If a person has fungus on their feet, then the question of how to treat it comes to the fore. Among the many forms of this infection, foot-and-mouth disease is one of the most common. The cause is the pathogenic fungal microflora of the Trichophyton species, which, in addition to increased sweating, can affect the skin of the feet and the nail plates on the toes. The birthplace of the microorganism is Southeast Asia, where nature itself has created ideal conditions for its development: a warm and humid climate plus a dense population. In recent years, it has spread to Europe and America. Currently, more than 20% of the world's population suffers from skin fungi.
Ways of infection
The most common ways of contracting fungal spores are contact. This usually happens in the conditions of joint stay or work of a sick and healthy person.
Common ways of transmitting foot and nail fungus are:
- common household items that have direct contact with the skin and toenails (bedding, socks, shoes, pedicure accessories);
- public baths and showers - usually used by people working in dusty and dirty types of production (mines, factories), as well as athletes, conscripts who often have to sweat;
- deck chairs, deck chairs and mats on the beaches.
To prevent the appearance of fungus, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the rules of personal hygiene, trying to avoid situations where infection is possible.
The likelihood of infection increases with sweating of the feet, if it is not possible to wash them in time, change socks and shoes and treat them with antiseptics. Therefore, outbreaks of the disease most often occur in field conditions, when favorable conditions for the reproduction of the fungus are created during long transitions from sweating of the feet.
In addition to sweating feet, poor immune status increases the risk of infection. Currently, due to the deteriorating environmental situation in the world and the rise of diseases such as diabetes, this factor ranks first among the causes of the spread of this pathology.
Symptoms and diagnosis
The signs of fungus on the feet are widely known.
Among them:
- irritation, redness, severe itching and skin rash;
- peeling the shell from its surface;
- cracks, diaper rash in the interdigital region;
- nail deformity.
Such pathology on the legs causes many problems and causes victims not only physical but also moral discomfort:
- the foot becomes inflamed and swollen;
- an unpleasant odor comes out of the affected skin, even if there is no sweating of the feet;
- nails change color, peel and crumble.
But the symptoms reach this stage of development gradually, if you do not fight the disease. Therefore, at the first signs, you should not look for an effective remedy for fungus on the feet, but consult a dermatologist - he will have to decide which anti-fungal agents should be used to defeat the pathogen. as soon as possible. With the current level of development of pharmacology and following the recommendations of experts, it is possible to cure fungus on the feet quickly enough.
Coming to the dermatologist's office with such problems, patients first of all undergo a diagnostic procedure. Clarification of the diagnosis is necessary, because it directly depends on how to treat foot fungus.
The following methods are used to determine the type of fungal spores:
- Radiation with a special lamp makes the area of the lesion particularly visual, because the skin in this place under its rays stands out against the general background, becoming purple-red.
- Bacterial seeding based on skin scraping allows them to be multiplied by placing samples in a nutrient medium for the purpose of external observation and clarification of the type of pathogen that caused the development of the disease.
- PCR technique is the most modern method so far, which helps to make a diagnosis with almost 100% certainty, since it is based on the analysis of fungal DNA.
After obtaining the results of the research, choosing the most effective medicine against fungi, the doctor offers the patient certain medicines and determines the scheme of their use. In order to choose the most effective remedy for the fungus, it takes into account factors such as age, health condition, concomitant diseases.
Pharmacological arsenal
Still, choosing a super-effective and inexpensive remedy for foot-growing fungi, among a fairly significant number of items, is not an easy task. It can be not only an external remedy, but also an oral preparation - if the external forms were powerless. And yet, as a rule, treatment begins with them.
The main active ingredient of the drug is terbinafine - a proven remedy against fungus on the feet, able to quickly destroy fungal spores. Both the cream, and the ointment, and the fungus spray are applied directly to the skin of the feet, previously washed and dried, while the ointment and creamy forms are gently rubbed into the affected area. In people who have "caught" mycosis of the feet, the skin often takes on a rough, thick appearance, which is especially characteristic of the soles and heels. The cure for the fungus can not penetrate such a "shield", hot soap solution to soften the stratum corneum and remove it with a float and a special grinding file.
