Onychomycosis is an infectious disease caused by pathogenic fungi. The problem is relevant to many, as the disease is extremely common and highly contagious. Therefore, it will be helpful for everyone to learn how to get rid of nail fungus. Let's find out what medications can be used in the treatment process and how traditional medicine can help.
Most of the time, a fungal nail infection develops in old age. However, the disease may well develop in a young, strong person. Less commonly, onychomycosis occurs in children. Anyone is at risk of getting an infection, so the question of how to get rid of nail fungus is relevant for everyone.
Symptoms
To start treatment in a timely manner, you need to know how it manifests. The insidious character of this disease is that it develops gradually. In the early stages, when you can quickly get rid of nail fungus, most people simply don't pay attention to the first signs.
In fact, few people will be alarmed if a particle appears at the corner of the nail. And only then, when the disease reaches most of the nail and the plaque starts to crumble, do people start treatment.
Meanwhile, there is only one answer to the question of how to get rid of the fungus quickly - you need to start treatment at an early stage. If the affected area already exceeds a third of the area of the nail plate, the treatment will take a long time.
Therefore, the main sign of the disease is discoloration of the nail plate. Most of the time, this change is seen in the corner of the toenail. Much less often, the spot appears on the inside edge of the nail or on the other toe.
Even less frequently, nail fungus is seen on the hands; most of the time, women encounter this type of onychomycosis. The fact is that women tend to do manicures, and not high-quality disinfection of the instrument and nail injuries are predisposing factors for the development of the disease.
Addendum!Of course, the manicure itself is not harmful and there is no need to refuse this hygienic procedure. Just make sure the master carefully sterilizes the instruments or uses individual files and pliers.
If left untreated, the stain will begin to increase in size. Also, the structure of the nail will start to change. The plaque thickens, cracks may appear, and the plaque begins to fall apart.
Onychomycosis often occurs simultaneously with ringworm of the skin of the feet. In this case, the skin in the affected areas becomes red, inflamed and painful cracks appear. The disease is accompanied by the appearance of an unpleasant odor on the feet.
At this stage, it is impossible not to notice the manifestations of the disease, as it is at this advanced stage that most patients go to the doctor or start trying to cure themselves.
Addendum!Self-medication for fungal nail diseases is very dangerous as the patient himself cannot determine the type of pathogen. Therefore, the measures taken by him may prove to be ineffective.
If there is no treatment or if it is ineffective, the disease will progress. The nail plate will begin to peel. At this stage, a bacterial infection usually joins, causing a purulent process to develop. If the disease starts severely, complete removal of the diseased nail is advised. Therefore, it is better not to take the matter to the operation, but to start the treatment in a timely manner.
Basic principles
It must be remembered that it is not easy to get rid of onychomycosis forever. This disease often causes relapses. Especially if the patient did not complete the treatment, interrupting the course as soon as the visible symptoms of the disease had passed.
To exclude the development of a relapse, you need to continue treatment until laboratory tests confirm the absence of infection.
Addendum!It is recommended that control tests be performed twice with an interval of two weeks. If both tests are negative, the disease is considered completely cured.
The basic principles of treating fungal diseases are:
- regularity;
- A complex approach.
Not a single one, even the most effective remedy will help since 1 time. The duration of the treatment course is determined individually, its duration is influenced by:
- the type of pathogen (molds form a lesion on the surface of the nail, so this type of onychomycosis is easier to cure than a disease caused by yeast or dermatophytes);
- the degree of damage, in the initial stage, the course of treatment may take 3-5 weeks, but if onychomycosis is actively progressing then it will take several months or even more than a year to be treated;
- In the patient's state of health, many effective antifungals have an impressive list of contraindications, so it is necessary to use less effective but safer means.
In addition, it is necessary to remember that not a single drug, not even the most modern and effective, will help if the patient does not follow the following rules:
- Good hygiene is important. You'll have to disinfect all your shoes, and it's best to change your socks and slippers for new ones. You will need to regularly disinfect the bathtub, as well as the manicure tools used to treat diseased nails.
- Follow your diet. It is necessary to minimize the amount of sugar in the diet, giving up alcohol and very fatty foods. But fermented dairy products, cereals and vegetables, on the contrary, will be useful.
