Currently, medicine has reached such a level that properly selected drugs can deal with any type of fungus. But many people do not believe in science and prefer to treat toenail fungus with folk remedies. And they do it wrong: illiterate treatment does not eradicate pathogens, at best it slows down their growth a little.
If you want to use traditional medicine methods at home, you should use them only as an additional treatment to complex therapy, and only after consulting a doctor.
Mushroom characteristics
The difficulty in treating foot fungus is that there are several thousand species of these pathogenic organisms in the world, many of which can successfully live and develop on human skin.Fungal spores are very tenacious, they quickly take root in the epidermis, penetrate deep layers of the skin, and can only be destroyed by drugs intended for their type.Moreover, the treatment cannot be stopped until the pathogens are completely destroyed: if even one spore survives, there is a high probability of recurrence.
Therefore, it is not enough to visit a doctor, it is necessary to undergo tests that will determine the type of foot fungus. Only in this case can the doctor prescribe the correct treatment: even effective drugs for foot fungus will be ineffective if they aim to eradicate another type of pathogen, and the fight will last for many years.
This time can be significantly reduced if you detect foot fungus in time and immediately start treating foot fungus at home: in this case, the fungus can be eradicated within two months. Although the disease develops quickly, it leaves time to detect and take countermeasures. Therefore, it is very important to know which symptoms signal the development of fungi that you should pay attention to.
Symptoms of the disease
In the initial stage, when the fungus affects only the feet and toes, peeling and redness are observed in the places where it managed to take hold. After a while, these areas start to itch and itch, and sometimes small watery blisters may appear. These symptoms should not be ignored: consult a doctor immediately. With proper treatment, foot fungus can be permanently eliminated within two months by using antifungal creams and antifungal varnishes.
If the moment is missed and the disease is not treated, the next stage will be damage to the nail, the color of which will begin to change gradually, and eventually it will turn yellow, green or even black, after which it will begin to peel, crumble and move away from the finger. In this case, simple ointments cannot be used for treatment, and time must be devoted to the treatment of the nail plate.
This means that the nail should be cut almost to the root, and the upper layer of the affected plate should be sawed off, after which it will be necessary to apply an antifungal varnish to the nail, which, after penetrating the plate, will begin to destroy the fungal spores. When this varnish dries, it blocks the access of air to the fungus, which pathogens need for normal development.
If you miss this moment and do not start treating foot fungus in time, longitudinal or wavy lines appear on the nail plate, the nail bends and changes shape. At this stage, it is the most difficult to treat the fungus, and therefore it is necessary not only to apply cream and varnish to the skin, but also to take pills that can cause problems in the digestive system.
Such treatment is necessary because fungi not only spread over the skin of the legs, capturing more and more new areas, but also its toxins, entering the bloodstream, negatively affect the work of many organs and systems.
Vinegar baths
Traditional medicine can also help in the fight against disease. But they must be used wisely, otherwise they can cause harm. Traditional methods can be used effectively in preparing the feet for medicinal treatment. First of all, this applies to baths: before applying ointment or varnish, the skin of the feet should be steamed and the flaking scales should be removed as much as possible with pumice stone.
This will allow the therapeutic agents to better penetrate the skin and act more effectively on the fungus. To remove them more effectively, many reviews advise applying salicylic petroleum jelly to the affected areas twice a day.
The simplest, but according to reviews, a very effective folk method is a bath with vinegar: the acidic environment negatively affects the fungal spores and they die. To use this method, according to the recipe, you need to mix a 9% solution of vinegar with very warm water in a ratio of one to eight (for men who have rougher skin on the feet and thicker nails, you can use three to eight), then immerse your feet in the water. Steam for ten to fifteen minutes, then start the skin treatment.
To treat foot fungus at home, you can choose a different sequence: first simply steam your feet, trim the affected skin as much as possible without injuring it, and only then dip your feet in a vinegar solution. At the end of the procedure, wipe your feet and apply medicine (ointment and varnish).
