Currently, medicine has reached such a level that properly selected medicines can deal with any type of fungus. But many people do not trust science and prefer to treat nail fungus with folk remedies. And they do it badly: illiterate treatment does not eradicate pathogens; at best, it slightly slows down their growth.
If you want to use traditional medicine methods at home, they should be used only as an additional treatment to complex therapy and only after consulting a doctor.
Characteristics of the fungus
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, quickly take root in the epidermis, penetrating the deep layers of the skin and can only be destroyed with medications designed for their species.Furthermore, treatment cannot be stopped until the pathogens are completely destroyed: if at least one spore survives, the probability of relapse is high.
Therefore, it is not enough to consult a doctor, you also need to undergo tests that will determine the type of fungus on your feet. Only in this case will the doctor be able to prescribe the correct treatment: even effective medicines for foot fungus will be ineffective if they are aimed at eradicating another type of pathogen, and the fight will last for many years.
These times can be significantly reduced if you detect foot fungus in time and immediately start treating it at home: in this case, the fungus can be eradicated within two months. Although the disease develops quickly, there is still time to detect and take countermeasures. Therefore, it is very important to know what symptoms that signal the development of the fungus you need to pay attention to.
Symptoms of the disease
In the initial phase, when the fungus only affects the feet and toes, peeling and redness are observed in the places where it has managed to gain a foothold. After some time, these areas begin to itch and itch, and sometimes small watery blisters may appear. These symptoms should not be ignored: you should consult a doctor immediately. With proper treatment, foot fungus can be eliminated permanently within two months with antifungal creams and antifungal polishes.
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 gradually change and eventually turn yellow, green or even black, after which it will begin to peel off, crumble and move away from the finger. In this case, simple ointments cannot be used for treatment and time must be devoted to treating the nail plate.
This means that the nail needs to be cut almost to the root, and the top layer of the affected plate must be filed, after which it will be necessary to apply an antifungal varnish to the nail, which, having penetrated the plate, will begin to destroy fungal spores. When this varnish dries, it blocks air access 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 its shape. At this stage it is more 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 with the digestive system.
This treatment is necessary because the fungus tends not only to spread across the skin of the legs, capturing more and more new areas, but also its toxins, when entering the bloodstream, negatively affect the functioning of various organs and systems.
Vinegar baths
Traditional medicine can also help combat the disease. But they must be used wisely, otherwise they can cause harm. Traditional methods can be used effectively to prepare feet for drug treatment. First of all, this applies to baths: before applying the ointment or varnish, the skin on the feet must be steamed and the scales removed as much as possible with a pumice stone.
This will allow therapeutic agents to better penetrate the skin and have a more effective effect on the fungus. To make them disappear more effectively, many reviews advise applying salicylic petroleum jelly to the affected areas twice a day.
The simplest, but according to reviews, very effective folk method is a vinegar bath: the acidic environment negatively affects fungal spores and they die. To use this method, according to the recipe, you need to mix a 9% vinegar solution with very warm water in a ratio of one to eight (for men who have rougher skin on their feet and thicker nails, you can use three to eight) and then dip your feet in the water. Steam for about ten to fifteen minutes and then start treating the skin.
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 soak your feet in a vinegar solution. At the end of the procedure, dry your feet and apply the 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, boil for about 15 minutes, let it brew, add vinegar before cooking the feet.
Other uses of vinegar
You can use vinegar to treat foot fungus at home using another method. If it suddenly turns out that the ointment for the fungus has run out and there is no way to get it, you can prepare a medicine based on it. This is necessary so that the fungus spores do not feel "free" and become active again. True, it is not a panacea, so at the first opportunity you need to buy the medicine prescribed by your doctor.
To prepare a remedy for treating fungus, you can use the following recipe: mix a teaspoon of vegetable oil with the same amount of vinegar, add the antifungal orthophthalic acid dimethyl ester, mix and apply to the affected skin. After that, wrap your feet in plastic, put on clean socks and eventually the product should be absorbed into your skin.
You can also make a compress using another method: mix three egg whites or a tablespoon of glycerin with two large spoons of vodka and 70% vinegar in the same amount of vodka. After steaming and treating your feet, soak cotton wool in the product, apply to the affected skin of your feet and wrap with polyethylene. Do not leave it on for more than half an hour, as 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 the fungus at home thanks to an alcoholic tincture of propolis, which is considered a natural antibiotic and has fungicidal, bactericidal and bacteriostatic characteristics. Propolis is able to relieve itching, stop the inflammatory process and prevent the fungus from infecting healthy areas of the skin.
To prepare an alcohol tincture yourself, you need to mix 20 g of propolis with 80 ml of medical alcohol and let it brew for a week. To treat foot fungus with propolis, it is necessary to apply a cotton swab dipped in propolis tincture to the affected skin daily, securing it with a bandage. This must be done several times throughout the day.
Propolis ointment helps eliminate fungi. To do this, melt 100 g of any fat (butter, petroleum jelly, pork or fish oil) in a water bath, add 30 g of crushed propolis and cook over low heat, stirring for about half an hour. Strain and apply to skin at night, after steaming your feet (more often if desired). Keep refrigerated.
Iodine and garlic
Another effective way that helps cure foot fungus at home is a 5% iodine solution. It can be used if for some reason it is not possible to obtain antifungal varnish. It is not an equivalent substitute, but it is capable of stopping and even destroying fungal spores. Therefore, it is better to buy antifungal varnish at the first opportunity (especially because iodine cannot harden and block air access to fungal spores).
To apply iodine, you need to 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 file so that the iodine has the opportunity 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 several ways: not only applied externally to the skin, but also taken internally (this helps to strengthen the immune system). You can prepare garlic using several recipes.
A pulp compress will help cure 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. Then spread the paste over the nail, being careful not to get it on the skin, secure it with a bandage in two or three layers, wrap it in cellophane and put on cotton socks. You need to make a garlic compress at night, remove it in the morning, wash your feet under running water, apply antifungal cream and, if necessary, varnish.
If you don't want to apply a fungus compress at night, you can apply the paste to your nails, after steaming and cleaning them. Keep it on for 10-15 minutes until it dries, do not walk during this time. Use this method two to three times a day.
To treat fungus, you can use garlic tincture with alcohol. To do this, mix medical alcohol, squeezed garlic juice and water in equal proportions. Leave it on 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 was started. Also, don't forget to use antifungal ointments and varnishes.