How to cure nail fungus at home

Fungal toenails and healthy nails after home treatment

Fungal diseases of the toenails (onychomycosis) are quite common. This disease is infectious in nature and is caused by pathogenic bacteria (epidermophytes). Almost from the moment of infection, a person begins to feel severe itching in the area of the fingers, which even proven methods cannot cope with. The disease is difficult to treat, so you have to be patient and make up your mindhow to properly treat toenail fungus.

Every fifth person in the world gets a fungus at least once, so it is not difficult to determine its presence by external signs.

Why are fungi dangerous?

Nail fungus cannot be ignored, because this disease is contagious and can destroy the life of the patient and the people around him.

In addition to the constant desire to scratch the affected area, the nail plates begin to change their structure, peel off, infecting the entire area around the fungus. It's unpleasant to look at, so you can't ignore the wound. In addition, it will not be possible to forget about it, because it will constantly remind you of yourself with itching.

Currently, people are very reluctant to go to the clinic, so the relevant question always remains: how to cure nail fungus at home?

Treatment of toenail fungus with folk remedies is becoming common. How to treat nail fungus at home?

People are used to thinking that fungus is not a serious disease and that you can get rid of it yourself. Only when they struggle with the problem for several weeks without success and do not see results, do they turn to professionals for help.

During this time, the disease moves to the next stage, when the desire to scratch the leg becomes irresistible, causing a state of panic and stress.

You must know that toenail fungus visually affects only a separate area of the human body, although in fact it changes the functioning of the whole body for the worse. Toxins that are formed during the growth and reproduction of pathogenic fungi are deposited in it.

Blood flow promotes their distribution throughout the body, which leads to metabolic function disorders, increases sensitivity to many negative factors, causing all kinds of complications.

On the outside, the affected nail is painted in different colors. It depends on the pathogen, as the fungus can be a mold, yeast or dermatophyte.

Over time, nail keratinization leads to the fact that even cutting becomes a problem, and how to cure nail fungus at home in this case? Traditional methods of treating toenail fungus are the first thing victims resort to.

Causes of fungus:

  • open wounds on the feet (scratches, ulcers, scratches, corns);
  • violation of hygiene rules;
  • weak immunity;
  • antibiotics or other drugs used to treat any illness;
  • excessive sweating of the feet.

But all these reasons are secondary, because the main thing is the infection caught in the sick person. About a third of the patients contracted a fungal infection when visiting saunas, swimming pools, nail salons and other crowded places.

The presence of moisture only activates the infection process and creates favorable conditions for the spread of bacteria. It is enough to go through a public shower barefoot or use someone else's flip flops for the scales of the patient's skin to affect your skin.

You can often become infected by using washcloths, rugs and other similar common items. But even at home, no one is safe from a yeast infection.

It is enough for one of the household members to go to the beach or to the pool and he can become a carrier of bacteria, and if he shares slippers or a sponge with him, the whole family can become infected.

The lack of moisture also does not hinder the functioning of the fungus. For example, a visit to an acquisition store can become a site of infection. People in acquisitions often take off their shoes and step on the same mat.

Shoe stores, where people try on shoes without socks, are a breeding ground for many diseases, including fungal ones.

Fungal spores are able to withstand low and high temperatures, which prolongs their life by several months, and even on the beach in the most extreme heat they live peacefully in the sand.

Since the sand or small pebbles on the beach are a natural exfoliator for the feet, the infected skin particles are there in large quantities and stick to those who have open wounds on the feet.

Used shoes are another carrier of fungal spores. Of course, shops that sell such goods are obliged to put them on sale only after appropriate chemical treatment, but this is not always done.

The first manifestations of fungi

The initial signs of fungus are a change in the color of the nail plate, the appearance of spots

The fungus manifests itself in different ways all the time. If the person is healthy and there is no damage to the legs, then this can manifest itself in the form of peeling. If there is damage between the toes or on the heel, the symptoms may be more severe.

The disease begins with peeling of the skin near the nails, slight redness and itching. This may not be given any importance, as the cause may be uncomfortable or poorly breathable shoes. In addition, redness between the fingers is quite difficult to notice immediately.

Clear signs of fungus are more visible in areas where the skin of the feet sweats. Diaper rash appears there, and blisters appear in the later stages.

The color of the nails changes from transparent to yellowish, the plate becomes cloudy and bumpy. As bacteria begin to attack the nail, streaks, yellowish spots will appear, and the nail will begin to crack and peel.

The subungual space will be filled with a mixture of crumbs, alternating with empty pits. But the most problems will be due to the increasing itching and rotten smell from the feet, which will increase if the foot sweats.

The advanced stage may be accompanied by fever and movement problems. Treatment of toenail fungus in this case will require immediate medical attention. He will determine which species caused the disease and what measures should be taken to combat it.

In the initial stage, you can treat toenail fungus with folk remedies or by using pharmaceutical antifungal ointments and gels.

