Treatment of toenail fungus with folk remedies is effective in the early stages of the disease. In a more advanced form, it is better to get advice from a specialist.
the best remedy for toenail fungus
Few people know that with the help of vinegar you can solve a very difficult medical problem to remove nail fungus. With the availability of table vinegar (9% acid solution) and even vinegar essence (70% acid solution) available in the store or market, there are many ways to treat toe fungus with this product.
Of course, self-medication with vinegar should be carried out only if the disease has not progressed to an advanced form and it is advisable to combine it with specially developed drugs. However, when there is an urgent need for treatment of nail fungus and there is no money and time to visit a doctor and no medical therapy, it is possible to use vinegar alone, as long as you follow the appropriate safety rules.
Characteristics of the use of vinegar for the treatment of fungi
The main effect of using vinegar is to create an acidic environment in the area of fungal infection, which prevents the growth of hyphae and the spread of spores. Gradually, the fungus, left without access to new sources of nutrients, dies, and the lack of much more durable spores prevents the possibility of recurrence of the disease.
At first glance, everything is very simple - how to destroy bacteria with antiseptic. But in fact, the fungus is very persistent, because her body is not on the surface of the nail or skin, but goes into the thickness of the tissues. In this regard, a positive result from the treatment of oncomycosis should be expected only with strict regularity of procedures, which will not leave the parasite time for rehabilitation and penetration under the skin.
Before treating nail fungus, make sure that the concentration of acetic acid used corresponds to that specified in the recipe. If the recipe contains a mention of vinegar essence, then this means a 70% solution that must be dissolved or applied topically. Edible or table vinegar, respectively, contain 6 and 9% acid. Ignoring these data may lead to the fact that the treatment will end in chemical burns.
Baths with vinegar
Warm foot baths are considered an effective remedy against fungus, regular use allows you to get rid of onychomycosis at an early stage without additional drugs. Vinegar baths are also an excellent prevention of fungal infections. The procedure requires warm, about 50 ° C, water and a glass of table vinegar 9% concentration. The water level in the basin should not be high, but only to the ankles. The feet are immersed in the solution and kept there for 15 minutes.
Before the vinegar bath, it is desirable to perform a complete pedicure procedure, including removal of the affected areas of the nail plate and dead skin layers, calluses and calluses on the feet, but without applying a decorative coating on the nails. If you cut and file your nails yourself, then you should do it very carefully, as microdamages to the skin can contribute to the spread of fungal infection.
Immediately after the vinegar bath, dry your feet with a towel and put on cotton socks. Repeat three times a week.
Vinegar lotions
Lotions on the areas affected by the fungus are best made after baths with vinegar. Both pharmacy products and pure 9% vinegar are suitable for this, in which a cotton swab is moistened and applied to the nail for fifteen minutes.
More complex recipe: a mixture of vodka or forty-degree medical alcohol, glycerin and 70% acetic acid in equal proportions, mix until smooth. A cotton swab moistened with the solution is kept on the affected areas for fifteen minutes, after which cotton socks are put on. The course of treatment is one week, if necessary, it can be repeated in a few days.
Ointment
Vinegar-based ointments are stored for a long time, they are more convenient to use than products with a liquid consistency. To prepare acetic ointment, you need to take 70% acetic acid, dimethyl phthalate, glycerin and olive oil in a ratio of 2: 1: 1: 1, respectively. After carefully mixing all the ingredients, the ointment is ready for use.
To prevent the spread of fungal infection and destroy its pathogens, you should apply the ointment daily on the affected areas with a cotton swab, hold for 8-10 hours and then rinse with laundry soap. You can use this recipe not only to treat onomycosis of the toenails, but also the affected toenails.
Treatment of toenail fungus with tea tree oil
Ways to use tea tree oil:
- Foot bath with tea tree oil. Pour warm water into the basin to the level of the ankles, add 15-20 drops of essential oil and keep the feet in it for twenty minutes, maintaining a high water temperature (45-50 ° C). The course of treatment is two months, you need to take baths every day. During the treatment procedure it is necessary to remove the affected areas of the nail plate with a file, nail scissors or scissors.
- Apply oil on the nail plate. If you do not have a reaction to undiluted tea tree oil, then to improve the effectiveness of the impact, it is applied in pure form on the affected areas of the nail. Pre-boil the feet in warm water with the addition of laundry soap (for better dissolution can be grated). The oil is rubbed into the nail plate with a cotton swab twice a day, it is not necessary to wash off the product.
