Onychomycosis is an infectious disease caused by pathogenic fungi.The problem is relevant for many, because the disease is extremely common and highly contagious.Therefore, learning how to get rid of toenail fungus will be beneficial for everyone.Let's understand what drugs can be used in the treatment process and how traditional medicine can help.
Most often, fungal nail infections develop in old age.However, the disease can develop well in a young and full person.Onychomycosis is less common in children.Every person is at risk of infection, so the question of how to get rid of nail fungus is relevant for everyone.
Symptoms
In order to start treatment on time, you need to know how it manifests itself.The insidiousness of this disease is that it develops gradually.In the early stages, when you can get rid of nail fungus quite quickly, most people simply do not pay attention to the appearance of the first signs.
Indeed, few people will be upset if a stain appears in the corner of the nail.And only then, when the disease affects most of the nail and the plate begins to collapse, people start treatment.
Meanwhile, there is only one answer to the question of how to get rid of fungus quickly - you need to start treatment at the earliest stage.If the affected area already exceeds a third of the surface of the nail plate, treatment will require a long time.
Therefore, the primary sign of the disease is a change in the color of the nail plate.Most often, such a change is noted in the corner of the nail on the big toe.Much less often, the spot appears on the inner edge of the nail or on the second toe.
The appearance of nail fungus on the hands is even rarer;most often women have this type of onychomycosis.The fact is that ladies often get manicures, and poor disinfection of instruments and nail injuries are predisposing factors for the development of the disease.
Tip!Of course, the 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 pliers.
If left untreated, the stain will begin to enlarge.In addition, the structure of the nail will begin to change.The board becomes thicker, cracks may appear on it, and the board begins to collapse.
Often, onychomycosis occurs simultaneously with foot skin mycosis.In this case, the skin on the affected area becomes red, inflamed, and painful cracks appear on it.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 start trying to treat themselves.
Tip!Self-treatment of fungal nail diseases is very dangerous, because the patient cannot determine the type of pathogen.Therefore, the measures he takes may be ineffective.
If there is no treatment or it is ineffective, the disease will progress.The nail plate will begin to peel.At this stage, a bacterial infection often occurs, which causes the development of a purulent process.If the disease is very advanced, it is recommended to completely remove the affected nail.Therefore, it is better not to bring the matter to surgery, but to start treatment in a timely manner.
Basic principles
You must remember that getting rid of 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 pass.
To exclude the development of relapse, you must continue treatment until laboratory tests confirm the absence of infection.
Tip!Control tests are recommended twice with an interval of two weeks.If both tests give a negative result, then the disease is considered to be completely cured.
The basic principles of treatment of fungal diseases are:
- regularity;
- integrated approach.
No medicine, even the most effective, will help immediately.The duration of treatment is determined individually;its duration is affected by:
- type of pathogen (molds form 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);
- degree of damage, in the initial phase the course of treatment may last 3-5 weeks, but if onychomycosis is actively progressing, then the treatment will last several months or even more than a year;
- health conditions of the patient, many effective antifungal drugs have an impressive list of contraindications, so it is necessary to use less effective but safer drugs.
In addition, you must remember that no, 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 footwear, and it is better 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 the affected nails.
- Monitor your diet.It is necessary to reduce the amount of sugar in the diet as much as possible, to 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.Adhere to your work and 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, eco-leather has such properties.
Tip!It is convenient to use special sprays to disinfect shoes, but you can also use home remedies.For example, vinegar.
Pharmaceutical products
Many medications are available to combat fungal diseases.They differ in the form of release and active substance.It is impossible to recommend any medicine that will help everyone without exception.The doctor should prescribe the treatment of nail fungus.The following scheme is most often recommended:
- Use of local agents.Most often, antifungal drugs are prescribed in the form of a solution or varnish, the use of creams is less often recommended;
- Taking systemic drugs, i.e. capsules or tablets.The need to use tablets is determined by the doctor.As a rule, they are prescribed in an advanced stage or in case the local medicine does not give results;
- taking multivitamin complexes and means for general strengthening of the organism.
Current products
For the treatment of nail fungus, it is necessary to use medicines that are applied directly to the affected nail.A doctor must prescribe medication;the patient's task is to use them correctly.
First of all, you need to prepare your nail.The nail plate, unlike the skin, absorbs medicinal substances less well, which is why the treatment of onychomycosis is more difficult than mycosis of the skin.Nail preparation is as follows:
- You should soften the nail by using a warm bath.Soda, vinegar, sea salt, herbal decoctions are added to the water (of course, you need to add one product, not all at once);
- The duration of the bath is about 20 minutes, during which the nails will have time to soften sufficiently;
- After that, you need to treat the nails: cut them as short as possible, file them, removing the loose layers that peel off in the affected areas.
After such treatment, the use of local means will be more beneficial.Their active substances will be able to penetrate deeper, directly to the source of the fungal infection.
Local means are applied 1-2 times a day.The solution is applied with a dropper (usually equipped with a bottle) or a pipette.You should drip not on the horizontal surface of the nail, but on its outer edge.
Creams are applied to the entire surface of the plate and rubbed in gently.Medicinal varnishes are one of the most favorable means for the treatment of onychomycosis.They should be applied not daily, but twice a week.However, this medicine helps only in the early stages of the disease.
Tip!Women especially like to use medical varnishes, because they can apply a decorative varnish over a layer of medicinal coating.
Additional measures
To speed up the healing process, in the process of dealing with nail fungus, it is recommended to perform 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 special cutters.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 methods
Some people are quite successful in dealing with a yeast infection 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 is to add vinegar to baths.For two liters of warm water, take a glass of table vinegar (9%).It is recommended that this bath be done every evening before applying topical medications.You can also make applications by applying pieces of cotton wool soaked in table vinegar to painful nails for a quarter of an hour.
Garlic
The most common garlic effectively fights against fungal diseases.You can simply apply fresh juice to sore spots or make poultices.To perform the procedure, it is necessary 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 areas are lubricated with fresh juice.In winter, you can use celandine tincture for this purpose, and the decoction of this plant is suitable for baths.
Therefore, only an expert 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 drugs;you can combine the use of drugs and home remedies.