Nail fungus is an extremely unpleasant disease that is easy to contract: just go to the pool, the beach or wear someone else's slippers.But getting rid of the disease is not easy: fungal spores tend to affect not only the nail plates, but also penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin and firmly settle there.
In advanced cases, the fungus enters a chronic stage and treatment is delayed for years.Therefore, it is very important to pay attention to the symptoms in a timely manner and start therapy with special medications, which include special varnishes for nail fungus.
Why is the fungus dangerous?
Fungal infections enter the body through microcracks that appear in the skin for a variety of reasons.For example, this can happen when a person walks barefoot on the beach or on the ground, wears someone else's shoes or gets a pedicure with utensils other than their own.If pathogenic organisms manage to gain a foothold, they gradually penetrate all layers of the skin, increasing the territory.
The infection develops in warm, humid conditions, making the toes an ideal place for fungus to develop, especially if a person sweats excessively.Self-medication in this case is useless and will not bring success.The only way out: the use of ointments, creams, medicated nail polishes.
The difficulty of treating the disease also lies in the fact that there are more than five hundred types of fungi that can harm human health (and there are more than seventy thousand in total).Each type should be treated only with medications specially developed for it, otherwise even the best medicine will be ineffective.If you discover suspicious symptoms, you should consult a dermatologist before starting treatment.
The fungus manifests itself with the following symptoms:
- peeling between the folds of the fingers, burning, itching, redness;
- the appearance of suspicious spots on the skin;
- the formation of blisters is possible, which after some time burst, forming cracks and ulcers;
- the nail begins to change its structure: it bends, wave-like formations appear on the nail plate, it itself becomes thicker or thinner and begins to crumble;
- White or yellowish spots appear on the nails, which is not characteristic of healthy nails.
If you pay attention to the symptoms in time, notice problems with the skin on your feet, deterioration in the condition of your nails and promptly seek help, you can get rid of the disease in two months.Therapy usually involves ointments, creams and pills.Recently, special preparations have appeared that are medicinal nail polishes, the main purpose of which is to stop and destroy fungi that have affected the nail plate.
How does varnish work against fungi?
Antifungal nail polish helps best at the first stage of disease development.The principle of operation is simple: after sanding the top layer with a file and degreasing the plate with alcohol, apply the product to the nail, after which the medicinal components that make up its composition, thanks to their liquid structure, easily penetrate through the plate layer and begin to destroy pathogens.
After the varnish dries, air stops penetrating the fungal spores, for whose development it is essential, which also blocks their vital activity.As a result, deprived of air and severely exposed to the medicinal components contained in the varnish, the fungi die.
Antifungal nail polish dries in about three to four minutes.Once the procedure is complete, remember to carefully close the bottle and disinfect all utensils used to treat the nail and the skin around it.
If the type of fungus is correctly identified and the correct remedy has been applied, after some time it will be possible to get rid of the pathogenic microorganisms.Another point that deserves attention is that just using nail polish is not enough for effective treatment, as fungal spores are also present on the skin around the nail.
For therapy to be successful, treatment must be comprehensive: in addition to varnish, accompanying creams and tablets must also be used.For example, a well-known company produces not only medicinal varnish against fungus, but also ointments that help the body cope with the disease.
Before choosing a remedy, you need to carefully study the instructions and make sure that it is directed against the type of fungus that was found in the body (in principle, this should be done by a doctor, but it doesn't hurt to check it yourself).It is also worth paying attention to the amount of healing components and their concentration.
If the disease is at the end of the second - beginning of the third phase, the fungal spores will already be quite strong, and if a weaker remedy is used, they will begin to fight it, develop immunity and become more resistant.Therefore, when treating a disease, it is necessary to choose stronger medicines.
Brands and their effects
Currently, there are a large number of antifungal varnishes, and since each case is individual, opinions about their effectiveness are different and often contradictory.According to reviews, they help some people, not others.The second option is due to the fact that the nail plate was prepared incorrectly or a varnish was used that was not designed for the type of fungus that affected the nails.
Antifungal varnishes with the active ingredient amorolfine are especially popular.All of them have a wide spectrum of action and are designed to destroy the main types of pathogenic microorganisms.Which one is better to choose depends largely on the type of fungus that has affected the nails, so they should be used only after tests have determined the type of pathogen and the instructions for the medicine indicate that the medicated nail polish copes with it.
French nail fungus varnish is an expensive medicine, the active substance of which is amorolfine, the principle of action of which is based on the destruction of the fungal cell membrane.It not only destroys the cells that have already appeared, but also prevents the spores from multiplying and spreading, capturing new territories.The duration of treatment with this drug, according to reviews, lasts from two months to two years, depending on the stage of the fungal infection.
Another product, a product from our manufacturer with formic acid in its composition, in addition to fighting pathogens well, can also be used as a prophylactic agent.The active substance of the medicine is polyvinyl acetate;contains the bacteria Bacillus, due to which it has biochemical activity.
A German varnish with the active substance cyclopiroxolamine, the active substance of which is cyclopiros, is considered effective.Opinions about this medicine vary, from extremely negative to positive, many agree that varnishes containing amorolfine are better.This may be due to the fact that, unlike previous application methods, the manufacturer allows the varnish to be applied without sanding the surface of the board.
This is not the best application method, as it is easier for the product to penetrate deeper into the treated nail.To make cyclopiroxolamine varnish more effective, it is best to file the nail plate.
How often you need to apply antifungal nail polish largely depends on the disease and the treatment regimen prescribed by your doctor.Some products are recommended to be used once a day, others - twice a week, when signs of recovery are visible on the face, the interval between procedures can be increased.
Whichever medicine is chosen for treatment, do not forget the importance of comprehensive treatment and the need to follow hygiene rules.When applying nail polish, do not forget that the nail affected by the fungus must be treated with a separate tool: it is not advisable to file healthy and diseased nails with the same file or cut them with the same scissors.
You also cannot give your manicure tools to other people to use, nor take away tools from them to treat your nails.It is worth paying attention to increasing immunity, taking vitamin and mineral complexes and maintaining an adequate diet.