Today we will talk about the treatment and prevention of nail fungus, so that you know how to get rid of it and prevent the recurrence of this disease.
Statistics show that nail fungus occurs in almost every tenth person in the world. This means that this infection is very common and very dangerous. This disease is very unpleasant for the eyes, because the area infected with the fungus looks quite disgusting.
If you think that this disease will not affect you, do not promise - it is easy to catch a fungal infection in any public place: on the beach, in the bathhouse, sauna, swimming pool, gym and other crowded places.
Signs and symptoms of nail fungus
In fact, few people know that fungal infections come in thousands of varieties. But many of them do not cause pain and cannot be seen visually.
Due to this peculiarity, in the early stages of the disease, a person who has been infected with the fungus may not be aware of it. But some types of fungus can cause pain around and under the nail.
Notes!
Since painful fungal symptoms are very rare, the doctor is consulted only at the last stage of the disease, when there is a change in the color of the nail, its deformation, and the detachment of the upper plate. In the last stage, treatment is difficult, so disease prevention must be observed. This will ensure you avoid infection.
For timely prevention and treatment of nail fungus, it is important to know that there are three stages of the development of a fungal infection that affects the nail plate:
The first stage of the onset of the disease is the absence of clearly expressed symptoms and barely visible spots and stripes on the nails;
Notes!
Nail fungus (onychomycosis) can be diagnosed at an early stage only in a hospital, in a laboratory environment. That is why, if you notice a slight change in the nail plate, immediately consult a doctor!
The second stage of onychomycosis is a change in the color of the nail plate, loss of shine, deformation of the sides and top:
The third advanced stage of the fungus is severe delamination and fragility of the nail, which can lead to complete loss.
In addition, the fungal infection affects the skin around the nail, which is accompanied by an unpleasant sensation of itching, burning and pain.
Prevention of nail fungus
Every day, without realizing it, we are faced with thousands of bacteria around us. But almost all of them are completely harmless to us, because the immune system is called, like an invisible guardian angel, to protect us from disease.
Notes!
Therefore, the first step in preventing nail fungus is a proper and balanced diet. If the body is saturated with minerals, vitamins, and beneficial substances, the immune system will work just for you.
Movement is life! And this is true, because sports and an active lifestyle make us healthy, strong, and physically and spiritually resilient. Physical activity prevents diseases of the cardiovascular system.
If the blood circulation is disturbed, the protective function of the skin of the hands, feet and nails does not work properly, which leads to their diseases.
Cause of fungal infection
A warm and humid room is a breeding ground for bacteria. Therefore, you need to ensure cleanliness in your home, especially in the bathroom and toilet.
It is important!
When visiting public places: water parks, bathhouses, swimming pools, saunas, you need to dress and wear shoes. And then wash thoroughly and take a shower.
In order not to create a good environment for the appearance and proliferation of fungi "under your nose, " wear shoes, socks, socks, slippers, socks, socks, slippers, shorts, etc. that are comfortable, the better. Discomfort when wearing it can cause calluses, corns, sweating. , and wounds. This leads to the emergence of an alkaline microclimate - a suitable place for fungi to multiply.
Notes!
When visiting a beauty salon you need to be careful and careful. Visit only trusted and recommended places, because we are talking about preserving your health. Getting pedicures, manicures and nail extensions done by a professional is really safe and easy. Wounds, wounds, procedures that are not performed are the entrance to infection.
It is important to know that you should not wear other people's shoes, because this will harm your health. We strictly adhere to personal hygiene rules.
This is important to know!
Fungus must be treated promptly and thoroughly. The disease does not go away by itself, and time only plays a role in the spread of the infection, because complications can occur: it can spread from the legs to the abdomen, to the groin area, to the skin of the chest, to the armpits.
If anyone in your family has athlete's foot, there is a chance that a healthy family member will become infected. Maintain personal hygiene more carefully than usual, do not wear shoes, towels, brushes, combs, etc.
Traditional treatment for toenail fungus
It is very important not to start an infection; you definitely need to contact a specialist to get qualified medical help.
Notes!
In combination with pharmaceutical drugs, you can use traditional methods to treat toenail fungus, which are quite effective and will help in getting rid of this unpleasant disease.
Vinegar compresses for nail fungus
ingredients:
- Vegetable oil - two tablespoons;
- Apple cider vinegar - two tablespoons.
Preparation and use:
- Mix vinegar and oil in a 1: 1 ratio, then thoroughly moisten a cotton pad with the resulting solution and apply it to the nail affected by the fungus. We secure the top with adhesive plaster or bandage.
