A leg fungus, the treatment of which at home can be delayed in time, appears in every five people. In most cases, this pathology does not threaten the patient's life, but causes a lot of discomfort. If personal hygiene rules are not followed, the red trichophyton fungus infects the foot. Candida often settles in colonies of this microorganism. As a result of the reproduction of pathogenic microflora, toxic toxins are produced, which are transported in the bloodstream throughout the body. They disrupt metabolism and increase the body's sensitivity to external negative factors.
It is necessary to understand in more detail how to treat leg fungus at home in order to quickly get rid of this problem.
How to distinguish a fungus from other diseases?
Before starting treatment, it is important to make sure that the feet are really affected by the fungus and not by another infection. As a rule, infection with this microorganism is accompanied by dryness and scaling of the feet. In some cases, the skin may turn red and scales will appear between the folds. If a person suffers from excessive sweating, diaper rash can occur. They are often accompanied by itchy blisters and corns.
Special attention should be paid to the color and shape of the nails. Fungal spores tend to penetrate deep under the nail plate. First, yellow stripes appear on the nails, over time, the latter begin to crack and lose color. Then voids or a crumbling mixture form under the nail. All this is usually accompanied by an unpleasant odor.
If a person has found these signs in himself, treatment should be started immediately. At this stage, the infection is much easier to cure. A course of antifungal therapy will be enough to get rid of this problem.
If the fungus is ignored, it can develop into ringworm. It is able to interfere with movement, sometimes due to the pathology that arose in a person, the body temperature can rise. In some cases, a neglected fungus can cause psoriasis or eczema to develop.
Treatment of nail fungus at home should still start only after consulting a specialist. The dermatologist will tell you which baths and ointments should be used to remove the pathology.
Since treating foot fungus with home remedies involves the use of both animal and plant products, it is imperative to pass all tests that eliminate the risk of an allergic reaction.
Methods to treat nail fungus at home
Treating foot fungus at home should start with disinfection. At the same time, it is necessary to disinfect not only the affected areas of the skin, but also all items for foot care, shoes, clothes and bathroom. The lack of regular disinfection nullifies the effectiveness of the treatment, contributes to the infection of other family members with this disease.
To disinfect the skin, you can use Australian tea tree oil. It perfectly eliminates the inflammatory processes caused by the fungus, moisturizes and softens dry skin. Tea tree oil should be rubbed into the damaged areas 2 times a day for 1-2 months. Constant use of this natural component will help you forget about not only fungus, but also cracks and calluses forever.
It is recommended to boil the laundry with the addition of detergents. For 5 liters of boiling water, you need to take 1 tsp. soda and ¼ bar of soap powder. If possible, it is advisable to completely get rid of old socks.
Shoes should be treated regularly with 40% acetic acid. With a cotton swab dipped in the substance, it is necessary to clean the entire inner area of the shoe well. Then the used discs must be thrown away, and the new ones must be soaked in acetic acid again, placed in a boot or shoe and tied with a plastic bag. It is advisable to do this at night so that in the morning the entire infection is destroyed. It is better to wash the insoles periodically. This will help to get rid of the pathogenic microflora that lives in the shoes.
There is no less fungus in the bathroom than on shoes and clothes. Tiles and all interior items should be cleaned regularly with chlorinated water. You can add some washing powder to it. Make sure all surfaces are dry and free from moisture. It is recommended to constantly ventilate the bathroom to prevent mold growth.
Scissors, brushes and other cosmetic items used to treat nails and feet should be placed in alcohol. If the composition of the metal allows, you can disinfect them with fire.
All methods of treating nail fungus will be in vain if you do not follow the rules of personal hygiene and do not disinfect.
foot baths
Home remedies for toenail fungus can be applied topically (rubbed into the skin) or taken in baths. This is the most common way of treating this disease. Not only will it help to disinfect the skin and nail plate, but it will also relieve fatigue and swelling. It is best to do foot baths at night. Immediately after this procedure, you need to wrap your limbs with a clean towel and go to bed. There will be no point in baths if, for example, immediately after them, a person puts on his shoes and goes to work.
It is necessary to consider several proven recipes for foot water treatments that will get rid of the fungus. The most common way is a bath with salt and soda. To prepare it, you need to mix these components in hot water in equal proportions and put the limbs in a basin for 30 minutes. As the water cools, add hot water. After such a bath, the feet should be rinsed with a fresh, clean liquid.