How to quickly cure toenail fungus?
The internal and external use of hydrogen peroxide for the treatment of infectious and other diseases is described by Professor Neumivakin in a book written on the basis of personal experience. He mentions hydrogen peroxide as a prophylactic agent with antibacterial properties.
External use of hydrogen peroxide for the treatment of fungal infections is carried out after steaming the feet in warm water with dissolved soda in the amount of one teaspoon per liter. When the nail plates become soft, pinch a small fragment of the affected area of the nail with manicure pliers and after soaking it with 3% peroxide solution, attach it to the nail plate. Leave on for 10-15 minutes on the nails or 40 minutes to an hour on the feet. Do the procedure twice a day until the symptoms of the fungal infection disappear.
To reduce peroxide evaporation and increase the intensity of exposure, the nail plate with lotion is wrapped in a plastic wrap. After the exposure time, rinse your toes and hands thoroughly under running water.
For therapeutic and prophylactic purposes, it is recommended to drip the nail cavity with hydrogen peroxide three times a day.
Hand and foot baths (depending on the location of onychomycosis) with hydrogen peroxide give good results. Dilute 3% hydrogen peroxide in water at a temperature of 40-50 ° C in the amount of two tablespoons per liter of water. The time for the procedure is fifteen minutes, the regularity of the procedure is twice a day for a week.
Instead of hydrogen peroxide, negative redox dead water, also called anolyte water, can be used in this recipe. Anolyte water is safe to use on sensitive skin, but has antiseptic properties that reduce the growth rate of the fungus.
Effective treatment of advanced toenail fungus
This extreme method of treating a fungal infection is used in severe lesions of the nail plate, it should be used with caution so as not to damage the skin.
To get rid of the fungus, the nail is treated with a rust neutralizer (available at an auto parts store). This product contains phosphoric acid, which effectively kills fungi, but if used carelessly, can damage skin tissue. Therefore, in the process of its use it is necessary to observe precautions - work in a well-ventilated room, wear glasses and rubber gloves, avoiding contact with skin and mucous membranes.
A safer way would be to use kerosene, which also has a high penetrating power and a very large effect on the fungus.
Other folk remedies for the treatment of toenail fungus
The complete treatment of toenail fungus with the help of folk recipes based on hydrogen peroxide allows you to destroy the fungus and get rid of the unpleasant odor and other symptoms associated with it.
Two effective folk remedies against fungal infections:
- Peroxide Recipe 1. To prepare the healing mixture, you will need baking soda (0. 5 cups), hot water (4 cups), hydrogen peroxide with a concentration of 3% (0. 25 cups) and half a cup of magnesium sulfate or English salt. . Mix all ingredients well and pour another quarter cup of vinegar. Soak a cotton swab with the resulting solution and fix it on the nail plate affected by the fungus with a patch. You need to renew the bandage every ten hours, the course of treatment is one month.
- Recipe with peroxide 2. The procedure for treating fungus in this recipe consists of three stages. First, you need to prepare a solution to treat the surfaces of nails and skin affected by the fungus - mix 3% vinegar and peroxide in 3% concentration in a ratio of 1: 1. The feet are treated with this mixture until it squeaks. The second stage is dipping your fingers with a fungal nail infection for half a minute in a weak solution of bleach in water, after which they are washed thoroughly under running water and wiped with a towel. Finally, tea tree oil mixed with Vaseline in equal proportions is applied to the nail plate. Wear warm socks or gloves (if this technique has been used to treat onychomycosis of the nails). The course of treatment is one week.
- Novocaine lotion. Novocaine lotion is a very simple but effective folk remedy for treating fungus. Just soak a piece of cotton wool with novocaine and apply it on the fungus at night. Just two of these lotions are enough to get rid of the fungus forever.
- Tincture of apricot resin: 1 tablespoon of resin removed from the tree, pour a glass of vodka, insist three days. Apply this solution to the skin of the feet and nails. Shake before each use. It took us a month to heal, the affected nails were cut off as they came off, new, healthy ones grew. During the examination the doctor confirmed the fact of recovery. I can also recommend the use of old, thickened sunflower oil in this case.
- Garlic applications: I took a clove of garlic, squeezed it with a garlic press, applied the mass on the nail, covered it with cellophane and wrapped it with a bandage or put it on my fingertips. I left the bandage until the morning, the first days I felt a throbbing pain, like an abscess, but I had to endure. The procedures were repeated daily and new nails grew.
