Onychomycosis is an infectious disease caused by pathogenic fungi. The problem is related to many people, as the disease is very common and highly contagious. Therefore, it will be useful for everyone to learn how to get rid of toenail fungus. Let’s find out what medications can be used in the treatment process and how traditional medicine can help.
Often, fungal nail infections develop in old age. However, the disease may develop in young and full -strength people. Less commonly, onychomycosis occurs in children. Any person is at risk of getting an infection, so the question of how to get rid of nail fungus is relevant for everyone.
Symptoms
To start treatment on time, you need to know how it manifests itself. The disadvantage of this disease is that it develops gradually. In the early stages, when you can quickly get rid of nail fungus, most people do not notice the first signs.
Indeed, few people will feel apprehensive if there is a dot in the corner of a nail. And that’s when, when the disease strikes most of the nails and the plate starts to crumble, people start undergoing treatment.
Meanwhile, there is only one answer to the question of how to quickly get rid of the fungus - you need to start treatment at an early stage. If the affected area is already more than a third of the area of the nail plate, then the treatment will take a long time.
So, the main sign of this disease is a discoloration of the nail plate. Often, such changes are observed in the corners of the toenails on the toes. More rarely, stains appear on the inner edge of the nail or on the other toes.
Although less frequently, the appearance of nail fungus on the hands is observed, most often women face this type of onychomycosis. The fact is that women often do manicures, and not very high -quality disinfection and injuries to the nails are a determining factor in the development of this disease.
Advice!Of course, the manicure itself is harmless, and there is no need to refuse this hygiene procedure. You just need to make sure that the master sterilizes the instrument thoroughly or uses individual files and nippers.
If left untreated, the stain will start to get bigger. In addition, the structure of the nail will begin to change. The plate becomes thicker, cracks may appear on it, the plate will start to collapse.
Often, onychomycosis occurs simultaneously with mycosis of the skin of the feet. In this case, the skin in the affected area turns red, becomes inflamed, and painful cracks appear on it. The disease is accompanied by the appearance of an unpleasant odor from the feet.
At this stage, it is impossible not to notice the manifestations of the disease, so at this advanced stage most patients go to the doctor or begin to try to heal themselves.
Advice!Self-medication for fungal nail disease is very dangerous, because the patient himself is unable to determine the type of pathogen. Therefore, the action taken by him may not be effective.
If there is no treatment or it is not effective, the disease will continue. The nail plate will start to peel off. At this stage, bacterial infections often combine, leading to the development of purulent processes. If the disease starts badly, then complete removal of the diseased nail will be recommended. Therefore, it is better not to bring the matter to surgery, but to start treatment on time.
Basic principal
Keep in mind that it is not easy to get rid of onychomycosis forever. The disease very often causes relapses. Especially if the patient does not complete treatment, interrupting the course as soon as the visible symptoms of the disease have passed.
To exclude the development of a relapse, you should continue treatment until laboratory tests confirm the absence of infection.
Advice!Control tests are recommended to be taken twice with an interval of two weeks. If both tests are negative, then the disease is considered completely cured.
The main principles for treating fungal diseases are:
- regularity;
- A complex approach.
None, even the most effective medication will help from 1 hour. The duration of treatment is determined individually, the duration is influenced by:
- type of pathogen (mold forms lesions on the surface of the nail, therefore it is easier to cure this type of onychomycosis than diseases caused by yeast or dermatophytes);
- degree of damage, in the early stages, treatment may take 3-5 weeks, but if onychomycosis is actively developing, then it takes several months or even more than a year to be treated;
- patient health status, many effective antifungal medications have an impressive list of contraindications, so you should use less effective, but safer methods.
In addition, you need to remember that none, even the most modern and effective medicine will help if the patient does not follow the following rules:
- Good hygiene is important. You must disinfect all your shoes, and better replace socks and slippers with new ones. You need to regularly disinfect the bathtub, as well as manicure tools used to treat sore nails.
- Follow your diet. It is necessary to reduce the amount of sugar in food, give up alcohol and highly fatty foods. But dairy products, cereals and fermented vegetables, on the other hand, will come in handy.
