Treatment of toenail fungus with folk remedies is effective in the initial stages of the disease. With a more advanced form, it is better to get advice from a specialist.
best remedy for toenail fungus
Few people know that with the help of vinegar you can solve the rather difficult medical problem of eliminating nail fungus. With the availability of table vinegar (9% acid solution), and even vinegar essence (70% acid solution) available at the hardware store or market, there are many ways to treat toe fungus with this product.
Of course, self-treatment with vinegar should be carried out only if the disease has not gone into an advanced form, and it is advisable to combine it with specially designed drugs. However, when there is an urgent need to treat nail fungus, and there is no money and time to visit a doctor, and there is no medical therapy, it is possible to use vinegar on its own, as long as you follow the appropriate safety rules.
Features of the use of vinegar for the treatment of fungus
The main effect of using vinegar is to create an acidic environment in the area of infection with the fungus, which prevents the growth of hyphae and the spread of spores. Gradually, the fungus, left without access to new sources of nutrients, dies, and the absence of much more hardy spores prevents the possibility of a recurrence of the disease.
At first glance, everything is very simple - how to destroy bacteria with an antiseptic. But in fact, the fungus turns out to be very tenacious, since its body is not located on the surface of the nail or skin, but goes into the thickness of the tissues. In this regard, a positive result from the treatment of oncomycosis should be expected only in the case of strict regularity of the procedures, which will not leave the parasite time for rehabilitation and penetration under the skin.
Before treating nail fungus, make sure that the concentration of acetic acid used matches that indicated in the recipe. If the recipe contains a mention of vinegar essence, then it means a 70% solution that must be dissolved or applied pointwise. Food or table vinegar, respectively, contain 6 and 9% acid. Neglect of these data can lead to the fact that the treatment will end in a chemical burn.
Vinegar baths
Warm foot baths are considered an effective remedy against fungus, regular use allows you to get rid of onychomycosis at an early stage without additional medications. Also, vinegar baths are an excellent prevention of fungal infection. The procedure requires warm, about 50 ° C, water and a glass of table vinegar 9% concentration. The water level in the basin should not be high, but only up to the ankles. The feet are dipped in the solution and kept there for 15 minutes.
Before the vinegar bath, it is desirable to carry out a complete pedicure procedure, including the removal of the affected areas of the nail plate and dead skin layers, calluses and corns on the feet, but without applying a decorative coating to the nails. If you cut and file your nails yourself, then you need to do it very carefully, as microdamages in the skin can contribute to the spread of a fungal infection.
Immediately after the vinegar bath, dry the feet with a towel and put on cotton socks. Repeat three times a week.
Acetic lotions
Lotions on places affected by the fungus are best done after vinegar baths. For this, both pharmacy products and pure 9% vinegar are suitable, in which a cotton pad is moistened and applied to the nail for fifteen minutes.
A more complex recipe: a mixture of vodka or forty-degree medical alcohol, glycerin and 70% acetic acid in equal proportions, mix until smooth. A cotton swab moistened with a solution is kept for fifteen minutes on the affected areas, after which cotton socks are put on. The course of treatment is a week, if necessary, can be repeated after a few days.
Ointment
Vinegar-based ointments are stored for a long time, they are more convenient to use than liquid consistency products. To prepare an acetic ointment, you need to take acetic acid 70%, dimethyl phthalate, glycerin and olive oil in a ratio of 2: 1: 1: 1, respectively. After thoroughly mixing all the ingredients, the ointment is ready for use.
To prevent the spread of a fungal infection and destroy its pathogens, you need to apply the ointment daily to the affected areas with a cotton swab, hold for 8-10 hours, and then rinse with laundry soap. You can use this recipe not only for the treatment of oncomycosis of the toenails, but also on the affected nails of the hands.
Treatment of toenail fungus with tea tree oil
Ways to use tea tree oil:
- Foot bath with tea tree oil. Warm water is poured into the basin to the level of the ankles, 15-20 drops of essential oil are added and the feet are kept in it for twenty minutes, maintaining a high water temperature (45-50 ° C). The course of treatment is two months, you need to do baths daily. During the treatment procedure, it is necessary to remove the affected areas of the nail plate using a file, nail clippers or scissors.
- Applying oil to the nail plate. If you do not have a reaction to undiluted tea tree oil, then in order to enhance the effectiveness of the impact, it is applied in its pure form to the affected areas of the nail. Beforehand, the legs are steamed in warm water with the addition of laundry soap (for better dissolution, it can be grated). The oil is rubbed into the nail plate with a cotton swab twice a day, it is not necessary to wash off the product.
How to cure toenail fungus quickly?
