Every disease requires a responsible approach, including foot fungus - treatment at home must also follow certain rules.
For information
Much depends on the area and intensity of damage to the skin and nails, whether there are other secondary diseases, even the age of the patient is taken into account. In any case, all funds are divided into 3 main groups. If you want to treat foot fungus at home, you can use topical preparations - these are special ointments, patches and other similar products sold in any pharmacy. You can also drink drugs for internal use. And finally, it is possible to treat foot fungus exclusively with folk remedies - of course, with a reasonable approach. In addition, some experts believe that the most effective therapy is complex, that is, it is necessary to treat the disease with means of different groups.
First you need to make sure you are dealing with ringworm (this is the scientific name for the disease). It has pronounced symptoms such as itching and inflammation of the skin. There is a membrane-like fungus, when exfoliating scales appear on the skin - they are usually located between the 4th toe and the little toe. This can sometimes be accompanied by a bacterial infection that exacerbates the symptoms described. The presence of an infection may be indicated by the appearance of fluid-filled blisters on the skin. This is how vesicular mycosis manifests itself. But the moccasin-like fungus is manifested not so much by itching as by painful sensations in the foot, accompanied by roughness of the skin and cracks.
Medicines
If you are sure of this diagnosis, you can treat the fungus at home with topical products. But remember that they are effective only in the early stages of this disease. In advanced cases, you will have to drink and take drugs for internal use.
As a general rule, if the fungus only affected the skin, you need to use some kind of topical cream; pharmacies offer a wide selection of these products. The course of treatment in this case is 2 to 6 weeks, depending on the dosage and intensity of use. If it is not just a foot fungus, then the disease has also affected keratolytic-type spots, which will help to remove the affected areas of the nail.
As for the means for internal use, they are quite radical means.
It is best to use them in the same way as directed and under the supervision of a doctor. The course of application will be quite long until not only the symptomatic manifestations, but also the harmful organisms themselves completely disappear. As a rule, in such cases, pulse therapy is used, when the medicine for the fungus is taken at certain intervals, for example, they drink this medicine for a week, then endure a three-week break, and then a new weekly course of therapy follows. While it is believed that other medications can be taken at this time, it is best not to do so.
Folk remedies
Of course, not a single doctor will advise you to treat the fungus on your own, if only because first you need to make the correct diagnosis. However, if you are sure that this is just a disease, then foot fungus at home can also be treated with folk remedies. Which one is considered the most effective?
Treatment of leg fungus is often advised to be carried out with the help of washing powder. Such a tool contains a lot of alkalis that kill these microorganisms. You can cure the fungus in the following way: for at least 2 weeks, soak your feet in hot water, in which 100 g of this detergent has been previously diluted. In about 2 weeks, the symptoms of the disease will disappear. But to be sure of the result, it is better to continue for another 2-3 days. The disadvantage of this tool is a possible allergic reaction to washing powder. In order for the alkalis to act on a fungal infection, other means can be used, for example, common sodium bicarbonate diluted in water.
Hydrogen peroxide is used to treat foot fungus. It is especially effective when the disease has also affected the nail plates. When using this method, you first need to steam the skin and nails in a soda solution, for which 1 tsp is taken. bicarbonate of soda and diluted in hot water. When the nails are sufficiently cooked, you can use hydrogen peroxide - cotton pads are impregnated with this composition and applied to the affected areas. To prevent the peroxide from evaporating too quickly (and also to create a squeezing effect), the foot is wrapped in plastic wrap or a plastic bag for about an hour. Foot fungus is treated with this method for several weeks, depending on the degree of damage to the skin and nails. Ideally, compresses should be done 2 times a day, morning and evening.
Foot fungus at home can also be treated with ammonia (it is sold in pharmacies). It is not used in its pure form, but as an aqueous solution (1 tablespoon of alcohol per 1 tablespoon of boiled water). In this solution, you need to soak a cotton cloth and make a compress, which is kept on the leg overnight. Boric acid is considered an effective remedy. You can buy it in powder form at the pharmacy. They are used as a powder. 10 sessions are enough to forget about the infection.
Another folk remedy is garlic. Your teeth need to be cut in half, dipped in table salt and rubbed over the affected areas. Garlic can also be used for compresses. The most common onion works the same way. From herbs, you can advise chamomile, mint, sage. Dried herbs are mixed and placed in socks to be worn throughout the day. In summer, it's even better to use fresh plants, including chamomile flowers, rather than dried herbs.
At the initial stage, you can fight the fungus with the help of ordinary medicinal alcohol. Simply insert cotton swabs between your fingers for 2 weeks and leave them overnight.
Prevention
It is possible to get rid of foot fungus, but for the treatment to be effective, it is necessary to disinfect the objects that the sick person has come into contact with. At home, this, of course, is a shower, a bath, the patient's personal belongings - from shoes and underwear to nail tools. For processing, washing powder or a chloramine solution is usually used. Shoes are best treated with an acetic acid solution (40%). Special attention should be paid to the insoles and sides of shoes or boots. After applying acetic acid, shoes must be aired out. As for linen, it must be boiled in a solution of soda and soap and ironed with a hot iron.
In the future, you will have to pay special attention to hygiene issues - if you go to the sauna or gym, use antifungal ointments and varnishes. You also need to dry your shoes very carefully, especially athletic shoes.