- Try to live a healthy lifestyle. Observe the work and rest mode, be outdoors, make sure you get enough sleep, try to avoid stress. All of these measures will help support the immune system.
- Choose the right shoes. Avoid tight models, choose shoes and boots from breathable materials. Now, there are even artificial materials that can provide normal air exchange, for example eco-leather has these properties.
Addendum!It's convenient to use special sprays to disinfect shoes, but you can also use home remedies. For example, vinegar.
Pharmaceutical products
There are many medications available to fight fungal diseases. They differ in release form and active ingredient. It is impossible to recommend any remedy that helps everyone, without exception. The doctor should prescribe a treatment for nail fungus. Most of the time, the following scheme is recommended:
- Application of topical agents. Most of the time, antifungals are prescribed in the form of a solution or varnish, less frequently the use of creams is recommended;
- Take systemic medications, ie capsules or pills. The need to use pills is determined by the doctor. As a rule, they are prescribed at an advanced stage or if a local remedy does not work;
- take multivitamin complexes and means for general body strengthening.
Topical agents
To cure nail fungus, it is necessary to use medications that are applied directly to the diseased nail. The doctor must prescribe medications, the patient's task is to use them correctly.
First, you need to prepare your nail. The nail plate, unlike the skin, absorbs medicinal substances worse, so it is more difficult to treat onychomycosis than cutaneous mycosis. The nail preparation is as follows:
- you should make your nail softer by using a hot bath. Soda, vinegar, sea salt, herbal decoctions are added to the water (of course, you need to add a remedy, not all at once);
- the duration of the bath is about 20 minutes, during which time the nails will have time to soften a lot;
- then you need to process your nails: cut them as short as possible, file them, removing loose exfoliating layers on the affected areas.
After this treatment, the use of topical agents will be more beneficial. Its active substances will be able to penetrate more deeply, directly into the focus of the fungal infection.
Local agents are applied 1-2 times a day. The solution is applied with a dropper (as a rule, the bottle is equipped with it) or with a pipette. You need to drip not on the horizontal surface of the nail, but on its outer edge.
Creams are applied to the entire surface of the dish, rubbing lightly. Healing varnishes are one of the most convenient remedies for the treatment of onychomycosis. They don't need to be applied daily, but twice a week. However, this remedy only helps in the early stages of the disease.
Addendum!Women are especially fond of using medicinal varnishes as it is permissible to apply decorative varnishes over the medical coating layer.
Additional Measures
To speed up the healing process, in the process of getting rid of nail fungus, a pedicure (manicure) or laser treatment is recommended. During the procedure, the affected part of the nail is carefully removed.
In the hardware pedicure, the removal is done mechanically, that is, the nail is cut with special cutters. Upon completion of the treatment, a medicinal antifungal is applied to the surface. The laser procedure not only allows you to remove the affected part of the nail, but also carries out the treatment, as the laser beam is capable of killing the fungus.
home methods
Some people are able to get rid of a fungal infection by using simple, inexpensive remedies to treat it. Here is a description of the most effective ways.
Vinegar
This is one of the most effective remedies and can be used in combination with medications. The essence of the method is that the acidic environment has a detrimental effect on fungi.
The easiest treatment option is to add vinegar to the trays. For two liters of warm water, take a glass of vinegar (9%). It is recommended to do this bath every night before applying topical medications. You can also apply vinegar-soaked cotton swabs to painful nails for a quarter of an hour.
Garlic
The most common garlic effectively fights fungal diseases. You can simply lubricate the sore spots with fresh juice or make compresses. To perform the procedure, it is necessary to prepare the garlic porridge, place it between two layers of gauze and apply the resulting lotion to the affected area for an hour.
celandine
Celandine juice effectively destroys fungal infection. Affected areas are stained with fresh juice. In winter, for this purpose, you can use a tincture of celandine, and a decoction of this herb is suitable for bathing.
Thus, only a specialist will be able to answer the question of how to get rid of nail fungus after the tests. Treatment is prescribed taking into account the type of pathogen. It is better to use a set of remedies, you can combine the use of medicines and home remedies.