The internal and external use of hydrogen peroxide for the treatment of infectious and other diseases was described by Professor Neumyvakin in a book written on the basis of personal experience. He mentions hydrogen peroxide as a prophylactic with antibacterial properties.
External use of hydrogen peroxide to treat a fungal infection is carried out after steaming the legs in warm water with dissolved soda at the rate of one teaspoon per liter. When the nail plates become soft, pinch off a small fragment of the affected area of the nail with manicure tongs and, after soaking it with a 3% peroxide solution, attach it to the nail plate. Leave to act for 10-15 minutes on the nails or 40 minutes to an hour on the feet. Carry out the procedure twice a day until the symptoms of a fungal infection disappear.
To reduce the evaporation of peroxide and increase the intensity of exposure, the nail plate with lotion is wrapped with plastic wrap. After the exposure time has elapsed, thoroughly rinse the toes and hands under running water.
For therapeutic and prophylactic purposes, it is recommended to instill the nail cavity with hydrogen peroxide three times a day.
Good results are given by baths for hands and feet (depending on the location of onychomycosis) with hydrogen peroxide. Dilute 3% hydrogen peroxide in water at a temperature of 40-50 ° C at the rate of two tablespoons per liter of water. The procedure time is fifteen minutes, the regularity of the procedure is twice a day for a week.
Instead of hydrogen peroxide in this recipe, you can use dead water with a negative redox potential, it is also called anolyte water. Anolyte water is safe for use on sensitive skin, but has antiseptic properties that reduce fungal growth.
Effective treatment for advanced toenail fungus
This extreme method of treating a fungal infection is used for severe lesions of the nail plate, it must be used with caution so as not to damage the skin.
To get rid of the fungus, the nail is treated with a rust neutralizer (available at an auto parts store). This tool contains phosphoric acid, which effectively destroys the fungus, but if used carelessly, it can damage skin tissue. Therefore, in the process of its use, it is necessary to observe safety precautions - work in a well-ventilated area, wear goggles and rubber gloves, avoiding contact with the skin and mucous membranes.
A safer way would be to use kerosene, which also has a high penetrating power and a very large effect on the fungus.
Other folk remedies for toenail fungus
Comprehensive treatment of toenail fungus using folk recipes based on hydrogen peroxide allows you to destroy the fungus and permanently get rid of the unpleasant odor and other symptoms associated with it.
Two effective folk remedies against a fungal infection:
- Peroxide Recipe 1. To prepare the healing mixture, you will need slaked soda (0. 5 cups), hot water (4 cups), hydrogen peroxide at 3% concentration (0. 25 cups) and half a cup of magnesium sulfate or Epsom salts. Thoroughly mix all the ingredients and pour in another quarter cup of vinegar. Soak a cotton swab with the resulting solution and fix it on the nail plate affected by the fungus with a patch. You need to renew the bandage every ten hours, the course of treatment is a month.
- Recipe with peroxide 2. The procedure for treating fungus according to this recipe consists of three stages. First, you need to prepare a solution for treating the surfaces of the nail and skin affected by the fungus - mix 3% vinegar and peroxide in a 3% concentration in a ratio of 1: 1. The feet are treated with this mixture while it sizzles. The second stage is the immersion of fingers with a fungal infection of the nail for half a minute in a weak solution of bleach in water, after which they are thoroughly washed under running water and wiped dry with a towel. Finally, tea tree oil mixed with vaseline in equal proportions is applied to the nail plate. Wear warm socks or gloves (if this technique was used to treat fingernail oncomycosis). The course of treatment is a week.
- Novocaine lotion. A very simple but effective folk remedy in the treatment of fungus is novocaine lotion. We simply soak a piece of cotton wool with novocaine and apply it to the fungus at night. Just two of these lotions are enough to permanently get rid of the fungus.
- Apricot resin tincture: 1 tablespoon of resin removed from the tree, pour a glass of vodka, insist for three days. Lubricate the skin of the feet and nails with this solution. Shake before each use. It took us a month to treat, the affected nails were cut off as they peeled off, new, healthy ones grew. On examination, the doctor confirmed the fact of recovery. I can also recommend using old, thickened sunflower oil in this case.
- Garlic applications: I took a clove of garlic, squeezed it out with a garlic press, applied the mass to the nail, covered it with cellophane and wrapped it in a bandage or put on a fingertip. I left the bandage until the morning, the first days I felt a throbbing pain, like an abscess, but I had to endure it. The procedures were repeated daily and new nails grew.
- Strong coffee. Few people know that ordinary, but strong coffee is a very good folk remedy for the treatment of fungus. Make your coffee stronger and just dip your hands or feet into the cup, depending on where you have the fungus. This procedure is best performed in the evening, before going to bed. The fungus completely disappears after several such evening procedures. At the same time, the skin becomes smooth, and the pain quickly disappears.
