Treatment of toenail fungus with folk remedies is effective in the early stages of the disease. With a more advanced form, it is better to get the advice of a specialist.
The best remedy for toenail fungus.
Few people know that with the help of vinegar you can solve the rather difficult medical problem of getting rid of nail fungus. With the availability of table vinegar (9% acid solution) and even vinegar essence (70% acid solution) available at the hardware store or on the market, there are many ways to treat toe fungus with this. product.
Of course, self-treatment with vinegar should be done only if the disease has not progressed, and it is advisable to combine it with specially designed drugs. However, when there is an urgent need to treat nail fungus, and there is no money or time to visit a doctor, and there is no medical therapy, it is possible to use vinegar on its own, as long as you follow the proper safety rules. . rules.
Features of the use of vinegar for the treatment of fungus
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, without access to new sources of nutrients, dies, and the absence of much more resistant spores prevents the possibility of a recurrence of the disease.
At first glance, everything is very simple: how to destroy bacteria with an antiseptic. But in fact, the fungus turns out to be very tenacious, since its body is not located on the surface of the nail or skin, but goes deep into the thickness of the tissues. In this regard, a positive result of onchomycosis treatment should be expected only in the case of strict regularity of procedures, which will not leave the parasite time for rehabilitation and penetration under the skin.
Before treating nail fungus, make sure the concentration of acetic acid used matches that stated in the prescription. If the recipe contains a mention of vinegar essence, it means a 70% solution that must be dissolved or applied on time. Food or table vinegar, respectively, contains 6 and 9% acid. Neglect of these data can lead to the fact that the treatment will end in a chemical burn.
vinegar baths
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. Also, vinegar baths are an excellent prevention of fungal infection. The procedure requires lukewarm water, at around 50 °C, and a glass of 9% concentrated table vinegar. The water level in the container should not be high, but only up to the ankles. The feet are submerged in the solution and kept there for 15 minutes.
Before the vinegar bath, it is advisable to carry out a complete pedicure procedure, including the removal of affected areas of the nail surface and layers of dead skin, calluses and calluses on the feet, but without applying a decorative layer on the ones. If you cut and file your nails yourself, you should do so very carefully, as micro-damage to the skin can contribute to the spread of a fungal infection.
Immediately after the vinegar bath, dry your feet with a towel and put on cotton socks. Repeat three times a week.
Acetic lotions
Lotions in the places affected by the fungus are best done after vinegar baths. For this, both pharmacy products and pure 9% vinegar are suitable, in which a cotton ball is moistened and applied to the nail for fifteen minutes.
A more complex recipe - a mixture of vodka or medical alcohol of forty degrees, glycerin and 70% acetic acid in equal proportions, mix until smooth. A cotton swab moistened with a solution is kept for fifteen minutes on the affected areas, after which cotton socks are put on. The course of treatment is a week, if necessary, it can be repeated after a few days.
Ointment
Vinegar-based ointments are stored for a long time, they are more convenient to use than products of a liquid consistency. To prepare an 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 thoroughly mixing all the ingredients, the ointment is ready for use.
To prevent the spread of a fungal infection and destroy its pathogens, you need to apply the ointment daily to the affected areas with a cotton swab, keep for 8-10 hours, and then rinse with laundry soap. You can use this recipe not only for the treatment of onchomycosis of the toenails, but also on the affected nails of the hands.
Toenail fungus treatment with tea tree oil
Ways to use tea tree oil:
- Foot bath with tea tree oil. Warm water is poured into the container to the level of the ankles, 15-20 drops of essential oil are added and the feet are kept in it for twenty minutes, maintaining a high water temperature (45-50 ° C). The course of treatment is two months, you need to bathe daily. During the treatment procedure, it is necessary to remove the affected areas of the nail surface with a file, nail clippers or scissors.
- Oil application 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 its pure form to the affected areas of the nail. Previously, the legs are steamed in warm water with the addition of laundry soap (for better dissolution, it can be grated). The oil is rubbed into the nail surface with a cotton swab twice a day, there is no need to wash off the product.
How to cure toenail fungus fast?
Professor Neumyvakin described the internal and external use of hydrogen peroxide for the treatment of infectious and other diseases in a book written on the basis of his personal experience. He mentions hydrogen peroxide as a prophylactic with antibacterial properties.
External use of hydrogen peroxide to treat a fungal infection is carried out after steaming the legs in warm water with dissolved soda at the rate of one teaspoon per liter. When the nail plates soften, pinch off a small fragment of the affected area of the nail with manicure tweezers and, after soaking it with a 3% peroxide solution, stick it to the nail plate. Leave to act for 10 to 15 minutes on the nails or 40 minutes to an hour on the feet. Do the procedure twice a day until the symptoms of a fungal infection are gone.
To reduce the evaporation of peroxide and increase the intensity of exposure, the nail plate with lotion is wrapped with plastic wrap. After the exposure time has elapsed, thoroughly rinse fingers and toes under running water.