With increased dryness of the epidermis, the base of the antifungal agent should be as oily as possible. This requirement is met by fats, which should be used in this case. In the area of the interdigital zone, where the skin is thinner and more delicate, a spray or suspension against fungi is effective.
To fight against foot fungus, ie toenails, special therapeutic varnishes are used, which are applied to the nail plate.
It must be treated before application: irregularities are polished, the affected areas are removed as much as possible to help the drugs penetrate the nail tissue.
Sometimes you have to resort to the help of a surgeon who completely removes the affected nail plate.
If this is not done, even the most effective remedy for fungus on the feet will not be able to have a healing effect at the appropriate level.
In the most serious and advanced cases, mycosis of the feet is not only susceptible to external agents, because harmful waste products of the pathogen penetrate the bloodstream, starting to poison the person from the inside. The doctor then prescribes antifungal antibiotics for oral administration, which have a systemic inhibitory effect on pathogenic microorganisms.
It is impossible to use such powerful medicines for fungus on the feet without the direct indication of a specialist, because the consequences of uncontrolled intake can have very serious consequences. One of them is the development of immunity of fungal spores to these drugs and their components.
Folk remedies
What helps best with foot fungus - pharmacology or folk pharmacy? Only a doctor can answer how to cure fungus on the feet, but it will not be superfluous to consult with him about home remedies.
The most reliable means of helping to remove fungus on the feet have long been known:
- Soap for washing fungus on the feet. For fungi, foot baths with this component are useful, especially effective for excessive foot sweating. After rubbing 70% of brown laundry soap without any aromatic odors, pick up a tablespoon of sawdust and mix it with a tablespoon of baking soda. Pour the mixture into water heated to 40 degrees, immerse your feet in a solution of soap and soda for half an hour. As a vapor, apply the foam to the skin between the toes, and rub the feet with a brush to improve the penetration of the solution components into the upper layers of the epidermis. At the end of the procedure, which must be performed every other day, wash your feet with clean water and apply an external remedy to the skin recommended by your doctor.
- Table vinegar is also a good folk remedy for fungus on the feet, especially against the shape of the nails. Treat your nails carefully, being careful not to injure them, as this contributes to the deepening of the infection. After pouring hot water into a bowl, the temperature of which should be around 50 degrees, pour a glass of 9% vinegar in the same place. Immerse your feet in a solution of vinegar and water (there should be enough liquid to completely cover your feet) for 10-15 minutes. Then, without rinsing, dry your feet and put on clean socks. Repeat such foot fungus baths 3-4 times a week.
- Another good remedy for foot fungus is iodine. Alcoholic iodine solution should be applied with a cotton swab to the foci, after washing the feet and treating the nails. When using iodine solution against foot fungus, it is important to be careful not to burn yourself, especially in the area between the toes.
- Propolis from the fungus is used in the form of applications that are applied to the nail and the skin around it, after it is steamed in a hot soap solution.
Herbal recipes for fungus on the skin:
- Euphorbia is an effective remedy against foot fungus. Plant juice should be used to lubricate painful nails with a cotton swab.
- Mushroom celandine - 3 tablespoons. spoons of grass pour 1 liter of water, boil, cool to an acceptable temperature (40-46 degrees) and jump into the foot solution.
- Velcro - to treat fungus on the feet, it is necessary to wrap them with a well-beaten burdock leaf, put on clean socks and go to bed with such a wrap.
- Tea tree oil from the fungus on the feet is effective only in the early stages of the disease.
Unfortunately, a drug that can get rid of foot fungus in one application has not yet been invented. Therefore, when using both pharmaceutical and folk remedies for fungi, it is necessary to consult a doctor and follow his recommendations. The best medicine for fungus on the feet is the one prescribed by the doctor.