Fungus on the thumbnail (onychomycosis) always creeps up unnoticed.First, the infection affects the skin of the toes, then spreads to the nails, and, if not caught in time, spreads to the entire foot.Even in the early stages, treatment can take 2-3 weeks, so it is important to recognize dangerous fungi as early as possible.Moreover, today the disease can be cured using different methods - both pharmaceutical drugs and proven folk recipes.
Symptoms and stages of toe fungus
Both men and women are at risk of onychomycosis - anyone who wears tight closed shoes, regularly visits swimming pools and saunas, and in the summer likes to relax on public beaches.
Children suffer from onychomycosis most often, and after 60 years, every second person is already infected.Weak immunity, chronic diseases, endocrine disorders are to blame...
Fungal infection is a disease with many faces.There are several types of fungi, and each pathogen causes different symptoms.To understand whether you have become a victim of fungus, you need to take a closer look at your big toe, examining the skin around and between the toes.
The following symptoms will indicate that it is time to treat the nails:
- the skin on the feet becomes dry and cracked;
- small bubbles filled with ichor appear between the fingers;
- thickening of the nail plate begins;
- nails have become brittle, crumbled and broken;
- nails have lost their luster, normal shade, and become uneven;
- yellow spots and stripes appear on the nail plate (this is a dermophyte fungus);
- nails suddenly turn green or black (mold);
- on the side of the nail plate begins to turn yellow and lag behind the skin (yeast fungus);
- Nails begin to grow under the skin and cause severe discomfort.
- Onychomycosis develops gradually, with each stage of the disease having its own symptoms.And although each pathogen also behaves differently at different stages, in general the stages of foot fungus can be represented as follows:
- Early stages.Here the fungus almost does not show itself at all.Sometimes the skin of the feet itches and begins to crack, and barely noticeable spots and stripes appear on the nails of the big toe.
- Second stage.The nails lose their healthy pink color, and the plates begin to change shape (on the sides and edges).
- Advanced level.The nail plate eventually changes color, becomes thick and loose, and sometimes falls off.The skin of the toes and between the toes is affected.At this stage, the pathogen penetrates the body, so the symptoms of intoxication appear.This is weakness, drowsiness, dysbacteriosis, weak immunity.
Treatment with pharmaceutical drugs
If you find fungus on your thumb, self-medication is far from the best option.There are several types of this infection, and the medication you choose may not be effective against your particular type of fungus.Therefore, it is recommended to go to a doctor who will prescribe tests and choose an individual course of treatment.
Before treating the disease with traditional medicine, it is necessary to destroy all escape routes for the pathogen.And for this - disinfect shoes, bed linen, socks.Textiles can be boiled, outer shoes can be rubbed from the inside with lemon, and indoor slippers should be thrown away.This method will not only speed up healing, but will also prevent you from infecting family members.
It will take 1-2 months to eliminate the fungal infection in the initial stage.In advanced cases, treatment continues for up to a year or more.
Foot fungus can be successfully treated with three groups of drugs:
- antimycotic varnish;
- local preparations: ointments, creams, sprays;
- drugs for oral administration.
Antimycotic varnish for the treatment of fungi
Antifungal varnish is recommended initially, when the disease has not reached an advanced stage.
The main advantage of medical varnish is versatility.It can be used for prevention, treating existing fungus, and also used to remove diseased parts of the nail.Some medicines can be used not only on the nails, but also on the skin of the sore feet.The only downside of this fund is its high price.
Most antifungal varnishes fight several types of fungus at once.It takes 2 months to a year to cure all symptoms of the infection.
Creams and ointments to treat fungus
Using ointments and creams for onychomycosis is the most effective and easiest way.To completely get rid of the infection at home, it will take up to a year (depending on the stage of the disease).Doctors recommend changing the ointment (or alternating) every 14 days, otherwise the fungus will get used to the medicine and there will be no effect.When all symptoms disappear, you need to continue the treatment for another 2 weeks to consolidate the effect of the drug.