For therapeutic and prophylactic purposes, it is recommended to infuse hydrogen peroxide into the nail cavity three times a day.
Baths for hands and feet (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 at a rate of two tablespoons per liter of water. The procedure time 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 it has antiseptic properties that reduce the rate of fungal growth.
Effective treatment for advanced toenail fungus
This extreme method of treating a fungal infection is used for severe injuries to 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 destroys the fungus, but if used carelessly, it can damage skin tissue. Therefore, in the process of its use, it is necessary to observe safety precautions: work in a well-ventilated area, wear glasses and rubber gloves, avoiding contact with the 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 home remedies for toenail fungus.
Comprehensive treatment of toenail fungus with folk recipes based on hydrogen peroxide allows you to destroy the fungus and permanently eliminate the unpleasant odor and other symptoms associated with it.
Two effective folk remedies against a fungal infection:
- Peroxide recipe 1. To prepare the healing mixture, you will need quenched soda (0. 5 cups), hot water (4 cups), 3% concentration hydrogen peroxide (0. 25 cups) and half a cup of magnesium sulfate or Epsom salts. Mix all the ingredients well and pour in another quarter cup of vinegar. Soak a cotton swab in 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 a month.
- Recipe with peroxide 2. The procedure for treating fungus according to this recipe consists of three stages. First, you need to prepare a solution for treating the nail and skin surfaces affected by the fungus: mix 3% vinegar and peroxide at a concentration of 3% in a ratio of 1: 1. The feet are treated with this mixture while sizzles. The second stage is the immersion of the fingers with a fungal infection of the nail for half a minute in a weak solution of bleach in water, after which they are thoroughly washed under running water and dried with a towel. Finally, tea tree oil mixed with Vaseline in equal proportions is applied to the nail surface. Wear warm socks or gloves (if this technique was used to treat nail onchomycosis). The course of treatment is one week.
- Novocaine lotion. A very simple but effective folk remedy in the treatment of fungus is novocaine lotion. We just soak a piece of cotton wool with novocaine and apply it to the fungus at night. Just two of these lotions are enough to remove the fungus permanently.
- Apricot resin tincture: 1 tablespoon of resin extracted from the tree, pour a glass of vodka, insist for three days. Lubricate the skin of the feet and nails with this solution. Shake before each use. It took us a month to treat it, the affected nails were cut as they peeled off, new healthy ones grew. On examination, the doctor confirmed the fact of recovery. I can also recommend using old, thickened sunflower oil in this case.
- Garlic applications: I took a clove of garlic, squeezed it with a garlic press, applied the mass to the nail, covered it with cellophane and wrapped it in a bandage or put it on the fingertip. I left the bandage for the morning, the first few days I felt a stabbing pain, like an abscess, but I had to put up with it. 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 the treatment of fungus. Make your coffee stronger and simply dip your hands or feet into the cup, depending on where you have the fungus. This procedure is best done at night, before going to bed. The fungus completely disappears after several such night procedures. At the same time, the skin becomes smooth, and the pain quickly disappears.
What causes 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 consider all the diseases to which only the feet can be subject, onychomycosis is the most common.
It can be caused by several groups of fungi:
- epidermophyte;
- dermatophytic;
- microsporia
You can get the infection in public places where humidity is excessive. This includes baths, steam rooms, 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 there.
Also, doctors distinguish several risk groups. For people who belong to one of them, the probability of infection increases dramatically.
It's:
- elderly people;
- cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy;
- after a course of antibiotic or steroid treatment;
- HIV infected;
- diabetes patients.
It is not always possible to get rid of the disease quickly. The cure rate 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 ailments, and the general condition of the body.
Symptoms of onychomycosis
Damage to the nails by a parasitic fungus cannot go unnoticed. Symptomatic changes in the nail plates are quite pronounced and are reduced to the following.
- Loss of natural shine, transparency.
- The color is changing. It can be yellowish, brownish, whitish, bluish, greenish, grayish.
- Surface roughness appears.
- Stripes, spots and thickenings are clearly distinguished.
- Stratification is observed.
- There is exfoliation of the nail bed.
- The different areas are painted and crumbling.
- Surrounding tissues can become red, swollen, and itchy.
- There are sensations of pain.
- The feet exude an unpleasant odor.
Despite all this, 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;
- pseudomonal onychia.
How To Get Rid Of Toenail Fungus Fast With Home Remedies And Medications
You need to be realistic and understand that fungal infection of the nails and nail areas is not treated 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 the activity of nail growth. In the hands, this process is much faster than in the legs, and therefore the healing here comes earlier.
The best and fastest possible positive results can be obtained if you follow the recommendations below.
- Use a variety of therapeutic measures in the complex. Do not rely on the effectiveness of any miracle remedy. Competently combine pharmacological preparations and recipes of traditional medicine.