What causes nail fungus infection
Nail fungus, or as it is called in medicine, onychomycosis, is a disease that causes damage to the nail plates and adjacent areas by parasitic fungal microorganisms. This is one of the subspecies of mycoses. If we consider all the diseases that the feet can only be subject to, onychomycosis is the most common.
It can be caused by several groups of fungi:
- epidermophyte;
- dermatophytic;
- microsporia.
You can catch the infection in public places where the humidity is excessive. This includes baths, steam rooms, swimming pools, beaches.
Wooden objects (benches, sunbeds, etc. ) are widely used here. Due to the porosity of the wood, the fungus is difficult to kill there.
In addition, physicians distinguish several risk groups. For people belonging to one of them, the likelihood of infection increases dramatically.
It:
- elderly people;
- cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy;
- after a course of treatment with antibiotics or steroids;
- HIV-infected;
- patients with diabetes.
It is not always possible to get rid of the disease quickly. The rate of cure depends on the variety of the parasite that caused it, the stage of development of the disease, the area of the lesion, the presence of complications and concomitant ailments, and the general condition of the body.
Symptoms of onychomycosis
Damage to the nails by a parasitic fungus cannot go unnoticed. Symptomatic changes in the nail plates are quite pronounced and boil down to the following.
- Lost natural shine, transparency.
- The color is changing. It can be yellowish, brownish, whitish, bluish, greenish, grayish.
- Surface roughness appears.
- Stripes, spots and thickenings are clearly distinguishable.
- Layering is observed.
- There is exfoliation from the nail bed.
- Different areas are painted and crumbled.
- Surrounding tissues may become red, swollen, and itchy.
- There are pain sensations.
- Feet exude an unpleasant odor.
Despite all this, self-diagnosis can be difficult. At the beginning of development, the signs of onychomycosis are similar to the symptoms of some other lesions:
- injury to the nail area;
- age modifications;
- onycholysis;
- nail psoriasis;
- paronychia;
- pseudomonic onychia.
How to quickly get rid of toenail fungus with folk remedies and medicines
You should be realistic and understand that the fungal infection of the nail and nail areas is not treated in a week. According to doctors, the healing period can last from 6-8 weeks to six months, and sometimes 8-12 months.
It depends on many factors, as well as on the growth activity of the nails. On the hands, this process proceeds much faster than on the legs, and therefore the cure here comes earlier.
The best and fastest possible positive results can be obtained if you follow the recommendations below.
- Use a variety of therapeutic measures in the complex. Do not rely on the effectiveness of any one miracle remedy. Competently combine pharmacological preparations and traditional medicine recipes.
- Treatment should be active, but gentle - aggressive agents, often used for therapeutic purposes, should not affect healthy areas of the body located in close proximity to the affected ones.
- Strictly adhere to hygiene requirements so that the fungus does not spread, also in order to avoid re-infection soon after the cure. And the likelihood of this is very high.
- Watch for dryness of the affected extremities. Remember that humidity and heat are ideal conditions for the active reproduction of the fungus.
- Eliminate all the causes that caused the appearance of onychomycosis and eliminate them.
- Every day, gently, but as much as possible, cut off the growing nail edge affected by the disease. If possible, go through the procedure of laser exposure, which very effectively inhibits the pathological activity of pathogens.
Pharmacological agents
Means acting against pathogens are usually divided into three subgroups depending on the active components. Each of them has in its arsenal both external ointments and tablets of general action on the entire body.
It should be borne in mind that the latter have an extensive list of side effects. Therefore, you should not self-prescribe medications. To minimize the risks, you need to undergo an examination, identify which varieties of the fungus caused the disease, and act with medicines "targeting".
Subgroups of antimycotic drugs
- Azole agents. They are based on triazole or imidazole, as well as their derivatives. Depending on the concentration, they exhibit fungistatic or fungicidal effects. They are effective in the fight against mold and yeast-like fungi.
- allylamine agents. The active ingredients can be terbinafine, naftifine, butenafine. They are able to stop the growth of the fungus, and also have an anti-inflammatory effect.
- Other drugs. They act on the basis of flucytosine, morpholine, griseofulvin, chlornitrophenol additives. They are distinguished by a narrower activity aimed at certain types of fungal pathogens.
External means
At the beginning of the development of onychomycotic lesions, one should resort only to the help of ointments. Only if they turn out to be ineffective, the administration of tableted antimycotics is introduced.
The difference between creams and ointments:
- have a direct effect on the lesions;
- relatively harmless;
- have fewer contraindications;
- adverse reactions are limited.
If you catch the disease at the beginning of development, then it will be possible to cope with it within a month.