- Leave the compress overnight and remove it in the morning. We use vinegar compresses to treat the fungus until the affected nail completely replaces the diseased plate with a healthy one.
Antifungal oil
This aromatic natural oil will help fight fungal infections of the feet and nails, soothe irritated skin, and soothe tired feet.
ingredients:
- Eph. clove oil - 5 drops;
- Ef. cinnamon bark oil - 5 drops;
- Ef. oil - thyme (thyme) - 20 drops;
- Eph. sage oil - 10 drops;
- Ef. lavender oil - 30 drops;
- Tea tree essential oil - 25 drops;
- Jojoba oil - 100 milliliters.
Preparation:
- Pour jojoba oil into a dark bottle, add essential oil to it and stir vigorously for three minutes.
- Place the bottle in a dark place at normal room temperature and leave it for a day for the healing oil to mature.
After this time, the aromatic antifungal oil is ready.
How to use:
Wash your feet well and dry them. Shake the oil in the bottle well and apply a few drops to both feet. Although the fungus has affected one leg, we also use a healing agent on the other leg for prevention purposes.
Apply the oil to your nails and between your toes, massage the skin a little and wait for the oil to be absorbed. Then we put cotton socks on our feet.
Use medicated oil two to three times a day it can also be used for acne and wounds. The oil can be stored for up to two years in a cool place.
tea mushroom
This is a simple and very good remedy to treat fungus.
This is useful!
Before going to bed, it is recommended to make a compress from a strong infusion of kombucha, and the longer the mushroom is infused, the better.
For the procedure: you need to steam your feet in warm water and apply a kombucha compress and secure with a bandage. Leave overnight and remove in the morning. The course of treatment is four weeks.
Another treatment option: pinch a small piece of kombucha, remove the film from it, and mash the peeled part into a paste. Rub the resulting mass on the affected area three times a day. It is important that for each procedure you need to take a piece of fresh mushroom.
Bathe with a decoction of celandine
A bath with a decoction of celandine helps well.
- The ratio of grass to water is 2: 3. Add the required amount of celandine and water and boil for 3 minutes.
- Strain the broth and steam the feet for half an hour.
- Make a lotion from the same decoction on the affected area.
Baking powder
The use of baking soda is effective.
- Therapeutic procedure: apply soda lotion and steam your feet in the soda solution.
- Soda solution recipe: for three liters of hot water, one tablespoon of soda. Mix the soda well until it dissolves completely.
- You need to thoroughly steam your feet in a soda solution, then wipe them dry with a clean towel and apply celandine oil, which is sold in pharmacies.
You can, after a soda bath, moisten cotton with celandine oil, place it between your toes and secure it with a band-aid. We put socks on top. We keep this bandage for 20 minutes.
The procedure should be carried out twice a day for one month.
Fungal ointment - recipe No
Preparation: wash the chicken eggs and pour vinegar over them. Store in a dark place until the shell is completely dissolved. Remove the film, mix the vinegar with the remaining eggs and mix this mass with butter.
Application: The resulting ointment should be applied to the area affected by the fungus in the morning and evening. Do this until the recovery is complete, after which you can use the ointment for preventive purposes.
Fungal ointment - recipe No
ingredients:
- One raw chicken egg;
- One tablespoon of vegetable oil;
- One tablespoon of 70% vinegar.
Preparation:
Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and the healing ointment is ready. We keep it in the fridge and use it as needed.
Application:
- We steam our feet, wipe them dry and apply ointment to the area affected by the fungal infection.
- You need to put a plastic bag on top and secure it with a bandage or wear a sock.
- Do the procedure at night and keep it until morning.
The course of treatment is 30 days.
Fungal ointment - recipe No
Another folk method to treat toenail fungus uses an easy to prepare and very effective ointment based on vinegar essence.
ingredients:
- Raw chicken eggs (preferably from domestic chickens) - 2 pieces;
- Vinegar essence 70% - 1 glass;
- Butter - 200 grams.
Ointment preparation:
- Wash the eggs, put them in a half-liter jar and fill with vinegar essence so that it covers the contents of the jar.
- Place the jar in a dark place for 10 days, during which time the eggshell will completely dissolve in the essence.
- We remove the eggs from the jar with a fork, remove the film, put them in a bowl and add soft butter (take the butter out of the refrigerator first).
- Beat the eggs with a fork and mix with the butter. We should get a homogeneous mass similar to sour cream. Add three tablespoons of acetic acid from the jar in which the eggs were placed to the mixture and mix again.
Store the finished ointment in the refrigerator.
Application:
- Wash your feet and wipe dry, lubricate the affected area with ointment and let it dry for five minutes. The ointment will be quickly absorbed, then put on clean socks and sleep.