- Try to live a healthy lifestyle. Observe the way you work and rest, be outdoors, make sure you get enough sleep, try to avoid stress. All of these steps will help support the immune system.
- Choose the right shoes. Avoid tight models, choose shoes and boots made of breathable material. There are even artificial materials that can provide normal air exchange, for example, eco leather has such properties.
Advice!It is easier to use a special spray to disinfect shoes, but you can also use home remedies. For example, vinegar.
Pharmaceutical products
There are many medications available to fight fungal diseases. They differ in the form of release and active ingredient. It is impossible to recommend one drug that can help everyone, without exception. A doctor should prescribe treatment for nail fungus. Often, the following scheme is recommended:
- Application of topical agents. Often, antifungal drugs are prescribed in the form of solutions or varnishes, more rarely the use of creams is recommended;
- Take systemic medications, ie capsules or tablets. The need for the use of tablets is determined by the doctor. As a rule, they are prescribed at an advanced stage or if local remedies do not work;
- taking complex and multivitamin methods for strengthening the body in general.
Topical agents
To cure nail fungus, it is necessary to apply medications that are applied directly to the diseased nail. The doctor should prescribe the medicine, the patient's job is to use it properly.
First of all, you need to prepare your nails. Nail plates, unlike skin, absorb medicinal substances more severely, so it is more difficult to treat onychomycosis than skin mycosis. The preparation of nails is as follows:
- you should make the nails softer by using a warm water bath. Soda, vinegar, sea salt, herbal potions are added to the water (of course, you have to add one medicine, and not all at the same time);
- bathing period of about 20 minutes, during which the nails have time to soften enough;
- after that, you need to process the nail: cut it as short as possible, process it with a file, remove the loose exfoliating layer on the affected area.
After such treatment, the use of topical agents will be more beneficial. The active ingredient will be able to penetrate deeper, directly into the focus of the fungal infection.
Local agents are charged 1-2 times a day. The solution is applied using a dropper (usually, a bottle equipped with it) or a pipette. You do not need to drip on the surface of the horizontal nail, but on its outer edge.
The cream is applied to the entire surface of the plate, rubbed lightly. Healing varnish is one of the easiest remedies for the treatment of onychomycosis. They do not need to be rubbed daily, but twice a week. However, this drug only helps in the early stages of the disease.
Advice!Women are very fond of using medicinal varnishes, as it is permissible to use decorative varnishes on the coating layer of medicines.
Extra steps
To speed up the healing process, in the process of removing nail fungus, it is recommended to do a pedicure (manicure) or use laser treatments. During the procedure, the affected part of the nail is carefully removed.
When performing a hardware pedicure, the removal is done mechanically, that is, the nails are cut with a special cutter. Upon completion of treatment, the antifungal agent of the drug is applied to the surface. The laser procedure not only allows you to release the affected part of the nail, but also perform a treatment, as the laser beam is capable of killing the fungus.
Home method
A number of people are quite successful in getting rid of fungal infections by using simple and inexpensive medications to treat the disease. Here is a description of the most effective methods.
Vinegar
This is one of the most effective medications and can be used in conjunction with medications. The essence of the method is that the acidic environment has a detrimental effect on the fungus.
The easiest treatment option is to add vinegar to the tray. For two liters of warm water, take a glass of vinegar (9%). It is best to take a shower like that every night before using topical medications. You can also apply by using a piece of cotton wool soaked in vinegar on a sore nail for a quarter of an hour.
garlic
Garlic is most commonly effective against fungal diseases. You can lubricate the sore spots with fresh juice or make compresses. To carry out the procedure, you need to prepare the garlic, place it between two layers of gauze and apply the resulting lotion to the affected area for an hour.
Celandine
Celandine juice effectively destroys fungal infections. The affected area is smeared with fresh juice. In winter, for this purpose, you can use the color of celandine, and a decoction of this herb is suitable for bathing.
Therefore, only an expert can answer the question of how to get rid of fungus on the nails after the test. Treatment is prescribed taking into account the type of pathogen. It is best to use a set of medications, you can combine the use of medicines and home remedies.