For a more effective result, you can make a bath with vinegar and celandine. To do this, pour two tablespoons of celandine with water, cook for about 15 minutes, let it cook, add vinegar before steaming your feet.
Other uses of vinegar
You can use vinegar to treat athlete's foot at home using another method. If it suddenly turns out that the fungus ointment has suddenly run out, and there is no way to get it, you can prepare a medicine based on it. This is necessary so that the fungal spores do not feel "free" and become active again. True, it is not a medicine, so at the first opportunity you must buy a medicine prescribed by a doctor.
You can use the following recipe to prepare a remedy for the treatment of fungi: mix a teaspoon of vegetable oil with the same amount of vinegar, add the antifungal agent dimethyl ester of ortho-phthalic acid, mix and apply to the affected skin. After that, wrap your feet in plastic, put on clean socks and finally the product should be absorbed into the skin.
You can also make a compress in another way: mix three egg whites or one tablespoon of glycerin with two large spoons of vodka and 70% vinegar in the same amount as vodka. After steaming and treating the feet, soak a cotton ball in the product, apply to the affected skin of the feet and wrap with polyethylene. Leave it for no more than half an hour, because the product is very concentrated. For the same reason, the method cannot be used in the presence of small cracks.
Benefits of propolis
Many claim that they managed to get rid of fungus at home thanks to the alcohol tincture of propolis, which is considered a natural antibiotic and has fungicidal, bactericidal and bacteriostatic properties. Propolis can relieve itching, stop the inflammatory process and prevent the fungus from infecting healthy parts of the skin.
In order to prepare the alcohol tincture yourself, you need to mix 20 g of propolis with 80 ml of medical alcohol and let it stand for a week. To treat foot fungus with propolis, it is necessary to apply a cotton swab soaked in propolis tincture daily to the affected skin, securing it with a bandage. This should be done several times during the day.
Propolis ointment helps to get rid of fungus. To do this, melt 100 g of any fat (butter, petroleum jelly, lard or fish oil) in a water bath, add 30 g of ground propolis and cook over low heat, stirring for about half an hour. Strain and apply to the skin in the evening, after steaming the feet (if desired, more often). Store in the refrigerator.
Iodine and garlic
Another effective way to help cure foot fungus at home is a 5% iodine solution. It can be used if for some reason an antifungal varnish cannot be obtained. It is not an equivalent substitute, but it is capable of stopping and even destroying fungal spores. Therefore, it is better to buy anti-fungal varnish at the first opportunity (if only because iodine cannot harden and block the access of air to fungal spores).
To apply iodine, you must carefully treat the affected nails once a day for two weeks.Before doing this, do not forget to treat the surface of the nail with a nail file so that the iodine has a chance to penetrate deeper into the plate. When using this method, it is necessary to take into account that a burning sensation is possible during the procedure.
Garlic is good against fungi. It can be used in different ways: not only applied to the skin externally, but also taken internally (this helps strengthen the immune system). You can prepare garlic according to various recipes.
A pulp compress will help treat foot fungus. To use this method, you need to chop a few cloves of garlic in a garlic press or grate them on a fine grater. After that, apply the paste on the nail, making sure that it does not end up on the skin, fix it with a bandage in two or three layers, wrap it in cellophane and put on cotton socks. At night, you must make a garlic poultice, remove it in the morning, wash your feet under running water, apply an anti-fungal cream and, if necessary, varnish.
If you don't want to make anti-fungal compresses at night, you can apply the paste to your nails after scalding and cleaning them. Keep it for 10-15 minutes until it dries, during this time do not walk. Use this method two to three times a day.
You can use garlic tincture with alcohol to treat fungus. To do this, mix medical alcohol, squeezed garlic juice and water in equal proportions. Leave for at least two days, treat your nails twice a day. How long it will take to cure foot fungus with garlic depends on how timely the treatment is started. Also, do not forget to use antifungal ointments and varnish.