Potassium permanganate and mustard baths are also popular. To prepare them, you need to take:
- 0. 5 tsp potassium permanganate;
- 1st. I. crushed soap powder;
- 1st. I. soda;
- 2 tbsp. I. mustard.
All these components must be mixed in 5 liters of warm water. It is necessary to lower the legs in a basin with the composition for 20 minutes, then wash them with hot liquid and dry them with a clean towel. This procedure can be done daily until the symptoms of a fungal infection have completely disappeared.
Every day you can soak your feet in a sea salt bath (100 g per 5 liters of water). For greater effect, you can add 4 tbsp. I. Apple vinegar.
An effective home remedy for nail fungus is milkweed bath. To prepare it, you need to grind 100 g of the leaves and stems of this plant, pour the resulting dry mixture into 3 liters of hot water. In such a mixture, the legs should be kept for about 30 minutes, constantly maintaining the temperature of the liquid. You should not do this procedure on a daily basis, it is enough to raise the legs in this way 2-3 times a week, and after 1-2 months there will be no traces of the fungus.
lotions and compresses
Home remedies for toe fungus can be rubbed into the damaged skin regularly. Often, onion juice or horsetail herb infusion is used for this purpose. This procedure is painless, it is recommended to cleanse the skin with medication 3-4 times a day, to forget about the fungus forever in a month.
You can prepare a special alcohol tincture from lilac flowers. 10 mg of raw materials must be poured with 100 mg of alcohol and allowed to ferment for 10 days. With this solution, you need to lubricate the damaged areas of the skin and nails for a week.
It is good to make compresses from alcohol tinctures. The easiest way is to mix 1 cup of warm water 1 tbsp. I. ammonia. This mixture should be completely soaked in gauze and placed on the affected area of the foot. Then the leg needs to be wrapped in polyethylene and wrapped in a towel. Instead of the latter, you can use ordinary warm socks. This compress should be done at night, 2-3 times a week until complete recovery.
An alcoholic tincture of propolis has also proven to be an excellent antifungal agent. She needs to clean the affected nail daily for 2 months. The result will be noticeable after the first 2 weeks: the diseased nail plate will gradually start to come off and a healthy nail will appear in its place.
Garlic is often used to fight the fungus. It must be finely grated and mixed with melted butter in equal proportions. This mass must be prepared immediately before application to the skin, do not store it for a long time. The resulting paste should be applied to sore spots every day for 2 weeks.
You can prepare a therapeutic peroxide mixture. For that you need:
- 0. 5 cups of unlit soda;
- 4 glasses of hot water;
- ¼ cup of hydrogen peroxide (3%);
- 0. 5 cup of magnesium sulfate;
- ¼ cup of vinegar.
All components, except vinegar, must be mixed well. Vinegar should be added last. It is necessary to impregnate a cotton pad with this therapeutic solution and apply it to the nail plate affected by the fungus. You can stick with adhesive. It is desirable to apply such a dressing every 10 hours for 1 month.
At night, it is recommended to make novocaine lotions. Simply moisten a cotton swab in the preparation and apply at night to a sore spot. You can use these lotions no more than 2 times a week until the symptoms of the disease completely disappear.
antifungal ointments
If a person has started the disease and does not know how to cure leg skin fungus at home, then to avoid surgery, it is recommended to prepare a tar ointment. It is necessary to mix in equal proportions a pure substance, powdered yellow sulfur and burnt blue vitriol. The finished mass must be boiled. Then it must be cooled and smeared with sore spots until the symptoms of the disease disappear.
Acetic ointment will help to overcome the fungus. To prepare it, you need to mix:
- 70% acetic acid;
- dimethyl phtholate;
- glycerol;
- olive oil.
During the preparation of the ointment, you must follow the proportions 2: 1: 1: 1. The components do not need to be heat treated, it is enough to mix them well. On the affected areas, vinegar ointment should be applied with a cotton swab, kept for about 8 hours and then carefully removed with washing powder. It is recommended to apply the drug to sore spots at night.
It will be possible to cure the fungus with the help of celandine ointment. For your preparation you will need:
- 5 drops of celandine juice;
- 2 drops of oregano juice;
- 2 drops of calendula tincture.
- 4 tbsp. I. Water.
All components must be mixed well. This ointment should be treated with nails and affected skin 3 times a day.