To treat onychomycosis, doctors prescribe serious local and systemic chemicals. They can cause allergies and side effects. An alternative to pharmaceutical drugs are home formulations with antifungal action. The effectiveness of traditional methods has not been clinically confirmed. The advantages of treatment with domestic products lie in their availability and positive experiences with others.
When you can do without a doctor and chemistry
Dermatologists direct the attention of patients - neglected onychomycosis can be treated only under the supervision of a physician. Long-term complex therapy will be required, with the appointment of pills and external means. Self-medication is allowed only in the early stages of nail fungus development. Progressive mycosis from just started can be distinguished by symptoms:
- color - after infection with the fungus, the plaque eventually becomes fuzzy, whitish or slightly yellowish, spots may appear; in advanced cases, the whole nail becomes gray-yellow, greenish or brown;
- structure - in the first stages of onychomycosis, the structure of the nail plate does not change significantly, as the nail progresses, strongly thickens, stratifies, becomes loose, crumbles;
- the condition of the skin around - at the beginning of the disease does not change, in the later stages there are dryness, pain, cracks, bumps;
- sensations - absent, if the skin is damaged, itching, pain, general discomfort.
Home remedies can be used only in the early stages of onychomycosis. You can recover on your own if a maximum of 3 nails are affected, on less than 2/3 of the surface, there is no pronounced hyperkeratosis, and the skin is not involved in the pathological process. With extensive changes to the nail plates, a course of complex therapy lasting 3 to 12 months will be required.
There is no food that can kill fungi in the body. Homemade mixtures have a fungistatic effect - they slow down the growth and reproduction of fungal microorganisms. They prevent the infection from spreading to the growing nail.
Why home remedies are better than pharmacies
Traditional methods of treating onychomycosis are based on the use of:
- available food (garlic, garlic, honey);
- popular chemical compounds for household use (vinegar, soda);
- cheap local antiseptics from the pharmacy (peroxide, iodine, alcohol);
- herbal extracts (infusions, essential oils).
All these substances have a high level of safety and are well tolerated when used externally. However, little risk of individual sensitivity remains. The presence of an allergic reaction is easy to check if you coat a small area of skin with a preparation prepared for nails. In case of itching, tingling or swelling, you should stop using the mixture on a regular basis.
Homemade natural remedies have another specific property - they nourish the nail plate and accelerate its growth. This contributes to faster regrowth of the nail and removal of its affected part.
The indisputable advantage of folk methods is their cheapness. Most products and substances are found in every home. In short, you can buy them in any store, with minimal financial investment.
The disadvantages of home remedies for onychomycosis are insignificant - unpleasant odor, stains on the nails, time spent on the preparation and treatment of limbs. Since the patient will fully recover at the end of the treatment, the imperfections of traditional methods can be tolerated.
How to choose an effective recipe
When you get acquainted with the existing treatments for nail fungus, you must use common sense. No one applies completely indifferent substances to horn plates, such as rice porridge or pancakes. Of course, sour cream, milk, raw dough will also be completely ineffective. Traditional medicine recommends mixtures that affect the acidity of the environment (soda, vinegar), vitamins and essential oil products. Such preparations can really be useful, because they create unfavorable conditions for the life of fungi, stimulate the peeling of the damaged part of the plate and accelerate the growth of nails.
Recommendations for applying motor oil, formaldehyde, dilute aggressive acids to nails affected by the fungus are the invention of irresponsible "healers". All methods that can damage healthy skin should be discarded immediately.
If the fungus affects only a small part of the nail, products rich in vitamins and minerals are sufficient. If several nails are affected at once, but the area of damage to the plate does not reach the surface of each plate, you can choose herbal remedies. If your nails are half damaged, you can stop at recipes with baking soda, vinegar or antiseptic drugs. In case of larger mycoses, consult a doctor immediately. Excessive risk is fraught with onycholysis - the process of destroying and rejecting nails on all fingers of the limb.
List of the best home remedies
The most effective are substances that can have a detrimental effect on the fungus. This includes vinegar. You can use ordinary table acid at home. For a milder effect, opt for wine, apple, rice vinegar. Basic methods of home use.
- Pieces of cotton wool are impregnated with acid, applied to damaged nail plates, glued with plaster or wrapped in a bandage. Leave on for 3 hours, repeat the procedure 2 times a day.
- The principle is the same as with the first method, but the coating is left overnight. The method is suitable only if it is well tolerated and there is no irritation on the skin around the plate.
- 9% table vinegar in equal proportions mixed with glycerin, applied to nails with cotton swabs, 15 minutes. The treatment is repeated three times a day.
- A glass of table vinegar is poured into a basin filled with hot water to the ankles. The feet float for 15 minutes, after which they simply wipe off the moisture with a towel. Repeat the procedure 3 times a week.
Baking soda can be used as a paste or as a foot bath. Solutions with it effectively prepare the nail plate for exposure to other drugs.
- The required amount of finely ground soda is diluted with water to the consistency of a thick paste. The tool is used to treat nail plates, applying a paste in a thick layer. Cover with plaster or bandage. Stand for 15 minutes. Then rinse with water, wipe the nails with a cloth. Processing is done daily, up to 3 times a day.
