Foot and nail fungus is an infectious disease caused by several types of fungi.Infection occurs quickly and treatment of the disease takes months, sometimes years.The doctor prescribes therapy for the disease after determining the type of fungal pathogen.Onychomycosis and mycosis are usually accompanied because the infection spreads from the nails to the skin of the foot or vice versa.
The causes, symptoms and treatment of fungus are a hot topic that interests many.The prevalence of the disease is high and affects young people, the elderly and children.The disease can be treated if the drug regimen is correctly determined.Therefore, it is necessary to know how pathology develops and how to cure yourself from it.
What is onychomycosis and mycosis, causes and symptoms?
Mycosis is the general name for an infection;Onychomycosis is an infection of the nail plate.To treat foot and nail fungus, drugs from the same groups are used.This applies to tablets, topical agents and injectable solutions.For successful therapy, the rules of use of each medication must be followed exactly.There should be no interruptions in treatment, since fungal colonies multiply at an accelerated rate without the influence of medications, and there are as many of them as before the start of the procedures.
The reasons for the appearance of fungi are the same:
- Infection by a sick person in public places, swimming pools, baths and reservoirs.
- Using foreign or uncomfortable footwear or contaminated hygiene items.
- Not following the rules to keep your feet dry.
- Untimely treatment of sweating.
- Traumatic damage to the skin of the feet and nail corneas.
- Incorrect use of medications, particularly antibiotics.
Doctors include disturbances in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, metabolic processes, hormonal disruptions, pathologies of blood flow in the vessels of the extremities, diabetes mellitus and obesity as systemic causes of fungal infections.
The symptoms of foot and nail fungus are difficult to ignore because they cause a lot of discomfort.Among them, the most common are:
- itchy skin on the feet, between the toes;
- peeling of the dermis;
- the appearance of wounds and other damage;
- nails lose their healthy color, become discolored, and then turn gray;
- the plaque thickens, takes on a loose appearance and crumbles;
- The deformation continues until the cornea is destroyed and the infection enters the nail bed.
The symptoms increase gradually, but the itching begins from the first days of the introduction of the pathogen.
This is important!Medicines for foot and nail fungus should be used immediately when signs of the disease appear.Delay in therapy makes treatment difficult and leads to dangerous consequences, including damage to internal organs.
Mycosis of the skin and nails has age-related features: onychomycosis in children occurs in rare cases;adults suffer from it.Foot fungus occurs in all age groups.
What you need to know about the principles of treatment of the disease.
For a complete recovery from a fungal infection, the patient must tune in to long-term treatment, which should be carried out after diagnosis and as prescribed by a doctor.Pharmacies sell many antifungal medications, but choosing them yourself without consulting a dermatologist or infectious disease specialist means wasting your money and harming your health.
For some people, treatment of foot fungus with ointment is effective, others need to combine the use of external and oral medications, and in case of a severe stage and developed complications, injections are prescribed in combination with other methods.
Expert advice.The main requirement for complex therapy is the use of effective multifunctional drugs for the treatment of foot and nail fungus and the prevention of the disease.Since the viability of the spores contributes to the recurrence of the disease.
Prevention can be done by disinfecting shoes with chloramine or formaldehyde.The fungi die after half an hour of exposure to these substances.
About the types of antifungal medications.
Pharmacy has developed categories of medications for topical use, which are sold in pharmacies and are available to customers without a prescription.These include:
- creams, ointments, gels;
- solutions, serums;
- aerosols, varnishes;
- plasters.
They have a general effect, have a minimum of side effects and can be used by adults and children.The key to a successful fight against mycosis is regular use and compliance with the procedure.After a visit to the doctor, you will know the manipulation procedure, how many times to apply the medicine, in what quantity and you will achieve recovery from the disease.Normally, healing with local remedies occurs within 4 to 6 months.
If the infection is advanced, local treatment of the fungus on the nail plates is irrelevant.A combination is required: external medications plus tablets.It is carried out under the supervision of a doctor, as it has significant side effects.
About creams, ointments and solutions.
How to treat foot and nail fungus?Which topical preparations, according to the opinions of users and specialists, effectively combat microorganism colonies?The following list will help answer this question.
- An affordable salicylic acid-based cream, applied 3-4 times a day to the affected areas of the skin and cornea.If you do the procedure at night, wait until the product is absorbed and then put on socks.
- Ointment containing undecic acid.The application mode is the same as in the first case.
- Formaldehyde for sweaty feet, which kills microorganisms that cause the spread of infections.Available in solution form.
- Boric acid + resorcinol - used as a means to eliminate nails affected by fungus and contains boric acid, which has antiseptic and drying properties.Apply to the skin in places where there is a fungal infection.The drug is used as a component of complex therapy for the disease.
Specialized products to remove affected nails.
In order for the cornea to detach without pain, specially designed preparations are used.
According to the characteristics of doctors, a drug based on urea, isopropyl alcohol and polyvinyl alcohol is not a medicine for the treatment of fungal infections.With its help, it is possible to remove the affected plaque without resorting to surgical methods.This alternative allows you to remove the diseased nail at home.
This effective drug promotes the convergence of the cornea and the restoration of the bed.It is saturated with stearic acid, propylene glycol, urea, triethanols and tea tree oil.The procedure is carried out as follows:
- the nail is steamed in a bath with the addition of a softening agent based on water, soda and soap;
- solution concentration: 1 teaspoon per liter of water.components;
- the foot is dried with a towel, then the nail fold is protected with a bandage;
- The product is applied in a generous layer without touching the surrounding tissues and is covered with a bandage on top.