Antifungal drugs for oral administration
In the advanced form of onychomycosis, there is no point in treating the disease with ointments and varnishes alone - the fungus has penetrated the blood.In this case, the doctor prescribes antifungal drugs and immunomodulators.
Treatment with home remedies
You can cope with toenail fungus at home not only with pharmaceutical varnishes and ointments.At the initial stage, folk methods, "grandmothers" will be quite effective.
But it is important to understand that treatment with folk remedies, although cheaper, will take more time than using antifungal varnishes and special creams and ointments.
Traditional medicine methods are widely used in the treatment of fungal infections.It is recommended to use it as an additional step to the main treatment.They cannot replace medicine.
Typical recipe:
- The simplest treatment method at home is cauterization with iodine.You just need to apply iodine to the nail plate and the surrounding skin with cotton twice a day (in the morning and before going to bed).Don't forget: iodine dries out your skin.Therefore, every week it is better to take a short break and treat the fungus with other folk remedies.
- If you get an infection at an early stage, you can treat it with a proven military method - laundry soap.We just grate a bar of ordinary soap on a coarse grater, dissolve it in a bowl of hot water and arrange a foot bath every evening.Until full recovery.
- The antibacterial properties of garlic are also great in fighting fungus.There are two garlic recipes that you can use at home.The first is to rub the garlic until it becomes a paste, apply it to the sore nail, wrap it in film, and put a sock on it.Do it 2 times a week at night, antifungal course – six months.The second recipe is 2 crushed garlic cloves per 100 grams of softened butter.Use in the same way, but every evening, after washing.Use for 1-2 months.
- Treatment of mycosis of the big toe with folk remedies is impossible without potato skins.We take fresh skin, boil it, drain the water and knead it manually right in the pot.Then we transfer the foot damaged by the fungus into the basin and steam it in cleaning.After 15-20 minutes, wash the remaining skin with potato soup and put on clean socks.Do this every evening until the fungal symptoms disappear.
Vinegar extract, lemon compress, aspen bark bath, herbal mixture of chamomile, violet and string, celandine, etc. are also considered effective traditional remedies for toe fungus.
Remove toenails
If the fungal infection has entered the second or third stage, the full treatment must include nail removal.You can remove the entire nail plate or just a part, and the new nail will grow smooth, pink and healthy.
Removing the nail plate using folk remedies requires special care and precision - complete sterility must be maintained so as not to introduce new infections.Homemade keratolytic also acts in the same way - it softens the nail plate infected with fungus, and it can be removed.The most popular recipes at home are soap and soda baths and birch tar compresses.
Nail removal can be done in different ways: at home, in a hospital or beauty salon.If you decide to carry out the responsible procedure yourself, there are four options:
- keratolytic varnish;
- special ointments and creams;
- keratolytic plaster mixture;
- nail removal using folk remedies.
All varnishes, patches, creams and other traditional remedies operate on the same principle.The keratolytic mixture is applied to the steamed nails (depending on the instructions daily or several times a week), sealed on top and removed after some time.It is recommended to remove patches once a day, ointments and creams - once a day or 3-4 days, varnish - every week.In this case, the damaged part of the nail is removed along with the product.
Don't forget: nail removal is not a total treatment.The fungus itself lives and reproduces on the nail bed, so after removing the nail plate, you need to treat the sick finger with other antifungal drugs.Otherwise, the infection will become more active and infect the newly growing nail.
It is more difficult to cure fungus than to prevent it, so the prevention of fungal infections must be done continuously.To do this, you need to follow simple hygiene rules.You should not wear other people's shoes, use a separate towel for your feet, take only your shoes into the swimming pool, sauna and bathhouse, and disinfect regularly.No matter what you wear - shoes, boots, shoes - shoes must be comfortable, breathable, ideally made of natural materials.
It is also necessary to take care of your feet: cut your nails in time, prevent nails from growing into the skin, and heal all cracks and small wounds in time.Also, regularly check your fingers for any suspicious symptoms.