- Treatment should be active, but gentle: aggressive agents, often used for therapeutic purposes, should not affect healthy areas of the body located in close proximity to those affected.
- Strictly adhere to hygiene requirements so that the fungus does not spread, also to avoid re-infection soon after healing. And the probability that this is so is very high.
- Watch for dryness of the affected extremities. Remember that humidity and heat are ideal conditions for the active reproduction of the fungus.
- Eliminate all the causes that provoked the appearance of onychomycosis and eliminate them.
- Every day, carefully, but as much as possible, cut the edge of the growing nail affected by the disease. If possible, carry out the procedure of laser exposure, which very effectively inhibits the pathological activity of pathogens.
pharmacological agents
Means that act against pathogens are usually divided into three subgroups depending on the active components. Each of them has in its arsenal external ointments and tablets of general action on the whole body.
Keep in mind that the latter have an extensive list of side effects. Therefore, you should not self-prescribe medication. To minimize the risks, you need to undergo an examination, identify which varieties of the fungus caused the disease, and act with "targeted" drugs.
Subgroups of antifungal drugs
- 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 fighting mold and yeast fungi.
- allylamine agents. The active ingredients can be terbinafine, naftifine, butenafine. 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 additives flucytosine, morpholine, griseofulvin, chlornitrophenol. They are distinguished by more limited activity directed at certain types of fungal pathogens.
External funds
At the very beginning of the development of onychomycotic lesions, one should resort only to the help of ointments. Only if they prove ineffective, antifungal tablets are administered.
The difference between creams and ointments:
- have a direct effect on injuries;
- relatively harmless;
- have fewer contraindications;
- adverse reactions are limited.
If you catch the disease at the very beginning of development, it will be possible to cope with it within a month.
The most popular antifungal creams and ointments.
- Zinc ointment. It allows you to relieve inflammation, dry the affected areas, eliminate itching and get an absorbent effect.
- Based on naftifine. Fights inflammation, has an antimicrobial effect. The agent is prone to build up on 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 throughout the body, the doctor prescribes oral tablets. Broad-spectrum medications are prescribed.
- based on fluconazole. It is enough to take only once a day. Funds are well tolerated. In rare cases, intestinal disorders and rashes on the body may occur. The course of treatment can be 1-4 weeks.
- Based on terbinafine. Capable of accumulating on 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. It can cause migraine, muscle and joint pain, allergies, anorexia.
All medications for fingernail or toenail fungus 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, do not skip taking medication and finish treatment, and do not stop the course after eliminating especially annoying symptoms.
In addition, you need:
- regularly use local toilets;
- 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;
- steam hands or feet before using external topical agents;
- take measures to prevent infection of households.
special lacquers
Lacquers have a number of advantages. The active ingredients penetrate well into the affected nails, but at the same time harden and do not leave marks on clothes, sheets, shoes.
The hardened layer reliably blocks the oxygen supply to pathogens, thereby blocking their activity. But varnish products are effective only at the initial stage of onychomycosis.
Before using varnishes, you should resort to using a warm local bath. Soaked plates affected by a fungus are cut to the maximum, treated with a file or other grinding device. the surface dries
Lacquer is also recommended to cover healthy nails. The procedure is repeated every night for a long period of time, from several months to six months.
Help from a surgeon
Both part and all of the plaque 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. In addition, suppuration may develop. A nail that has just grown may be deformed. A preferred alternative to said method is laser therapy.
Traditional medicine
For the treatment of nail fungus, the following remedies are used:
- Garlic. Apply garlic gruel in the form of applications on sore nails. A fixation bandage is placed on top. A nightly repetition of the procedure is practiced. You can also use squeezed garlic juice in an equal mixture with alcohol. 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 vinegar compresses. To do this, cotton balls are moistened in vinegar and fixed on the desired fingers in the affected area. The compresses last all night, removing 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 the nail plates, including healthy ones, 1-2 times a day. Also, an iodine supplement is suitable for any bath. 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. 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 hours.
- Vegetable burning remedies. For the treatment of onychomycosis, onions or horseradish are suitable. They have antimicrobial activity. Herbal products are used in the form of porridge. A kind of ointment can also be made by mixing liquid pomace with butter or melted chicken fat.
- essential extracts. These funds have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and regenerative effects. For the preparation of local baths or as part of mixtures for compresses, oils can be used:
- cedar;
- Tea tree;
- Rosemary;
- lavender;
- fir trees and some others.
The essential extract is mixed with petroleum jelly in a 1: 1 ratio. It must be rubbed into damaged nail plates. As always in such cases, the remedy will have a stronger effect if the nails are previously steamed.
Prevention measures
The risk of reinfection with the fungus after getting rid of the disease is very high. Therefore, you must 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 of the feet, use talcum powder;
- treat the inner surfaces of shoes with antiseptics.
Do not forget, all drugs for nail fungus, take after consulting a doctor.