The most popular antifungal creams and ointments
- Ointment zinc. Allows you to relieve inflammation, dry the affected areas, get rid of itching, get an adsorbing effect.
- Based on naftifine. Fights inflammation, has an antimicrobial effect. The agent is prone to accumulation in the treated surfaces. Use the ointment no more than twice a day. The tool is not used during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Use of tablets
To provide a systemic effect on the entire body, the doctor prescribes oral tablets. Broad-spectrum drugs are prescribed.
- based on fluconazole. It is enough to take just once a day. Funds are well tolerated. In rare cases, intestinal disorders and rashes on the body may occur. The course of treatment can be 1-4 weeks.
- Based on terbinafine. Able to accumulate in the skin and its horny formations (hair, nails). The course of treatment is at least 6 weeks. Requires 1 tablet per day. The medicine is not given to young children, pregnant and lactating women. It can provoke migraine, muscle and joint pain, allergies, anorexia.
All medicines for nail fungus on the hands or feet should be taken only after consulting a doctor.
How to treat toenail fungus with folk remedies at home
First of all, you should strictly adhere to all medical recommendations, do not skip taking medications and bring the treatment to the end, and not interrupt the course after eliminating especially annoying symptoms.
In addition, you need:
- regularly use local baths;
- apply a specialized varnish that blocks the spread of the fungus, and also has a therapeutic effect;
- daily remove the protruding parts of the growing nail, which is affected by the disease;
- use special means to soften the nail plate in order to remove it;
- steam out hands or feet before using external topical agents;
- take measures to prevent infection of households.
Special lacquers
Lacquers have a number of advantages. The active ingredients penetrate well deep into the affected nails, but at the same time they harden and do not leave marks on clothes, sheets, shoes.
The hardened layer reliably blocks the oxygen supply to pathogens, which blocks their activity. But varnish products are effective only at the initial stage of onychomycosis.
Before using varnishes, you should resort to using a warm local bath. Soaked plates affected by a fungus are cut off to the maximum, treated with a file or other grinding device. The surface is wiped dry
Lacquer is recommended to cover healthy nails too. The procedure is repeated every evening for a long period - from several months to six months.
Help from a surgeon
Both part and the entire plate can be removed. But this is not a guarantee of complete relief from the disease. The likelihood of further spread of a fungal infection is very high.
After surgery, the finger heals for a long time. In addition, suppuration may develop. A newly growing nail may be deformed. A preferred alternative to such a method is laser therapy.
Traditional medicine
For the treatment of nail fungus, the following remedies are used:
- Garlic. Apply garlic gruel in the form of applications on sore nails. A fixing bandage is placed on top. A nightly repetition of the procedure is practiced. You can also use squeezed garlic juice in an equal mixture with alcohol. Nails are treated with the resulting balm twice a day.
- Vinegar. Acetic acid acidifies the environment, which inactivates pathogens. This tool lubricates damaged nails every day. You can use vinegar compresses. To do this, clods of cotton wool are moistened in vinegar and fixed on the desired fingers in the affected area. Compresses withstand all night, removing in the morning.
- Peroxide. Like vinegar and other similar products, apply directly to nails or cotton swabs. Peroxide acts as an antiseptic.
- Alcohol solution of iodine. They can cover the nail plates, including healthy ones, 1-2 times a day. In addition, an iodine supplement is suitable for any bath. To do this, just add a few drops of the product.
- Propolis tincture. It can be used for lotions, as well as injected into local baths for hands or feet. Compresses are left on the nails overnight. You can prepare an ointment, which is a mixture of propolis and butter. The composition is superimposed on gauze and placed on the desired area. The agent is left for 10 hours.
- Burning remedies from vegetables. For the treatment of onychomycosis, onions or horseradish are suitable. They have antimicrobial activity. Herbal products are used in the form of gruel. You can also make a kind of ointment by mixing liquid pomace with butter or rendered chicken fat.
- Essential extracts. These funds have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, regenerative effects. For the preparation of local baths or as part of mixtures for compresses, oils can be used:
- cedar;
- tea tree;
- rosemary;
- lavender;
- firs and some others.
The essential extract is mixed with vaseline in a ratio of 1: 1. It should be rubbed into damaged nail plates. As always in such cases, the remedy will have a stronger effect if the nails are pre-steamed.
Prevention measures
The risk of re-infection with the fungus after getting rid of the disease is very high. Therefore, you need to clearly follow simple rules:
- follow the hygiene of the feet;
- get rid of shoes, towels and socks that were used during treatment;
- avoid sharing such things with other family members;
- avoid excessive moisture of the feet, use talcum powder;
- treat the inner surfaces of shoes with antiseptics.
Do not forget, all medicines for nail fungus, take after consulting a doctor.