- Strong coffee. Few people know that ordinary but strong coffee is a very good folk remedy for treating fungus. Make your coffee stronger and just dip your hands or feet in the cup, depending on where you have the fungus. This procedure is best done in the evening before bedtime. The fungus completely disappears after several such evening procedures. At the same time, the skin becomes smooth and the pain quickly disappears.
What causes a fungal nail infection
Nail fungus, or as it is called in medicine, onychomycosis, is a disease that causes damage to the nail plates and adjacent areas by parasitic fungal microorganisms. This is one of the subspecies of mycoses. If we take into account all the diseases to which only the feet can be exposed, onychomycosis is the most common.
It can be caused by several groups of fungi:
- epidermophytes;
- dermatophytes;
- microsporia.
You can catch the infection in public places where the humidity is excessive. This includes baths, steam baths, swimming pools, beaches.
Wooden objects (benches, deck chairs, etc. ) are widely used here. Due to the porosity of the wood, the fungus is difficult to kill there.
In addition, doctors distinguish several risk groups. For people belonging to one of them, the likelihood of infection increases dramatically.
To:
- elderly;
- cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy;
- after a course of treatment with antibiotics or steroids;
- HIV-infected;
- patients with diabetes.
It is not always possible to get rid of the disease quickly. The speed of healing 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 organism.
Symptoms of onychomycosis
Damage to the nails from parasitic fungus can not go unnoticed. The symptomatic changes in the nail plates are quite pronounced and are as follows.
- Lost natural shine, transparency.
- The color changes. It can be yellowish, brownish, whitish, bluish, greenish, grayish.
- Surface roughness occurs.
- Stripes, spots and thickenings are clearly distinguishable.
- Layering is observed.
- There is exfoliation from the nail bed.
- Various areas have been painted and smashed.
- Surrounding tissues may become red, swollen, and itchy.
- There are painful sensations.
- The feet emit an unpleasant odor.
However, self-diagnosis can be difficult. At the beginning of development, the signs of onychomycosis are similar to the symptoms of some other lesions:
- injury to the nail area;
- age modifications;
- onycholysis;
- nail psoriasis;
- paronychia;
- pseudonymic onychia.
How to quickly get rid of toenail fungus with folk remedies and medicines
You need to be realistic and understand that the fungal infection of the nails and nails is not cured in a week. According to doctors, the recovery period can last from 6-8 weeks to six months, and sometimes 8-12 months.
It depends on many factors, as well as on the growth activity of the nails. On the hands this process is much faster than on the feet and therefore the treatment here comes earlier.
The best and fastest possible positive results can be obtained if you follow the recommendations below.
- Use various therapeutic measures in the complex. Do not rely on the effectiveness of any miraculous remedy. Competently combine pharmacological preparations and recipes of traditional medicine.
- Treatment should be active, but sparing - aggressive means, often used for therapeutic purposes, should not affect healthy areas of the body located in close proximity to those affected.
- Strictly follow the hygiene requirements to prevent the spread of the fungus, and also to avoid re-infection soon after healing. And the probability of this is very high.
- Watch out for dryness of the affected limbs. Remember that humidity and heat are ideal conditions for the active reproduction of the fungus.
- Eliminate all the causes that caused the onychomycosis and eliminate them.
- Every day, carefully, but as much as possible, cut the growing edge of the nail affected by the disease. If possible, go through the procedure of laser exposure, which very effectively inhibits the pathological activity of pathogens.
Pharmacological agents
Agents 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 with a general effect on the whole body.
It should be borne in mind that the latter have an extensive list of side effects. That is why you should not prescribe medication yourself. To minimize the risks, you need to undergo an examination, identify which species of the fungus have caused the disease, and act with drugs that are "targeted. "
Subgroups of antifungal drugs
- Azole agents. They are based on triazole or imidazole, as well as their derivatives. Depending on the concentration, they have a fungistatic or fungicidal effect. They are effective in the fight against mold and yeast-like fungi.
- allylamine agents. The active ingredients may be terbinafine, naftifine, butenafin. They are able to stop the growth of the fungus and also have an anti-inflammatory effect.
- Other drugs. They act on the basis of flucytosine, morpholine, griseofulvin, chlornitrophenol supplements. They are characterized by narrower activity directed at certain types of fungal pathogens.
External funds
At the beginning of the development of onychomycotic lesions should be resorted to only with the help of ointments. Only if they prove ineffective, antifungal tablets are used.
