How to treat nail fungus at home? Which medium is better to use: medicines or traditional medicine recipes? Consider all the characteristics 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 wide variety of forms of the disease. The fungus affects the nails of the legs and hands. Many begin to treat onychomycosis only when serious complications arise. It's not correct. An effective home treatment can be done on the first symptoms of the disease.
Nail fungus is transmitted from other people. At risk are people who use public transport, often walk barefoot, go to swimming pools, public saunas and baths. Everyone is subject to the disease, without exception. However, not everyone is infected with onychomycosis. There are several factors that contribute to the development of the disease. These include:
- reduced immunity;
- wounds on the surface of the skin;
- increased sweating in the legs;
- metabolic disease;
- disturbances in the functioning of the endocrine system.
The fungus spores enter the skin, after which they start to multiply quickly, affecting healthy areas. The peculiarity of the disease is that there may not be much discomfort and pain for a long time. The development of onychomycosis can take several months or even years. This is one of the main dangers of the disease.
The symptoms of the fungus are as follows: mild itching, mild peeling of the skin. The lesions are located around the nails. If a moisturizer doesn't help, you should immediately think about the nature of such deviations. In addition, defeat passes to the nail. It becomes yellow and bumpy, it starts to exfoliate. The big toes are affected first.
If these symptoms are found, it is necessary to consult a doctor, as the disease can lead to complications, damage to internal organs.
Drug treatment
Home treatment can be done with medications or with traditional medicine prescriptions. How to cure nail fungus using traditional methods? From modern means, it is worth highlighting several medicines for external use.
They can be ointments, gels, which are used to treat the affected nails. You can also find antifungal varnishes in pharmacies that are applied like a common varnish. For a more effective treatment, it is necessary to use not only external agents, but also pills. This method of treatment gives a much better and faster effect.
However, it is recommended to consult the doctor first, as internal medications negatively affect the liver and, therefore, its prolonged use is undesirable.
Treatment with folk remedies
The treatment of nail fungus with home remedies 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 nail fungus using traditional medicine? Among the most effective methods are the following recipes.
- Every day, the affected nails need to be treated with grated garlic /
- Lubricate your nails and skin with tea tree oil daily /
- Treat your nails with iodine.
If, with this treatment, pain occurs around the nail roll, the treatment should not be carried out every day, but less frequently - once every 2-3 days. There are other ways, too. Thus, propolis compresses, which insist on alcohol, have an excellent effect.
The following home remedy is also very effective. To obtain 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 the treatment, the composition is applied to the affected nail, covered with plastic wrap and put on a sock. This procedure must be performed 3 times.
Another very effective formulation is a mixture of vinegar, alcohol and glycerin in a ratio of 2: 2: 1. The lotions are made with the resulting liquid in 14-30 days. Often, after treatment, the diseased nail peels completely and a new, healthy nail grows in its place.
In the first days after the start of treatment, the nail starts to hurt. Over time, the pain will go away. This is considered normal: the body begins to fight the disease, which is expressed by small sensations of pain.
If nothing means helping, you need to contact an expert. And the sooner this is done, the more effective the treatment will be and the fewer complications will occur.
Defeat prevention
In order not to think about how to cure nail fungus, the risk of onychomycosis must be reduced to zero. For this, it is necessary to carry out preventive measures on a regular basis.
- Disinfect all manicure supplies.
- When cleaning the house, you mainly need to pay attention to washing the floor.
- Disinfect your shoes with a 25% formalin solution and 40% vinegar. The liquids are mixed in equal proportions. A cotton swab is moistened in the resulting solution, which is then used to treat the inner surface of the shoe.
- Disinfect household items by boiling them in soapy water.
In the pool, bath, you must use rubber slates. In shoe stores, shoes should be tried on with socks or tights, but under no circumstances should bare feet be worn. If all recommendations are followed, the risk of nail fungus infection is reduced to a minimum.