Onychomycosis is an infectious disease caused by pathogenic fungi.The problem is relevant for many, since the disease is extremely common and highly contagious.Therefore, learning how to get rid of toenail fungus will be useful for everyone.Let's find out what drugs can be used in the treatment process and how traditional medicine can help.
Most often, fungal nail infections develop at an older age.However, the disease could develop in a young, full-bodied person.Onychomycosis is less common in children.Any person runs the risk of getting an infection, so the question of how to get rid of nail fungus is relevant for everyone.
Symptoms
To start treatment in a timely manner, you need to know how it manifests itself.The insidiousness of this disease is that it develops gradually.In the initial stages, when it is possible to get rid of nail fungus quite quickly, most people simply do not pay attention to the appearance of the first signs.
Indeed, few people are alarmed if a speck appears in the corner of the nail.And only then, when the disease affects most of the nail and the plaque begins to collapse, treatment begins.
Meanwhile, the answer to the question of how to quickly get rid of fungi is only one: it is necessary to start treatment at the earliest stage.If the affected area already exceeds a third of the area of the nail plate, 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 noticed in the corner of the nail on the big toe.Much less commonly, the spot appears on the inside edge of the nail or on the other toe.
The appearance of nail fungus on the hands is even less common;very often, women experience this type of onychomycosis.The fact is that women often receive manicure and poor disinfection of tools and nail injuries are predisposing factors for the development of the disease.
Advise!Of course, the manicure itself is not harmful and it is not necessary to refuse this hygienic procedure.You just need to make sure that the technician thoroughly sterilizes the tools or uses individual files and cutters.
If no treatment is done, the spot will begin to increase in size.Additionally, the structure of the nail will begin to change.The plate becomes thicker, cracks may appear, and the plate begins to collapse.
Often onychomycosis occurs simultaneously with mycosis 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 an unpleasant odor from the feet.
At this stage it is impossible not to notice the manifestations of the disease, so it is at this advanced stage that most patients consult a doctor or begin to try treatment.
Advise!Self-medication for fungal nail diseases is very dangerous, since the patient cannot determine the type of pathogen.Therefore, the measures you take may be ineffective.
If there is no treatment or it is ineffective, the disease will progress.The nail plate will begin to peel off.At this stage, a bacterial infection often occurs, causing the development of a purulent process.If the disease is seriously advanced, it would be advisable to completely remove the diseased nail.Therefore, it is better not to take the matter to surgery, but to start treatment in a timely manner.
Basic principles
You must remember that eliminating onychomycosis forever is not easy.This disease recurs very often.Especially if the patient has not completed the treatment, stopping the course as soon as the visible symptoms of the disease have passed.
To exclude the development of a recurrence, it is necessary to continue treatment until laboratory tests confirm the absence of infection.
Advise!It is recommended to carry out the 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.
No drug, not 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 yeasts or dermatophytes);
- the extent of damage, in the initial stage the course of treatment may take 3-5 weeks, but if onychomycosis actively progresses, treatment will take several months or even more than a year;
- state of health of the patient, many effective antifungal drugs have an impressive list of contraindications, so it is necessary to use less effective, but safer agents.
In addition, it is necessary to remember that not even the most modern and effective medicine 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 have to regularly disinfect the bathtub and manicure tools used to treat diseased nails.
- Follow your diet.It is necessary to reduce the amount of sugar in the diet as much as possible, give up alcohol and very fatty foods.But fermented milk products, cereals and vegetables, on the contrary, will be useful.
- Try to lead a healthy lifestyle.Follow a work and rest schedule, spend time outdoors, make sure you get enough sleep and try to avoid stress.All these measures will help support the immune system.
- Choose the right shoes.Avoid tight models and choose shoes and boots made from breathable materials.Now there are also artificial materials capable of guaranteeing normal air exchange;for example, eco-leather has such properties.
Advise!To disinfect shoes it is convenient to use special sprays, but you can also use home remedies.For example, vinegar.
Pharmaceutical products
There are many drugs available to combat fungal diseases.They differ in the form of release and active ingredient.It is impossible to recommend a remedy that will 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 paint, less often the use of creams is recommended;
- Taking systemic medications, i.e. capsules or tablets.The need to use tablets is determined by the doctor.They are usually prescribed at an advanced stage or if a local remedy does not give results;
- take multivitamin complexes and means for general strengthening of the body.
Topical products
To cure nail fungus, you need to use drugs applied directly to the diseased nail.The doctor must prescribe the drugs;the patient's task is to use them correctly.
First of all, you need to prepare the nail.The nail plate, unlike the skin, absorbs medicinal substances less well, which is why the treatment of onychomycosis is more difficult than skin mycosis.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, it is necessary to add one product, and not all at the same time);
- The duration of the bath is approximately 20 minutes, during which 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 useful.Their active ingredients 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.It is necessary to drip not on the horizontal surface of the nail, but on the outer edge.
The creams are applied over the entire surface of the plate and lightly rubbed.Medicinal varnishes are one of the most convenient means for the treatment of onychomycosis.They need to be applied not daily, but twice a week.However, this remedy helps only in the initial stages of the disease.
Advise!Women especially prefer to use medicinal varnishes, as they can apply decorative varnish on top of the medicinal coating layer.
Additional measures
To speed up the healing process, in the process of eliminating 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.
When performing a hardware pedicure, removal is performed mechanically, that is, the nail is cut with special cutters.After completion of treatment, an antifungal drug 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 manage to get rid of a fungal infection by using simple and inexpensive remedies to treat the disease.Here is a description of the most effective means.
Vinegar
This 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 harmful effect on fungi.
The simplest treatment option is to add vinegar to baths.For two liters of warm water, take a glass of table vinegar (9%).It is recommended to carry out this bath every evening before applying topical medications.Applications can also be made by applying cotton balls soaked in table vinegar to the painful nails for a quarter of an hour.
Garlic
The most common garlic effectively fights fungal diseases.You can simply lubricate the sore spots with fresh juice or make compresses.To carry out the procedure, you need to prepare a garlic paste, place 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 tincture of celandine for this purpose, and the decoction of this herb is suitable for baths.
So, only a specialist can answer the question of how to get rid of nail fungus after conducting 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.