Nail fungus can affect even those people who lead a completely normal and healthy lifestyle. Most fungi spread in saunas, swimming pools and beaches. But since the disease is not new, it can always be overcome with the help of folk remedies. According to statistics, people who lead a healthy lifestyle most often suffer from fungal diseases. They occasionally visit places of active public recreation, where they are attacked by a virus. Gyms, swimming pools and saunas are the main distributors of this disease.
Causes of toenail fungus
It should be immediately noted that nail fungus (in the medicine of onychomycosis) is a fairly stable type of infection. This disease affects the entire nail as a whole, destroys it and gradually spreads to the skin. The cause is a common fungal infection, which is quite easily transmitted between people. Onychomycosis can affect the feet in various areas. For example, you can once wipe your feet with a stranger’s towel and populate this nasty virus on your body. Therefore, it is necessary to adhere to all the rules of personal hygiene when visiting public places of active recreation and sports. The inconvenience of the disease lies in the fact that it is not limited to the destruction of nails, but gradually spreads to the skin. Treating fungus on the skin is significantly different from treating fungus on the nails. In any case, if you find a fungus in yourself, visit a mycologist immediately. Only he can determine how to remove the fungus from your body. Nail fungus is often caused by fungal organisms called dermatophytes. The favorite place of these organisms are the toes. The fact is that people are used to wearing relatively narrow shoes, which create ideal conditions for the existence and prosperity of fungi (lack of light, heat and moisture). In addition, the circulation in the feet is much worse than in other parts of the body, so it is very difficult for our body's immune system to detect and destroy such bacteria. In addition, the risk of contracting a fungal infection increases:
- When working in the heat;
- In the presence of psoriasis;
- When wearing uncomfortable shoes with poor airflow;
- In case of nail damage;
- With diabetes;
- When walking barefoot in various public places (baths, swimming pools, gyms);
- With a weakened immune system, you can get toenail fungus;
Symptoms of nail fungus
The main signs of toenail fungus:
- deformed nail shape;
- The affected nail gradually acquires a darker color;
- The nail peels and becomes too brittle;
Moreover, the affected nails often peel off the nails. In medicine, this deviation is called onycholysis. Pain in the fingertips and characteristic odor are the first symptoms of onycholysis. If a person with a fungal infection is not treated in a timely manner, the disease will last and after that it will only progress and develop. After discovering the primary signs of the disease, a person must visit a qualified doctor to determine how to treat nail fungus.
How to recognize and recognize nail fungus?
Many are interested in the question of how to still identify the fungus at home. To do this, you need to take a solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) and dilute it in water until a purple color appears. You need to put your feet down in this solution and keep them there for a while. In the presence of the fungus, brown areas on the nails will inevitably appear, which will indicate the presence of a fungal infection on the human body. After the procedure, the feet must be treated with a fifteen percent solution of hydrogen peroxide. At the slightest suspicion, consult a doctor immediately.
We treat nail fungus with medication
Separate groups of researchers are convinced that currently the most effective means of combating fungus on the feet are preparations containing terbinafine. The action of the funds is aimed not only at destroying fungi, but also at restoring nails and skin. The total duration of the treatment is about two to three months, but the final result of the treatment will be visible only after the new nail grows. The same drugs can treat fungus on the hands. The course of treatment is similar. You must also keep in mind that fungus can return if the feet are often in a warm and humid environment. The danger of the disease lies in the fact that the virus itself is unusually durable, and in addition, it quickly develops immunity to the components that make up the active substances. Therefore, if the infection is not treated for the first time, later treatment with the same drug will be impossible. The same is true for disease recurrence. In this case, you will have to choose a new drug and significantly different active ingredients.
We get rid of fungi with the help of proven folk remedies
- Areas affected by fungal infection should be lubricated with a twenty percent solution of propolis. For maximum effect, you can wipe them with onion puree. To do this, you must first mash a few medium-sized onions and apply the resulting mixture on the damaged areas of skin and nails.
- Mix the alcohol and garlic pulp in equal proportions, diluting everything with a small amount of pure distilled water. The resulting mixture should be applied to damaged areas.
- Garlic dressings are no less effective. It is these compresses that deal with those types of fungal diseases that are poorly treated with drugs. In addition to dressings, garlic should be taken orally.
- Patients should definitely drink garlic tinctures and garlic teas - they are great for fungal nail diseases. The result is visible in five to six days.
- Another proven remedy is wine vinegar. Sick feet must be thoroughly washed and dipped in a bowl of wine vinegar. After that, you have to wear socks soaked in vinegar and go to sleep in them.
- Since ancient times, nail fungus has been treated with a fairly simple but effective method - running through the dew in the morning. Half an hour of running in the morning dew alleviates not only the fungal infection of the feet, but also corns, skin rashes, corns and more. After the end of the run, the feet should not be wiped in any case, they must dry themselves. To improve the effect at night, you need to rub your feet with a piece of raw potato and massage the infected areas. You can use this method for no longer than a month. But the first results will be visible in a few weeks.
- Crush the mint leaves with table salt and place the resulting mixture between your toes for one hour. Treatment should be carried out until the complete disappearance of fungus on the nails.
- Often folk methods include the use of celandine and milkweed. Take a small bundle of milkweed and pour with three liters of clean boiled water. The mixture is infused for several hours and must be wrapped in a blanket. After the decoction is absorbed, it is necessary to put your feet in it and hold it for thirty to forty minutes once every two days. Euphorbia has a softening effect, which will help cut nails. Similarly, you need to prepare celandine, and it is also used.
- Lilac flowers have proven themselves well, which work great with nail fungus. About ten grams of lilac flowers should be added to a glass of alcohol and left to stand for two weeks. The tincture is used to lubricate infected areas of skin and nails.
- Another method involves the use of leaflets. You have to squeeze the juice out of them and apply it on your skin and nails.
- Last but not least, the anti-fungal medicine includes a huge number of different herbs. It is necessary to mix horsetail grass, blackberry leaves, verbena, marigold flowers and willow bark in equal proportions. From this mixture you need to take only ten grams and pour a glass of water. Put it all on the fire and boil it, then remove it from the stove and let it stand for three to four hours. It is necessary to make lotions and compresses from the finished broth. To increase the effect, one tablespoon can be taken orally three to four times a day.