Mycosis of the feet and nails is an infectious disease caused by various types of fungi.The infection occurs rapidly, and treatment of the disease takes months, sometimes years.Therapy for the disease is prescribed by the doctor after determining the type of fungal pathogen.Onychomycosis and mycosis often accompany each other, because the infection spreads from the nails to the skin of the foot or vice versa.
The causes, symptoms and treatment of fungi are a hot topic that many are interested in.The prevalence of the disease is high, the disease affects young people, the elderly and children.The disease can be treated if the drug regimen is determined correctly.Therefore, it is necessary to know how the pathology develops and how to cure it.
What is onychomycosis and mycosis, causes and symptoms
Mycosis is the general name for an infection;Onychomycosis is an infection of the nail plate.To treat foot and nail fungus, drugs from the same groups are used.This applies to tablets, topical agents and injectable solutions.For successful therapy, it is necessary to exactly follow the rules for using each medicine.There should be no interruptions in treatment, since fungal colonies multiply at an accelerated rate without the influence of drugs and there are as many of them as there were before the start of the procedures.
The reasons for the appearance of the fungus are the same:
- Infection from a sick person in public places, swimming pools, baths and reservoirs.
- Using uncomfortable or someone else's shoes or contaminated hygiene items.
- Failure to follow the rules to keep your feet dry.
- Premature treatment of sweating.
- Traumatic damage to the skin of the feet and corneas of the nails.
- Incorrect use of drugs, especially antibiotics.
Doctors include disorders in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, metabolic processes, hormonal disorders, pathologies of blood flow in the vessels of the extremities, diabetes mellitus and obesity as systemic causes of fungal infections.
The symptoms of foot and nail fungus are difficult to ignore because they cause a lot of discomfort.Among these, the most common are:
- itching of the skin of the feet, between the toes;
- desquamation of the dermis;
- the appearance of wounds and other damage;
- nails lose their healthy color, become discolored and then turn gray;
- the plate thickens, takes on a loose appearance and crumbles;
- the deformation continues until the cornea is destroyed and the infection enters the nail bed.
Symptoms increase gradually, but itching begins from the first days of introduction of the pathogen.
This is important!Medicines for foot and nail fungus should be used immediately when signs of the disease appear.Delay in therapy makes treatment difficult and causes dangerous consequences, including damage to internal organs.
Mycosis of the skin and nails has age-related characteristics: onychomycosis in children occurs in rare cases;adults suffer from it.Foot fungus occurs in all age groups.
What you need to know about the principles of treatment of the disease
For complete recovery from a fungal infection, the patient must tune in to long-term treatment, which should be carried out after diagnosis and as prescribed by a doctor.Pharmacies sell many antifungal drugs, but choosing them yourself without consulting a dermatologist or infectious disease specialist means wasting money and harming your health.
For some people, effective treatment of foot fungus with an ointment is effective, others need to combine the use of external and oral drugs, and in case of severe stage and developed complications, injections are prescribed in combination with other methods.
Expert advice.The main requirement of complex therapy is the use of effective multifunctional drugs for the treatment of foot and nail fungus and prevention of the disease.Since the viability of the spores contributes to the recurrence of the disease.
Prevention can be done by disinfecting shoes with chloramine or formaldehyde.The fungi die after half an hour of exposure to these substances.
Information about the types of antifungal drugs
The pharmacy has developed categories of drugs for topical use, which are sold in the pharmacy and are available to customers without a prescription.These include:
- creams, ointments, gels;
- solutions, serums;
- sprays, paints;
- plasters.
They have a general effect, have a minimum of side effects and can be used by adults and children.The key to an effective fight against mycosis is regular use and compliance with the procedure.After a visit to the doctor, you will know the procedure for manipulation, how many times to apply the medicine, in what quantity and you will achieve recovery from the disease.Typically, healing with local remedies occurs within 4-6 months.
If the infection is in an advanced stage, local treatment of fungus on the nails is irrelevant.A combination is needed: external drugs plus tablets.It is carried out under the supervision of a doctor, as it has significant side effects.
Information about creams, ointments and solutions
How to treat foot and nail fungus, which topical preparations, according to reviews of users and specialists, effectively deal with colonies of microorganisms?The following list will help answer this question.