The difference between creams and ointments:
- have a direct effect on the lesions;
- relatively harmless;
- have fewer contraindications;
- side effects are limited.
If you catch the disease at the beginning of development, then it will be possible to deal with it within a month.
The most popular antifungal creams and ointments
- Zinc ointment. It allows you to relieve inflammation, dry the affected areas, get rid of itching, get an adsorbing effect.
- Based on naftifine. Fights inflammation, has an antimicrobial effect. The agent tends to accumulate in the treated surfaces. Use the ointment no more than twice a day. The tool is not used during pregnancy and lactation.
Using tablets
To ensure a systemic effect on the whole body, the doctor prescribes oral tablets. Broad-spectrum drugs are prescribed.
- based on fluconazole. It is enough to take only once a day. The funds are well tolerated. In rare cases, intestinal disorders and rashes may occur on the body. The course of treatment can be 1-4 weeks.
- Based on terbinafine. Able to accumulate in the skin and its horny formations (hair, nails). The course of treatment is at least 6 weeks. Requires 1 tablet per day. The drug is not given to young children, pregnant and lactating women. May provoke migraine, muscle and joint pain, allergies, anorexia.
All medicines for fungus on the nails of the hands or feet should be taken only after consulting a doctor.
How to treat toenail fungus with folk remedies at home
First of all, you must strictly adhere to all medical recommendations, not to miss the medication and to bring the treatment to an end and not to interrupt the course after the elimination of particularly annoying symptoms.
You also need:
- use local baths regularly;
- 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 tools to soften the nail plate to remove it;
- evaporate hands or feet before using external topical agents;
- take measures to prevent infection of households.
Special varnishes
Varnishes have a number of advantages. The active ingredients penetrate well deep into the affected nails, but at the same time harden and leave no 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 in the initial stage of onychomycosis.
Before using varnishes, you should resort to the use of a warm local bath. Soaked plates affected by fungi are cut as much as possible, processed with a file or other grinding device. Wipe the surface dry
Varnish is also recommended for covering healthy nails. The procedure is repeated every night for a long period - from several months to six months.
Help from a surgeon
Both part and the whole plate can be removed. But this is not a guarantee of complete relief from the disease. The likelihood of further spread of the fungal infection is very high.
After the operation, the finger heals for a long time. In addition, suppuration may develop. The newly growing nail can be deformed. A preferred alternative to such a method is laser therapy.
Traditional Medicine
The following remedies are used to treat nail fungus:
- Garlic. Apply garlic paste in the form of applications on inflamed nails. A fixative bandage is placed on top. It is practiced to repeat the procedure every night. You can also use squeezed garlic juice in an equal mixture with alcohol. The nails are treated with the resulting balm twice a day.
- vinegar. Acetic acid acidifies the environment, which inactivates pathogens. This tool lubricates damaged nails every day. You can use compresses with vinegar. To do this, lumps of cotton wool are moistened with vinegar and fixed on the desired fingers in the affected area. The compresses last all night, being removed in the morning.
- Peroxide. Like vinegar and other similar products, apply directly to nails or cotton swabs. Peroxide acts as an antiseptic.
- Alcoholic solution of iodine. They can cover nail plates, including healthy ones, 1-2 times a day. In addition, iodine supplementation is suitable for any bathroom. To do this, just add a few drops of the product.
- Propolis tincture. It can be used for lotions as well as injected into local hand or foot baths. The compresses are left on the nails overnight. You can prepare an ointment that is a mixture of propolis and oil. The composition is applied on gauze and placed on the desired area. The agent is left for 10 hours.
- Means for burning vegetables. For the treatment of onychomycosis are suitable onions or horseradish. They have antimicrobial activity. Herbal products are used in the form of porridge. You can also make a kind of ointment by mixing liquid cake with butter or melted chicken fat.
- Essential extracts. These agents have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, regenerating effects. For the preparation of local baths or as part of mixtures for compresses can be used oils:
- cedar;
- Tea tree;
- rosemary;
- lavender;
- Eli and some others.
The essential extract is mixed with Vaseline in a ratio of 1: 1. It should be rubbed into the damaged nail plates. As always in such cases, the drug will have a stronger effect if the nails are pre-steamed.
Prevention measures
The risk of re-infection with the fungus after removal of the disease is very high. Therefore, you must clearly follow simple rules:
- observe 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 talcum powder;
- treat the inner surfaces of the shoes with antiseptics.
Remember that all nail fungus medications are taken after consulting a doctor.