How to treat nail fungus at home? Which means are better to use: medicines or prescriptions of traditional medicine? Consider all the features of home treatment of this unpleasant disease.
About nail fungus
Fungus on the nails, or onychomycosis, is one of the most common fungal diseases. There is a huge variety of forms of the disease. The fungus affects the nails on both the feet and hands. Many begin to treat onychomycosis only when serious complications occur. It's not right. Effective home treatment can be done at the first symptoms of the disease.
Nail fungus spreads from other people. At risk are people who use public transportation, often go barefoot, visit swimming pools, public saunas and baths. All are susceptible to disease, without exception. However, not everyone is infected with onychomycosis. There are many factors that contribute to the development of the disease. These include:
- reduced immunity;
- wounds on skin surfaces;
- increased sweating of the feet;
- metabolic disease;
- disorders of the endocrine system.
Fungal spores enter the skin, after which they begin to multiply rapidly, affecting healthy areas. The peculiarity of the disease is that for a long time there may not be much discomfort and pain. The development of onychomycosis can take months or even years. This is one of the main dangers of the disease.
The symptoms of the fungus are as follows: mild itching, slight peeling of the skin. The lesions are located around the nail. If moisturizer does not help, you should immediately consider the nature of such deviations. Next, defeat spills over into the nail. It becomes yellow and lumpy, it starts to peel. The big toes are affected first.
If such symptoms are found, it is necessary to consult a doctor, because the disease can lead to complications, damage to internal organs.
Drug treatment
Home treatment can be carried out with medication or using prescriptions of traditional medicine. How to cure toenail fungus by traditional methods? Of the modern means it is worth noting a variety of drugs for external use.
These can be ointments, gels used to treat affected nails. In pharmacies, you can also find antifungal varnishes that are applied like ordinary varnish. For more effective treatment, it is necessary to use not only external agents, but also tablets. This method of treatment gives a much better and faster effect.
However, it is recommended to consult a doctor first, because internal drugs adversely affect the liver, so their long-term use is undesirable.
Treatment with folk remedies
Treating toenail fungus with folk remedies at home is quite effective. Today, these methods are often resorted to. This is explained by the fact that modern drugs have strong side effects. How to get rid of toenail fungus using traditional medicine? Among the most effective methods are the following recipes.
- Affected nails should be treated with grated garlic every day /
- Lubricate nails and skin with tea tree oil daily /
- Treat your nails with iodine.
If such treatment causes pain around the nail roller, then the treatment should not be carried out every day, but less often - once every 2-3 days. There are other ways. Thus, propolis compresses, which insist on alcohol, have an excellent effect.
The following home remedy is also very effective. To get it, mix 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil and methyl phthalate, 2 eggs and 1 tablespoon of vinegar. After obtaining a homogeneous mixture, it is placed in a cool place. For treatment, the composition is applied to the affected nail, covered with plastic wrap and put on socks. This procedure should be performed 3 times.
Another very effective formulation is a mixture of vinegar, alcohol and glycerin in a ratio of 2: 2: 1. Lotions are made from the resulting liquid within 14-30 days. Often, after the treatment, the diseased nail peels off completely, and a new, completely healthy one grows in its place.
In the first days after starting treatment, the nail starts to hurt. Over time, the pain disappears. This is considered normal: the body begins to fight the disease, which is expressed by minor feelings of pain.
If nothing helps, you should contact an expert. And the sooner this is done, the more effective the treatment will be and there will be fewer complications.
Defeat prevention
In order not to think about how to cure toenail fungus, the risk of onychomycosis should be reduced to zero. This requires regular preventive measures.
- Disinfect all manicure supplies.
- When cleaning the house, you must pay special attention to washing the floors.
- Disinfect shoes with a solution of 25% formalin and 40% vinegar. The liquids are mixed in equal proportions. A cotton swab is moistened in the resulting solution, which is then used to treat the inner surface of the shoe.
- Disinfect household items by cooking in soapy water.
In the pool, bathtub, you should wear rubber slates. In shoe stores, shoes should be tried on in socks or tights, but in no case should they be worn barefoot. If all the recommendations are followed, the risk of fungal infection on the nails is reduced to a minimum.