Onychomycosis is an infectious disease caused by pathogenic fungi.The problem is relevant to many, because the disease is extremely common and very contagious.Therefore, learning how to get rid of toenail fungus will be useful to everyone.Let's see what drugs can be used in the treatment process and how traditional medicine can help.
Most often, fungal nail infections develop in older people.However, the disease may well develop in a young and full-bodied person.Onychomycosis is less common in children.Everyone is at risk of contracting 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 insidious nature of this disease is that it develops gradually.At first, when you can get rid of nail fungus quite quickly, most people simply do not pay attention to the appearance of the first signs.
In fact, few people will be alarmed if a stain appears at the corner of the nail.And only then, when the disease affects most of the nail and the plate begins to collapse, people begin treatment.
In the meantime, there is only one answer to the question of how to quickly get rid of the fungus: you need to start treatment as soon as possible.If the affected area is already more than a third of the surface of the nail plate, the treatment will take a long time.
So, the main sign of the disease is a change in the color of the nail plate.Most often, such a change is noted at the corner of the nail of the big toe.Much more rarely, the stain appears on the inner edge of the nail or on the other toe.
The appearance of nail fungus on the hands is even less common;Most often, women suffer from this type of onychomycosis.The fact is that women often have manicures, and poor disinfection of instruments and nail injuries are predisposing factors for the development of the disease.
Advice!Of course, manicure itself is not harmful and there is no need to refuse this hygienic procedure.You just need to make sure the technician carefully sterilizes the instruments or uses individual files and tweezers.
If left untreated, the spot will begin to grow.Additionally, the structure of the nail will begin to change.The plaque becomes thicker, cracks may appear on it, and the plaque begins to collapse.
Onychomycosis often occurs simultaneously with fungus of the skin of the feet.In this case, the skin in the affected area becomes red, inflamed and painful cracks appear.The disease is accompanied by the appearance of unpleasant odor from the feet.
At this stage, it is impossible not to notice the manifestations of the disease, so it is at this late stage that most patients consult a doctor or begin to try to treat themselves.
Advice!Self-medication for fungal nail diseases is very dangerous, since the patient cannot determine the type of pathogen.The measures he takes could therefore prove ineffective.
If there is no treatment or if it is ineffective, the disease will progress.The nail plate will begin to peel off.At this stage, a bacterial infection often occurs, provoking the development of a purulent process.If the disease is very advanced, it would be advisable to completely remove the diseased nail.Therefore, it is better not to resort to surgery, but to start treatment in a timely manner.
Basic principles
You need to remember that it is not easy to get rid of onychomycosis permanently.This disease relapses very often.Especially if the patient has not completed treatment, interrupting it 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!It is recommended to take control tests twice, two weeks apart.If both tests give a negative result, the disease is considered completely cured.
The basic principles of treatment of fungal diseases are:
- regularity;
- integrated approach.
Not a single drug, even the most effective, will help immediately.The duration of treatment is determined individually;its duration is influenced by:
- type of pathogen (mold forms a lesion on the surface of the nail, so it is easier to cure this type of onychomycosis than a disease caused by yeast or dermatophytes);
- the degree of damage, at the initial stage, treatment may take 3-5 weeks, but if onychomycosis actively progresses, treatment will take several months or even more than a year;
- patient's health condition, many effective antifungal drugs have an impressive list of contraindications, therefore it is necessary to use less effective, but safer agents.
In addition, you need to remember that no medicine, even the most modern and effective, will help if the patient does not follow the following rules:
- It is important to maintain hygiene.You will need to disinfect all your shoes, and it is best to replace socks and slippers with new ones.You will need to regularly disinfect the bathtub, as well as the manicure tools used to treat diseased nails.
- Follow your diet.You need to reduce the amount of sugar in your diet as much as possible, give up alcohol and very fatty foods.But on the contrary, fermented milk products, cereals and vegetables will be useful.
