How to treat toenail fungus at home? What tools are best to use: medicines or prescriptions of traditional medicines? Consider all the features of home treatment for this unpleasant disease.
About nail fungus
Nail fungus, or onychomycosis, is one of the most common fungal diseases. There is a great variety of forms of the disease. The fungus affects the nails both on the feet and on the hands. Many start treating onychomycosis only when serious complications arise. It's not fair. An effective home treatment can be done at the first symptoms of the disease.
Nail fungus is spread by other people. At risk are people who use public transport, often go barefoot, visit swimming pools, public saunas and baths. Everyone is subject to the disease, without exception. However, not everyone is infected with onychomycosis. There are a number of factors that contribute to the development of the disease. This includes:
- reduced immunity;
- wounds on the surface of the skin;
- increased foot sweating;
- metabolic diseases;
- disruption in the functioning of the endocrine system.
Fungal spores enter the skin, after which they begin to multiply rapidly, affecting healthy areas. The peculiarity of the disease is that it may not have much discomfort and pain for a long time. The development of onychomycosis can take months or even years. This is one of the main risks of the disease.
The symptoms of the fungus are as follows: mild itching, light skin rash. The lesions are located around the nails. If a moisturizer does not help, then you should immediately think about the nature of such deviations. Further, the defeat passes to the nail. It turns yellow and bumpy, begins to layer. The thumbs are touched first.
If such symptoms are found, it is necessary to consult a doctor, as the disease can lead to complications, damage to internal organs.
Medication treatment
Home treatment can be performed with medication or using prescriptions of traditional medicine. How to cure toenail fungus using traditional methods? Of the modern tools it is worth noting the various drugs for external use.
They can be oils, gels, which are used to treat affected nails. You can also find antifungal varnishes at the pharmacy that are applied as a regular spray. For more effective treatment, it is necessary to use not only external agents, but also tablets. This method of treatment gives a much better and faster effect.
However, it is recommended that you first consult a doctor, as internal medications adversely affect the liver, therefore, their prolonged use is undesirable.
Treatment with folk remedies
Treating toenail fungus with folk remedies at home is quite effective. These methods are often used today. This is explained by the fact that modern drugs have strong side effects. How to get rid of toenail fungus using traditional medicine? Among the most effective methods are the following recipes.
- Every day, the affected nails should be treated with integrated garlic /
- Lubricate nails and skin with tea tree oil daily /
- Treat nails with iodine.
If, with such a treatment, pain occurs around the nail roller, then the treatment should not be performed every day, but less frequently - once every 2-3 days. There are other ways. So compresses from propolis, which insist on alcohol, have an excellent effect.
The following home remedy is also very effective. To get it, mix 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil and methyl phthalate, 2 eggs and 1 tablespoon of vinegar. After obtaining a homogeneous mixture, it is placed in a cool place. For treatment, the composition is applied to the affected nail, covered with plastic wrap and put on a sock. This procedure should be performed 3 times.
Another very effective formulation is a mixture of vinegar, alcohol and glycerin in a 2: 2: 1 ratio. Lotions are made from the resulting liquid within 14-30 days. Often, after treatment, the diseased nail is completely stripped and a young, completely healthy one grows in its place.
In the first few days after starting treatment, the nail begins to hurt. Over time, the pain goes away. This is considered normal: the body begins to fight the disease, which is expressed by small sensations of pain.
If it does not mean help, you should contact a specialist. And the sooner this is done, the more effective the treatment will be and the fewer complications there will be.
Defeat prevention
In order not to think about how to cure toenail fungus, the risk of onychomycosis should be reduced to zero. For this, it is necessary to carry out preventive measures regularly.
- Disinfect all manicure equipment.
- Cleaning the house, especially you need to pay attention to washing the floors.
- Disinfect shoes with a solution of 25% formalin and 40% vinegar. The liquids are mixed in equal proportions. A cotton swab is soaked in the resulting solution, which is then used to treat the inside surface of the shoe.
- Disinfect household items by boiling them in soapy water.
In the pool, bath, you have to wear rubber tiles. In shoe stores, shoes should be tried on socks or sweaters, but under no circumstances should they be worn on bare feet. If all the recommendations are followed, the risk of nail fungus infection is reduced to a minimum.