- To prepare medicinal soda foot bath, it is necessary to heat 3 liters of water, add 3 tablespoons of baking soda and 3 tablespoons of iodinol solution. Soak your feet for 20 minutes, rinse with clean running water and dry. The procedure is repeated daily, twice a day.
- Tar-soda bath is prepared as follows: heat 3 liters of water, add 3 tablespoons of baking soda, 3 tablespoons of iodine solution, 3 tablespoons of tar soap chopped on a grater. The solution is shaken until foam forms. Immerse your feet, hold until the water has cooled completely. Processing is done 3 times a week.
Using these methods, you should carefully monitor the reaction of the skin. When there is a burning sensation, redness, swelling, dryness, itching, the method of treatment of onychomycosis should be replaced by a milder one.
Food
Certain vegetables, juices and root vegetables have anti-fungal properties. They are most pronounced in essential oils - very pronounced aromas, specific taste. Proven treatments for onychomycosis include regular use of herbal porridge or juice.
- The garlic is passed through a press until a homogeneous substance is obtained. The same amount of table salt is added. Stir the composition thoroughly until the crystals are completely dissolved. Apply the product on cotton swabs, apply on damaged nails, leave under a bandage overnight.
- Garlic juice, water and glycerin are mixed in equal amounts. The solution is stored in the refrigerator, used for regular nail treatments with a brush, three times a day.
- Onion juice is mixed with aloe juice. The resulting substance is used to lubricate damaged nails 3 times a day.
- At night, a compress of horseradish root, rubbed into a homogeneous porridge, is applied to the nails. Before grinding, the roots are peeled from the skin.
Using natural remedies reduces the likelihood of allergies or irritation. Redness, tingling, itching - reasons for halving the time of exposure to the dressings, rinsing the remnants of the solution from the nail 2 hours after treatment.
Beekeeping products
Bee gifts have always been considered a storehouse of minerals, vitamins and biologically active substances. Among them are components with a broad spectrum of antifungal action. Wax, honey, bee bread, propolis, pollen - all bee products can improve health when used inside and out. For the treatment of fungal diseases of the nails must be used according to special recipes.
- Propolis is used as a tincture. You can buy the finished product at the pharmacy. To prepare the extract at home, you will need to pour 10 g of grated propolis with 100 ml of vodka or alcohol. After 14 days of infusion, the product is filtered into a storage bottle. The tincture is used to treat nails damaged by the fungus 3 times a day. To enhance the effect, the product is applied in 3 layers.
- Propolis ointment. Any fat (100 g) is heated in a water bath. Propolis (10 g) is frozen, beaten with a rolling pin into a fine powder. It is introduced into the heated oil, actively stirring until a homogeneous substance is obtained. Place the mixture in the refrigerator until completely hardened. The ointment is rubbed into the nails 2 times a day. After application, it is recommended to wear cotton socks.
- Equal amounts of honey and onion juice are mixed until smooth. The tool is used to lubricate nails 3 times a day.
You can use the gifts of bees under one condition - if they tolerate them well. If you are allergic to honey, it is better to choose other methods of treating onychomycosis.
Medicinal plants
Among herbal medicines, the most popular are herbal raw materials with tannins and essential oils in the composition. In the treatment of onychomycosis, the use of pure essential oils is allowed, provided that they are applied exclusively to the nail plates.
- 50 crushed marigold flowers are boiled in a large cup of boiling water. After complete cooling, the product is filtered into a vessel with hot water (3 liters). Legs float for 10-15 minutes.
- Pour 6 tablespoons of oak bark with 1. 5 liters of boiling water. Put on low heat, cook for half an hour. After complete cooling, the hood is mixed with 1. 5 liters of clean warm water. Bathe for 20 minutes.
- 10 drops of essential oil of tea tree, lavender, ylang-ylang or rosemary are diluted in 3 liters of boiling water. Immerse your feet in the mixture for 20 minutes. After that, the feet are wrapped in a towel for 10 minutes. The procedure is performed every day.
- Tea tree oil is mixed with a little hot water. The resulting mixture was impregnated with a cotton swab, tied for an hour to the affected nail plate. The manipulation is repeated twice a day.
When using herbal remedies, one should not expect a quick effect. However, regular use of these recipes will not only get rid of fungus, but also strengthen nails, improve local circulation and heal the skin on the feet.
Chemical compounds
For the treatment of fungi, people recommend the use of laundry soap (brown, with the inscription 72%, odorless). Wet feet along with nails foam well. The bar can be used for walking directly over the nail plates so that the foam enters the area under the rollers and under the free edge of the nail. Leave in the soapy state for 20 minutes. After that, the foam is washed thoroughly with a stiff brush. Processing is daily.
Damaged nails can be treated with a pure alcoholic solution of iodine 5%. The disadvantage of this therapy is that the plates are painted brown.
Using a pure solution of hydrogen peroxide, antifungal nail coatings are made twice a day. Cotton swabs soaked in hydrogen peroxide are applied to previously steamed nails. After 15-40 minutes the dressing is removed.
It is very easy to evaluate the effectiveness of alternative treatment methods - if a healthy nail grows in the foot, and the damaged area is reduced after each pedicure, then the method helps. If the condition worsens. And the nail becomes yellowish, thickens - which means that the tool is ineffective. In order for folk remedies to work better, you should cut off the damaged area of the nail every week, treat the shoes with antifungal agents.