- Try to lead a healthy lifestyle.Follow a work-rest schedule, spend time outdoors, make sure you get enough sleep, and try to avoid stress.All of these measures will help support the immune system.
- Choose the right shoes.Avoid tight models and choose shoes and boots made of breathable materials.Now there are even artificial materials that can ensure normal air exchange;for example, ecological leather has such properties.
Advice!To disinfect shoes, it is convenient to use special sprays, but you can also use home remedies.For example, vinegar.
Pharmaceuticals
There are many drugs to combat fungal diseases.They differ in the form of release and active substance.It is impossible to recommend a single remedy that can help everyone without exception.A doctor should prescribe treatment for nail fungus.Most often, the following scheme is recommended:
- Use of local agents.Most often, antifungal drugs are prescribed in the form of a solution or varnish, less often the use of creams is recommended;
- Take systemic medications, i.e. capsules or tablets.The need to use tablets is determined by the doctor.As a rule, they are prescribed at an advanced stage or in the case where local remedy does not give results;
- take multivitamin complexes and means for general strengthening of the body.
Topical products
To cure nail fungus, it is necessary to use medications applied directly to the diseased nail.The doctor must prescribe medication;the patient's task is to use them correctly.
First, you need to prepare your nail.The nail plate, unlike the skin, absorbs medicinal substances less well, therefore the treatment of onychomycosis is more difficult than that of skin mycoses.The preparation of the nails is as follows:
- You should make the nail softer by using a warm bath.Soda, vinegar, sea salt, herbal decoctions are added to the water (of course, you need to add one product, and not all at once);
- The duration of the bath is approximately 20 minutes, during which time the nails will have time to soften sufficiently;
- After that, you need to treat your nails: cut them as short as possible, file them, removing loose and peeling layers in the affected areas.
After such treatment, the use of topical agents will be more helpful.Their active substances will be able to penetrate deeper, directly to the source of the fungal infection.
Local agents are applied 1-2 times a day.The solution is applied using a dropper (usually equipped with a bottle) or a pipette.You should not flow on the horizontal surface of the nail, but on its outer edge.
Creams are applied to the entire surface of the plaque and lightly rubbed.Medicinal varnishes are one of the most convenient ways to treat onychomycosis.They should be applied not daily, but twice a week.However, this remedy is only useful in the early stages of the disease.
Advice!Women especially like to use medicinal varnishes, because they can apply a decorative varnish on top of the medicinal coating layer.
Additional measures
To speed up the healing process, in the process of removing nail fungus, it is recommended to perform a hardware pedicure (manicure) or use laser treatment.During the procedure, the affected part of the nail is carefully removed.
During a hardware pedicure, removal is carried out mechanically, that is, the nail is cut with special knives.After the treatment is completed, an antifungal medication is applied to the surface.The laser procedure not only removes the affected part of the nail, but also provides treatment, as the laser beam can kill the fungus.
Home methods
Some people are quite successful in getting rid of a fungal infection by using simple and cheap remedies to treat the condition.Here is a description of the most effective ways.
Vinegar
It is one of the most effective remedies and can be used in combination with drug treatment.The essence of the method is that an acidic environment has a detrimental effect on mushrooms.
The simplest treatment option is adding vinegar to baths.For two liters of warm water, take a glass of table vinegar (9%).It is recommended to do this bath every evening before applying topical medications.You can also make applications by applying pieces of cotton soaked in table vinegar to sore nails for a quarter of an hour.
Garlic
The most common garlic effectively fights fungal diseases.You can simply lubricate sore spots with fresh juice or make compresses.To carry out the procedure, you need to prepare a garlic paste, put 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 areas are lubricated with fresh juice.In winter, you can use celandine tincture for this purpose, and a decoction of this plant is suitable for baths.
So, only a specialist can answer the question of how to get rid of nail fungus after carrying out tests.Treatment is prescribed taking into account the type of pathogen.It is best to use a combination of remedies;you can combine the use of medications and home remedies.