After 4 days, the bandage is removed and the remains of the plaque are scraped off.If it was not possible to remove the plate at once, the manipulations are repeated.
Another drug acts in the same way as the previous one, but its composition is different: it contains the components PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil, urea, beeswax and wax in emulsion, glycerin;acidic components: salicylic, stearic, as well as methylisothiazolinone, propylene glycol, mint, lavender and other esters.
How to treat onychomycosis with varnishes.
Antifungal nail polish is the most common product that can be used under cosmetic coatings.The advantage is the concealment of the defect with simultaneous treatment, without negative effects on the body.In this way it is recommended to get rid of the initial stages of the disease.Well-known brands of varnish medicines are:
- Amorolfine.The principle of healing is to destroy the membrane of the fungal cells.Apply twice a week.
- Rye enzyme filtrate: in the form of serum, it perfectly saturates the diseased plaque tissue right down to the bed itself.You can use it more often than varnish and perform the procedures daily, which speeds up the healing process.
The duration of varnish therapy is up to one year.Then you can use the products as a preventive measure.
Good to know!External medications and varnishes will not help with complicated forms of mycosis.A comprehensive treatment algorithm is effective against advanced fungus.
tablets
Treatment of foot and nail fungus with drugs in tablet form is indicated for the third stage of the disease, the appearance of complications and infection that penetrates the mucous membranes and other organs.The condition for the use of the ointment plus tablet complex is the development of inflammatory processes and bacterial infections against the background of fungal colonies.
A group of antimiotics is considered effective and inexpensive drugs for the treatment of fungus.These are effective remedies, but you cannot buy them without a prescription because they have side effects.Therefore, you should agree on a treatment regimen with your doctor.
- Fluconazole.Topical remedy to combat foot and nail fungal infections in their different stages.
- Ketoconazole is sold in all pharmacies without a prescription and is intended to eliminate skin infections.
- Itraconazole preparations are high-priced drugs that act against mycoses of the feet, nails and mucosal fungi.
- Preparations with terbinafine are remedies for advanced fungi;They contain the active ingredient terbinafine (in the form of tablets or ointments), which kills many types of colonies and destroys fungi at the cellular level.
Common topical medications
An effective remedy for foot and nail fungus is salicylic ointment, which relieves inflammation and itching, easing the patient's condition.In the same row is sulfur ointment: it counteracts the spread of infections;Both ointments cost a pretty penny, but they perfectly eliminate the symptoms of foot disease.
Castellani fluid permeates the corneal tissue of damaged nails and kills colonies of the pathogen.Use with caution;If it comes into contact with the skin it causes burns.
Antifungal drops and sprays help fight the disease.
Clotrimazole is used for infections that have affected the skin of the feet and penetration of the infection into the mucous membranes.Available in the form of cream, ointment, suppositories.
It is allowed to treat a fungal infection with the veterinary drug Creolin.It is used to treat infected areas and after a while the product is washed off.It has an unpleasant odor, but acts against colonies of fungi, mites and other microorganisms.
The simplest way is to treat diseased areas with iodine.Its antiseptic property is known to everyone;The solution kills harmful microorganisms and is effective against fungal spores.
How to treat with home remedies
You already know how to treat foot and nail fungus, what medications are sold in pharmacies.Against the disease, baths based on oils, propolis, decoctions, infusions and other independently prepared components are used as additional methods.
oil therapy
A good effect to reduce the risk of developing an infection you have just contracted is the use of natural oils.Make a mixture of equal parts tea tree oil and lavender.Add two parts of olive oil to the mixture, lubricate the nails and affected areas of the feet with the resulting product overnight.
foot baths
- Lemon juice plus Listerine, apple cider vinegar.Mix all the ingredients in equal parts and add to the bath water.The concentration per 1 liter is three tablespoons of the composition.A daily 15-minute procedure will help speed up the treatment process and restore cells of the dermis and cornea.
- Soda baths are prepared according to the recipe: a tablespoon of soda plus 20 g of shaving soap.Keep your feet in the bath for 40 minutes, during which time the solution penetrates the skin cells of the foot and the nail plate.
- Pink potassium permanganate baths.The duration of the procedure is 20 minutes.
- Salt plus vinegar in a concentration of 100 g + 4 tablespoons per 4 liters of water.The salt can be table salt or sea salt.
- 3% hydrogen peroxide: applied for 2 minutes, then a paste of water plus peroxide is applied to the nail, which is washed off after the hissing stops.
Folk remedies
They are effective in relieving the symptoms of itching, irritation on the skin of the feet and around the sore toenail.Provide support for treatment with pharmaceutical products.Independent folk treatment, without medication, is not effective against mycosis.
To eliminate the risk of spreading infections, celandine juice is used.Lubricate problem areas, do not wash the product.It is allowed to carry out several such manipulations per day.
Wrap the cut garlic on the affected area, keep it on the nail overnight and on the skin for 10 minutes.
Rub kombucha, melted propolis, or oak bark infusion on problem areas.
To restore skin tissue and nail plates, make baths with decoctions of medicinal herbs.To do this, use chamomile, thyme, nettle, calendula.
Conclusion.A wide range of pharmaceutical products and the possibility of combining treatment with local, oral and folk remedies help to ensure complete cure of mycosis of the feet and nails.This is a long process, so be patient and learn how to correctly use the tips presented in the article.If you listen to the recommendations, the unpleasant problem will be eliminated.