- Use for a month, every day at night. Then, when you feel that the disease has passed, you need to wipe it once a week.
As a result of the treatment, feet and nails will be clean and healthy, itching and diaper rash will disappear, and the skin will be smooth and healthy.
Antifungal bath
Such a therapeutic bath can be done daily with the addition of a weak vinegar solution, potassium permanganate, soda solution, and essential oil solution.
Notes!
Prevention of fungal nail infections should be carried out periodically to prevent recurrence of the disease.
Eucalyptus and Kalanchoe
Kalanchoe juice, eucalyptus oil or eucalyptus tincture also help in treating nail fungus. Its use is quite simple: you need to lubricate the affected area three times a day until recovery.
Essential oils for athlete's foot
Traditional methods of treating toenail fungus with essential oils have proven themselves well in practice, as they have good antifungal properties.
Oils to use: tea tree, lemon, cypress, sandalwood, patchouli.
Contraindications: individual intolerance, pregnancy.
Tea tree oil
Let's look at the main points of using essential oils using tea tree as an example. This recipe can be used with other oils.
Bathing - method No. 1
- In one liter of hot water we need to dissolve 20 drops of oil and one teaspoon of shower gel.
- Bathe for 20 minutes until the water cools down. This procedure must be carried out every day until recovery is complete.
At the end of the treatment, a preventive bath with tea tree oil (or other oil) once a week is recommended.
Rubbing oil - method No
Rub the essential oil into the nail plate affected by the fungal infection using cotton wool.
To carry out the procedure, you need to wash your feet well with laundry soap and wipe them dry. Then apply the oil to the affected area and let it absorb. It is not necessary to wash the feet after application for the oil to have a healing effect.
Notes!
Lemon essential oil is also good to use for the procedure described; it helps fight infection and does not stain the nails, keeping their natural appearance.
The treatment period is three or even four months, it all depends on the patient's immunity and the stage of the fungus.
Colored propolis alcohol
At the pharmacy, buy a 20% tincture of propolis in alcohol, which you apply to the sick nail using a cotton swab. Do this procedure every day.
Soon you will see the results: the diseased nails will disappear and new ones will grow.
Sea salt
Take a sea salt bath every day for a week. Lubricate your feet with fresh celandine juice three times a day for 3 months.
Fungal treatment with iodine
Every day for 3 weeks, morning and evening, apply a drop of iodine to the painful nail. Be sure to treat the neighbor's nails (the healthy ones on the outside) as well.
After about a week or a little earlier, a burning sensation and slight pain around the nail may appear - a sign of successful treatment. For severe pain, use iodine less often.
Table salt with mint
The healing properties of common salt will help in the treatment of nail fungus.
For preparation:
- Mix finely chopped mint with salt in a 1: 1 ratio.
- The resulting pulp should be placed on the affected nail plate and between the toes.
Repeat until the infection is completely cured.
Ointments and pharmaceutical preparations
For the treatment and prevention of nail fungus, in combination with folk remedies, it is good to use effective pharmaceutical drugs, this will allow you to cure the disease quickly and prevent its recurrence.
Salicylic ointment
This pharmaceutical drug is often used in the treatment of various skin diseases: lichen, acne, diaper rash. This ointment also helps with fungal infections. It contains 25% salicylic acid.
How to use: rub the affected area 2 - 3 times a day.
Zinc ointment
Another cheap "folk" drug sold in pharmacies. The ointment contains zinc oxide and petroleum jelly.
Zinc ointment has no contraindications, it can be used by women during pregnancy and nursing mothers, as well as children. This medicine should be used on the affected area up to 5 times a day. However, if the level of fungus is not so severe, the number of applications can be reduced.
Sulfuric ointment
This medicine contains sulfur from 10 to 33% and is a good medicine to treat foot and nail fungus. For treatment, it is better to take a 10% solution. The medicine should be used 1-2 times a day. The course of treatment is one week.
Can be used in the treatment of skin diseases in small children.
Notes!
Before using traditional methods to treat toenail fungus or any other medication, consult your doctor.
Treatment and prevention of nail fungus takes time and a lot of effort; you need to be patient and not wait for a quick recovery.
It is important to know!
Nail fungus is unusually persistent and very quickly develops immunity to the substances included in antifungal drugs. Therefore, if you are infected again or the last time was not treated, the medicine used before will be useless. You should buy a drug with a completely different principle of action.
It is recommended to consult a doctor in time for a diagnosis, not to let the disease develop, to start treatment in time, to complete it, in this case you will forget about an unpleasant disease like nail fungus.
So healthy!