Nail fungus can also affect those people who lead a completely normal and healthy lifestyle. Most fungi spread to saunas, swimming pools and beaches. But since the disease is not new, it can always be overcome with the help of folk remedies. According to statistics, people who lead a healthy lifestyle most often suffer from fungal diseases. Periodically, they visit places of active public recreation, where they are attacked by the virus. It is the gyms, swimming pools and saunas that are the main spreaders of this disease.
Causes of toenail fungus
It should be noted immediately that nail fungus (in medicine, onychomycosis) is a kind of fairly persistent infection. This disease affects the entire nail as a whole, destroying it and gradually shifting to the skin. The causative agent is a common fungal infection, which is quite easily transmitted between people. Onychomycosis can affect the feet in different areas. For example, you can wipe your feet once with a stranger's towel and place this nasty virus on your body. This is why it is necessary to observe all the rules of personal hygiene when visiting public places of active recreation and sports. The dissatisfaction of the disease lies in the fact that it is not limited to the destruction of nails, it gradually passes into the skin. The treatment of skin fungus is fundamentally different from the treatment of nail fungus. In any case, if you find a fungus in yourself, visit a mycologist immediately. Only he can determine how to remove the fungus from your body. Nail fungus is often caused by fungal organisms called dermatophytes. The favorite place of these organisms are the toes. The thing is that people are accustomed to wearing relatively tight shoes, which create ideal conditions for the existence and prosperity of fungi (lack of light, heat and moisture). In addition, the circulation in the legs is much worse than in other parts of the body, so it is very difficult for our body's immune system to detect and destroy such bacteria. In addition, the risk of contracting a fungal infection increases:
- When working in the heat;
- In the presence of psoriasis;
- When wearing uncomfortable shoes with poor airflow;
- In case of nail damage;
- With diabetes;
- When walking barefoot in various public places (baths, swimming pools, gyms);
- With a weakened immune system, you can catch toenail fungus;
Symptoms of nail fungus
The main signs of toenail fungus:
- Deformed shape of the nail;
- Affected nails gradually acquire a darker color;
- The nails bloom and become very brittle;
Moreover, the affected nails are often exfoliated from the nail bed. In medicine, this deviation is called onycholysis. Pain in the fingertips and a characteristic odor are the first symptoms of onycholysis. If a person with a fungal infection is not offered help in time, the disease will continue and then only progress and develop. After detecting the primary signs of the disease, a person should visit a qualified doctor to determine how to treat nail fungus.
How to recognize and identify nail fungus?
Many are interested in the question of how to still identify the fungus at home. To do this, you need to take a solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) and dilute it in water until a purple color appears. You need to lower your legs into this solution and hold them for a while. In the presence of fungi, brown areas on the nails will necessarily appear, which will indicate the presence of a fungal infection in the human body. After the procedure, the feet should be treated with a fifteen percent solution of hydrogen peroxide. In the slightest doubt, you should immediately consult a doctor.
We treat nail fungus with medication
Specific groups of researchers are confident that currently the most effective means of combating foot fungus are preparations containing terbinafine. The action of the funds aims not only to destroy the fungus, but also to rejuvenate the nails and skin. In total, the treatment time is about two to three months, but the final result of the treatment will be visible only after the new nail grows. The same medicines can treat the fungus on the hands. The course of treatment is similar. You also need to remember that fungus can come back if the feet are often in a warm and humid environment. The risk of the disease lies in the fact that the virus itself is extremely persistent, and in addition, it quickly develops immunity to the constituents of the active substances. Therefore, if the infection is not treated the first time, then subsequent treatment with the same drug will be impossible. The same goes for recurrence of the disease. In this case, you will have to choose a new medicine and fundamentally different active ingredients.
We get rid of the fungus with the help of proven folk remedies
- The sites affected by a fungal infection should be lubricated with a twenty percent solution of propolis. For maximum effect, you can rub them with onion pulp. To do this, you must first press a few medium-sized onions and apply the resulting mixture on the damaged areas of the skin and nails.
- Mix the alcohol and garlic pulp in equal proportions, diluting them all with a small amount of clean distilled water. The resulting mixture should be applied to the affected areas.
- Garlic compresses are no less effective. It is these compresses that deal with those types of fungal diseases that are not treated badly with medication. In addition to compresses, garlic should be taken orally.
- Patients should definitely drink garlic tinctures and garlic teas - they are excellent for fungal nail diseases. The result is visible in five to six days.
- Another proven remedy is wine vinegar. Affected feet should be thoroughly washed and immersed in a bowl of wine vinegar. After that, you should wear socks soaked in vinegar and go to bed in them.
- Since ancient times, nail fungus has been treated with a fairly simple but effective method - running in the morning through the dew. A half-hour run in the morning dew relieves not only the fungal infection of the feet, but also corns, skin rashes, corns and other things. After the end of the run, the feet should not be wiped under any circumstances, they should dry themselves. To improve the effect at night, you should rub your feet with a piece of raw potato and massage the infected areas. You can use this method for no more than a month. But the first results will be visible after a few weeks.
- Crush the mint leaves with salt and place the resulting mixture between your fingers for an hour. The treatment should be carried out until the complete disappearance of the nail mold.
- Often popular methods involve the use of celandine and dairy. Take a small bunch of milk and pour it with three liters of clean boiled water. The mixture is injected for several hours and should be wrapped in a blanket. Once the decoction has been injected, you should lower your feet into it and hold it for thirty to forty minutes once every two days. Euphorbia has a soothing effect, which will help in cutting nails. Similarly, you need to prepare celandine, and it is also used.
- Lilac flowers have proven themselves well, which do an excellent job with nail fungus. About ten grams of lilac flowers should be added to a glass of alcohol and left to inject for two weeks. The tincture is used to lubricate the infected areas of the skin and nails.
- Another method involves the use of turkey leaves. From them you need to squeeze the liquid and apply it on the skin and nails.
- Last but not least, an anti-fungal remedy includes a large number of different herbs. It is necessary to mix horsetail grass, berry leaves, verbena, calendula flowers and willow bark in equal proportions. From this mixture you need to take only ten grams and pour a glass of water. Put them all on the fire and let it boil, then remove from the stove and let it bake for three to four hours. With the soup finished, you need to make lotions and put compresses. To increase the effect, one tablespoon can be taken orally three to four times a day.