Options for traditional methods of treating foot fungus

Poultices made of lemon drops - a folk remedy for toenail fungus
  1. The use of washing powder has always been considered effective, as it contains alkali that can kill any type of fungus. Half a glass of powder should be poured into a hot bath and feet immersed in it. You should not sit for more than 15 minutes. The procedure must be repeated for 10 days.
  2. Everyone knows that garlic kills bacteria. In the fight against fungi, it is used in its pure form, cutting cloves into two parts and immersing them in salt. Garlic should not be eaten, it should be rubbed on the area of the legs damaged by the fungus. Garlic can cause even greater irritation and redness, so it should not be applied for a long time. 5-7 minutes is enough.
  3. Compressing with ammonia at night is also a method of treating foot fungus with folk remedies. Add one tablespoon of ammonia to 250 mg of water, soak a natural fabric that will retain moisture well in the solution and wrap the leg.
  4. Lubricate the foot with a paste made of soda and water for 20 minutes. This will stop the spread of bacteria.
  5. Sprinkle the steamed legs with boric acid powder and put on socks.
  6. Does iodine cure nail fungus? Treatment of toenail fungus with iodine is not limited to the usual smearing of damaged areas. A product made of iodine, vinegar essence, glycerin and water in a ratio of 1: 2 (2 parts water) helps if you rub it on the affected areas at night. Before that, it is necessary to scald them so that the pores open and the medicine penetrates better.
  7. The simplest way, which can be used only in the first stage of the disease, is to insert tampons soaked in alcohol between the fingers. You can do this overnight or until the alcohol dries completely.
  8. Grated onion gruel will also help stop the spread of the infection, for which it should be applied for several hours.
  9. How to treat foot and nail fungus with medicinal herbs? Dry chamomile, mint, sage and nettle are suitable for this purpose. They can be crushed in equal parts, poured into a sock and put on at night. The same powder cannot be used a second time, just like a sock. In summer, it is possible to use fresh flowers.
  10. Treatment of foot fungus with vinegar is very effective. How to treat nail fungus with vinegar? To do this, you need to make baths with a solution of 9% vinegar. First you need to steam your feet, then pour vinegar into warm water, lower your feet there for 15 minutes so that the soles do not touch the bottom. After the procedure, leave the feet to dry naturally without rinsing with clean water.
  11. We treat nail fungus with hydrogen peroxide. The application procedure is the same as in the case of vinegar, only 3% peroxide is used instead.
  12. Cut a lemon into slices and apply to the affected nail. Cover with cheesecloth on top and wrap with foil overnight.

Prevention

To prevent fungal infection, you must wear slippers when walking on the beach.

To effectively treat toenail fungus, it is better to prevent the infection in the first place. To get rid of the unpleasant disease, you must follow the recommendations:

  • do not walk barefoot in public places;
  • when visiting the gym, swimming pool, water park, wear rubber slippers;
  • use an antifungal varnish that has a fungicidal effect;
  • buy comfortable types of shoes made of fabric or leather;
  • make sure that in nail salons they work with you only with tools that have undergone heat treatment;
  • do not use someone else's slippers, towel or socks;
  • don't wear the same socks every day;
  • wash your feet in the morning and in the evening;
  • take vitamins;
  • At the first signs of a fungal disease, use a gel that relieves itching, peeling and erosions.

What is dangerous and how to treat advanced nail fungus at home

Old fungus can cause complications of diseases such as diabetes, bronchial asthma or allergies. It becomes a channel for other infections that can affect the internal organs.

An increased amount of toxins in the body leads to intoxication.

Old fungus cannot be cured only with folk remedies. How to treat advanced toenail fungus? This will require a course of medication under the supervision of a dermatologist, and folk remedies should be used in addition.

The causes of advanced fungus can be a late visit to the doctor, an incorrectly prescribed course of treatment or the ineffectiveness of the drugs used.

Old fungus requires long-term treatment, which can last six months. How to cure old nail fungus?

The doctor can make a diagnosis only after analyzing scrapings from the damaged area, after which he will prescribe antifungal drugs. You have to be careful with some medicines; they may be contraindicated during pregnancy.

In parallel with tablets, creams and ointments are used that are applied to the lesion.

How to cure advanced toenail fungus with folk remedies

    Healthy toenails thanks to comprehensive onychomycosis treatment
  1. Cotton sticks are soaked in propolis tincture with 20% alcohol and applied to damaged nails. Propolis helps in the rapid destruction of fungi, after which the old nail plate falls off, and a healthy one grows back.
  2. Kombucha slurry applied to the affected area helps fight the fungus. It is applied several hours a day.
  3. Fat from 100 grams of butter, peeled eggs and 50 mg of 70% acetic acid is used daily. All ingredients are placed in a jar and not mixed. The fat should be kept in the refrigerator for a week until the shells have completely melted. The ingredients can then be mixed until smooth.
  4. 15 grams of calamus root is poured with boiling water and left for 30 minutes. The infusion should be drunk 4 times a quarter of a glass.
  5. At night, it is necessary to apply ointment made from the ashes of 3 cigarettes with 1/2 teaspoon on the nails. toothpaste with fluoride.

What is the best way to treat toenail fungus? There are many effective drugs, but they can be used according to the stage of the disease.

The initial stages can be treated with folk remedies, and for the older stages, complex drug treatment in combination with home medicine methods will have to be used.