Onychomycosis is an infectious disease caused by pathogenic fungi.The problem is relevant for many, because this disease is very common and highly contagious.Therefore, learning how to get rid of toenail fungus will be useful for everyone.Let's think about what drugs can be used in the treatment process and how traditional medicine can help.
Often, fungal nail infections develop in old age.However, the disease may develop in young and full-bodied people.Onychomycosis is less common in children.Any person is at risk of 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 peculiarity of this disease is that it develops gradually.In the early stages, when you can get rid of nail fungus relatively quickly, most people simply do not pay attention to the appearance of the first signs.
Naturally, few people will feel anxious if there is a spot in the corner of the nail.And only later, when the disease affects most of the nails and the plates begin to collapse, do people start treatment.
Meanwhile, there is only one answer to the question of how to quickly get rid of fungus - you need to start treatment at the earliest stage.If the affected area is more than a third of the nail plate area, then the treatment will take a long time.
So, the main sign of this disease is a change in the color of the nail plate.Most often, such changes are noted in the corner of the nail on the big toe.More rarely, the spot appears on the inner edge of the nail or on the other toe.
The appearance of nail fungus on the hands is more or less common;usually, women suffer from this type of onychomycosis.The fact is that women often get manicures, and poor disinfection of instruments and nail injuries are predisposing factors to the development of the disease.
Advice!Of course, the manicure itself is not dangerous, and there is no need to refuse this hygienic procedure.You just need to make sure that the technician sterilizes the instrument carefully or uses individual files and clamps.
If there is no treatment, the spots will begin to increase in size.In addition, the structure of the nail will begin to change.The plate becomes thicker, cracks may appear on it, and the plate begins to collapse.
Often onychomycosis occurs simultaneously with foot skin mycosis.In this case, the skin in the affected area becomes red, inflamed, and painful cracks appear on it.This disease is accompanied by the appearance of an unpleasant odor from the feet.
At this stage, it is impossible not to see the manifestations of the disease, therefore at this advanced stage most patients consult a doctor or start trying to treat themselves.
Advice!Self-medication for fungal nail disease is very dangerous, because the patient cannot determine the type of pathogen.Therefore, the measures taken by him may not be effective.
If there is no treatment or it is ineffective, the disease will develop.The nail plate will begin to peel off.At this stage, bacterial infection often occurs, causing the development of a purulent process.If the disease is severe, it is advisable to completely remove the diseased nail.Therefore, it is better not to take the matter to surgery, but to start treatment on time.
Basic principles
You need to remember that getting rid of onychomycosis forever is not easy.This disease recurs very often.Especially if the patient does not complete the treatment, interrupt the course as soon as the visible symptoms of the disease pass.
To exclude the development of relapse, you need to continue treatment until laboratory tests confirm the absence of infection.
Advice!It is recommended to take the control test twice at an interval of two weeks.If both tests give negative results, then the disease is considered completely cured.
The basic principles of treating fungal diseases are:
- regularity;
- integrated approach.
No single drug, even the most effective, will help immediately.The duration of treatment is determined individually;its duration is affected by:
- type of pathogen (mold forms lesions on the nail surface, so it is easier to cure this type of onychomycosis than diseases caused by yeast or dermatophytes);
- level of damage, at the initial stage the course of treatment may take 3-5 weeks, but if onychomycosis is actively developing, then treatment will take several months or even more than a year;
- the patient's health condition, many effective antifungal drugs have an impressive list of contraindications, so it is necessary to use agents that are less effective, but safer.
In addition, you need to remember that none, even the most modern and effective drugs will help if the patient does not comply with the following rules:
- It is important to keep clean.You need to disinfect all your shoes, and it is better to replace your socks and slippers with new ones.You should regularly disinfect the bathtub, as well as 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, leaving alcohol and very fatty foods.But fermented milk products, cereals and vegetables, on the contrary, will be useful.
- Try to practice a healthy lifestyle.Follow a work and rest schedule, spend time outdoors, make sure you get enough sleep, and try to avoid stress.All of these steps 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 artificial materials that can ensure normal air exchange;for example, eco-leather has such properties.
Advice!To disinfect shoes, it is easy to use a special spray, but you can also use home remedies.For example, vinegar.
Pharmaceutical products
There are many medications available to combat fungal diseases.They differ in the form of release and active ingredients.It is impossible to recommend any medicine that will help everyone without exception.A doctor should prescribe treatment for nail fungus.Often, the following scheme is recommended:
- Use of local agents.Most often, antifungal drugs are prescribed in the form of solutions or varnishes, less often the use of creams is recommended;
- Taking systemic medication, 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 if local medicine does not produce results;
- take multivitamin complexes and means for general strengthening of the body.
Topical products
To cure nail fungus, it is necessary to use medicines that are applied directly to the diseased nail.A doctor must prescribe medicine;the patient's task is to use it correctly.
First of all, you need to prepare your nails.The nail plate, unlike the skin, absorbs medicinal substances poorly, which is why treating onychomycosis is more difficult than skin mycosis.Nail preparation is as follows:
- You should make the nails 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 the same time);
- The duration of the bath is about 20 minutes, during which time the nails will have time to soften sufficiently;
- After this, you need to treat your nails: cut them as short as possible, file them, remove the loose and flaky layer in the affected area.
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 used 1-2 times a day.The solution is applied using a dropper (usually equipped with a bottle) or a pipette.You need to drip not on the horizontal surface of the nail, but on its outer edge.
The cream is spread over the entire surface of the plate and spread a little.Medicinal varnish is one of the easiest ways to treat onychomycosis.They need to be used not every day, but twice a week.However, this medicine only helps in the early stages of the disease.
Advice!Women especially like to use medical varnish, because they can use decorative varnish on top of the medicinal coating layer.
Additional steps
To speed up the healing process, in the process of removing nail fungus, it is recommended to do a hardware pedicure (manicure) or use a laser treatment.During the procedure, the affected part of the nail is carefully removed.
When performing a hardware pedicure, the removal is done mechanically, that is, the nail is cut with a special cutter.After finishing the 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 method
Some people are quite successful in getting rid of fungal infections using simple and inexpensive drugs to treat the disease.Here is a description of the most effective way.
Vinegar
This is one of the most effective drugs and can be used in combination with drug treatment.The essence of this method is that an acidic environment has a negative effect on fungi.
The easiest treatment option is to add vinegar to the bath.For two liters of warm water, take a glass of table vinegar (9%).It is recommended to do this bath every evening before using the topical medicine.You can also make a smear by rubbing a piece of cotton wool soaked in table vinegar on the sore nail for a quarter of an hour.
Garlic
Garlic is most commonly effective against fungal diseases.You can simply lubricate the sore spots with fresh juice or make a compress.To perform the procedure, you need to prepare garlic paste, place it between two layers of gauze and apply the resulting lotion to the affected area for one hour.
Celandine
Celandine juice effectively destroys fungal infections.The affected area is lubricated with fresh juice.In winter, you can use celandine tincture for this purpose, and a decoction of this herb is suitable for bathing.
So, only a specialist can answer the question of how to get rid of nail fungus after conducting the test.Treatment is prescribed taking into account the type of pathogen.It is better to use a combination of drugs;you can combine the use of medicines and home remedies.