, or locker rooms can increase your risk of fungal infections.

Are they hereditary?

Absolutely not. However, in some extremely rare cases there is a genetic risk factor and other family members may also be susceptible to infection.

What are the symptoms of nail fungus?

At first, there are usually no symptoms. Later, the nails may thicken and become painful when pressed against the inside of the shoe. Then they are difficult to prune. The sight of an infected fingernail, especially a fingernail, can be embarrassing. An affected nail can damage socks and tights, and it can also irritate adjacent skin. Nearby skin may also have a fungal infection; it may itch, crack, blister, or appear whitish, especially between the toes.

What do nail fungus look like?

nail fungususually starts at its free edge and then extends along the side of the nail to the base of the cuticle. Eventually, the whole nail can be affected. Infected areas become white or yellowish, thickened and scaly. Less commonly, there may be white inclusions on the surface of the nail. The nails of the big toes and little fingers are most susceptible to damage from fungal infections. Sometimes, especially in those who regularly do wet work, such as a housewife or cleaning lady, the skin around the nail becomes red and swollen. This is called paronychia and can allow infection to easily enter the nail.

How are fungal nail infections diagnosed?

fungal nail infectionsusually diagnosed clinically. Your doctor may take a piece of an infected nail and send it to a lab to see if the fungus can be seen under a microscope or cultured. Sometimes repeat samples may be required.

Many nail problems can only look likefungal infection, - for example, the changes seen in psoriasis after a bacterial infection or an old injury, but antifungal pills will not help. Proper treatment may depend on which fungus is causing problems; it may take several weeks to see results.

Can fungal nail infections be cured?

Yes. However, to succeednail fungus treatmentlong-term treatment is required, which can take up to a year. Nails are easier to handle.fungal nail infectionsusually reoccur, especially on the toes.

How to treat nail fungus?

fungal nail infectionsby themselves do not bother, not all of them need treatment. Some people whose fingernails are infected don't care at all. In this case, they can sometimes be left alone (although the patient should be careful and try not to spread the infection to other parts of the body and nails, as well as to other people).

On the other hand, ifinfected nailscause embarrassment or discomfort, they are usually treated. It is important to treat people whose infections can cause serious health problems, such as diabetes or reduced immunity, to prevent potentially serious health problems.

The goal of treatment is to get rid of the fungus: after that, the nail usually returns to normal. However, if the nail was damaged before it was infected, it will be more difficult to clean and may return to its original state.Nail infectionscaused by molds and yeasts can be very resistant to treatment.

Treatment options include:

Treatment applied to the nails (local procedures)

Treatments applied to the nails do not work as well as oral treatments. They are more effective if the infection is at an early stage. The most commonly used methods are amorolfine nail polish, ciclopirox and thioconazole solution.

They may not be able to clean the deeper parts of the infected nail themselves, but it may help to regularly remove the damaged part of the nail with a nail clipper or aabrasive. Medicines taken by mouth, used in combination with an antifungal agent, increase the chances of recovery. They may need to be used for 4-12 months before the effect is seen.

Forhand nail infectionsshorter treatment. The cure rate with local treatments alone is approximately 15 to 30%. Topical treatment is safe. Redness and irritation may occur.

Before starting to take the pills, the doctor must send the part of the nail to the laboratory to check if the diagnosis of a fungal infection is confirmed.

Substances available for use in the treatment of fungal nail infections include:

• The substance griseofulvin has been used for many years and is the only one of the three drugs authorized for use in children. It is only completely absorbed with fatty foods (such as milk and dairy products) and long cures are generally necessary (6 to 9 months for fingernails and up to 18 months for toenails). However, only about three quarters of infected nails and one third of infected nails are removed. Frequent relapses are also possible.
• The substances terbinafine and itraconazole have now largely moved away from griseofulvin. They work better and much faster, although only about 50% of nail infections are cured. Terbinafine should be considered first-line treatment for dermatophyte fungi (i. e. those that affect the feet). It is taken daily for 6 weeks for fingernail infections and for 12-16 weeks for foot infections.
• The substance itraconazole is effective in the treatment of dermatophytes; it is also useful for treating other fungi such as yeast. It is usually taken in periods - one week per month - as it is absorbed by the nail cuticle and continues to work for several weeks. Two weekly cures administered over 21 days are generally sufficient for nail infections and three for toenail infections.
• The substance fluconazole can be effective for Candida fungal infections. It is currently not licensed for fungal nail infections. It seems less effective than itraconazole and terbinafine, but remains an alternative in case of intolerance to both drugs.
• Other procedures

Laser and photodynamic therapy can be helpful but are less effective than the topical and systemic treatments listed above.

Herbal products are also promoted fornail fungus treatment, but there is no conclusive evidence that it is safe or more effective than standard treatments.

Are there any side effects from the treatment?

Oral treatments are more likely to cause side effects than topical treatments.

Terbinafine sometimes causes a potentially very serious allergic reaction, can slightly aggravate skin conditions, and sometimes affects taste buds.

Itraconazole is not indicated for people who are already taking certain medications. Your doctor will let you know. Terbinafine and itraconazole can affect the liver, and your doctor may order a blood test to check this before and during treatment.

Although griseofulvin is the only drug authorized for children, many dermatologists prefer to use terbinafine because it is much more effective.

How do I know if the treatment is working?

The new nail will grow slowly from its base and it may take 6 months to a year after treatment is completed before the nails return to normal. Foot infections go away faster and more completely than toenails. it can take 18 months for the foot to fully recover.

Surgical nail removal

Sometimes very thick nails that don't respond to pills alone can be removed by surgeons under local anesthesia, but this is rarely done because the level of success of the treatment does not warrant surgery.

Self-care

• Keep fingernails short, dry and clean. Use one clipper for infected nails and the other for normal nails.
• Don't just treat your nails; use an antifungal cream to treat the skin of the foot.
• Avoid trimming the cuticles, either by yourself or by a manicurist, as this increases the risk of nail damage and infection.

For a fungal infection on the toes:

• Wear comfortable, well-fitting shoes without high heels or tight socks.
• Keep your feet dry, wear cotton socks and change them daily, and use breathable shoes. Regular washing in hot water cleans most contaminated socks, but it can be made more effective by using an antifungal spray before washing. Other clothing usually cannot be contaminated.
• Maintain foot hygiene, including treating any infections.
• Wear clean shower shoes when using a communal shower.
• Pay particular attention to the hygiene of the affected feet.
• Consider seeking help from a podiatrist if thickened nails make walking uncomfortable.

Preventative measures

The risk of re-infection with the fungus after getting rid of the disease is very high. Therefore, you should clearly follow simple rules:

• follow foot hygiene;
• get rid of shoes, towels and socks that were used during treatment;
• avoid sharing such things with other family members;
• avoid excessive moisture on the feet, use talc;
• treat the inner surfaces of shoes with antiseptics.

Do not forget, all the drugs against nail fungus, to be taken after consulting a doctor.