- A cream based on salicylic acid at an economical price, which is applied 3-4 times a day to the affected areas of the skin and cornea.If you do the procedure at night, wait for the product to be absorbed, then put on socks.
- Ointment containing undecic acid.The application method is the same as in the first case.
- Formaldehyde for sweaty feet, which kills the microorganisms that cause the infection to spread.Available in solution form.
- Boric acid + resorcinol - used as a means for removing nails affected by fungus, containing boric acid, which has antiseptic and drying properties.Apply to the skin in places where there is a fungal infection.The drug is used as a component of complex therapy for the disease.
Specialized products for removing affected nails
In order for the cornea to come off painlessly, specially designed preparations are used.
According to the characteristics of doctors, a drug based on urea, isopropyl alcohol and polyvinyl alcohol is not a medicine for the treatment of fungal infections.With its help, you can remove the affected plaque without resorting to surgical methods.This alternative allows you to eliminate the diseased nail at home.
This effective drug promotes corneal convergence and bed restoration.It is saturated with stearic acid, propylene glycol, urea, triethanols, tea tree oil.The procedure is performed as follows:
- the nail is steamed in a bath with the addition of a softener based on water, soda and soap;
- concentration of the solution - 1 teaspoon per liter of water.components;
- the foot is dried with a towel, then the nail fold is protected with a bandage;
- The product is applied in a generous layer without touching the surrounding tissues and covered with a bandage on top.
After 4 days, the bandage is removed, the remnants of the plaque are scraped.If it was not possible to remove the plate at the same time, the manipulations are repeated.
Another drug acts in the same way as the previous drug, but its composition is different: it contains the components PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil, urea, beeswax and wax in emulsion, glycerin;acid components: salicylic, stearic, as well as methylisothiazolinone, propylene glycol, mint, lavender and other esters.
How to treat onychomycosis with paints
Antifungal nail polish is the most common product that can be used under cosmetic coatings.The advantage is the concealment of the defect with simultaneous treatment, without negative effects on the body.In this way it is recommended to eliminate the initial stages of the disease.Well-known brands of paint medicines are:
- Amorolfina.The principle of healing is to destroy the membrane of fungal cells.Apply twice a week.
- Rye enzymatic filtrate - in the form of serum, perfectly saturates the diseased tissue of the plate to the bed.You can use it more often than varnish and carry out procedures on a daily basis, which speeds up the healing process.
The duration of paint therapy lasts up to one year.Then you can use the products as a preventative measure.
Good to know!External drugs and varnishes do not help with complicated forms of mycosis.A comprehensive treatment algorithm is effective against advanced fungi.
Tablets
Treatment of foot and nail fungus with drugs in the form of tablets is indicated for the third stage of the disease, the appearance of complications and infection that penetrates the mucous membranes and other organs.The condition for using the complex ointment plus tablets is the development of inflammatory processes and bacterial infections against the background of fungal colonies.
A group of antimyotics is considered a cheap and effective drug for the treatment of fungi.These are effective remedies, but you cannot buy them without a prescription because they have side effects.Therefore, you should agree on a treatment regimen with your doctor.
- Fluconazole.Topical remedy to combat mycosis of the feet and nails in different stages.
- Ketoconazole is sold in every pharmacy without a prescription and is intended to eliminate infections on the skin.
- Itraconazole preparations are expensive drugs that act against mycosis of the feet, nails and fungi on the mucous membranes.
- Preparations with terbinafine are remedies for advanced fungi;contain the active ingredient terbinafine (in the form of tablets or ointments), which kill many types of colonies, destroying fungi at the cellular level.
Common topical medications
An effective remedy against foot and nail fungus is salicylic ointment, which relieves inflammation and itching, easing the patient's condition.In the same row is sulfur ointment: it counteracts the spread of the infection;both ointments cost a penny, but perfectly eliminate the symptoms of foot disease.
Castellani fluid permeates the corneal tissue of damaged nails and kills colonies of the pathogen.Use with caution;if it comes into contact with the skin it causes burns.
Antifungal drops and sprays help fight the disease.
Clotrimazole is used for infections that have affected the skin of the feet and the penetration of the infection into the mucous membranes.Available in the form of cream, ointment, suppositories.
It is allowed to treat a fungal infection with the veterinary drug Creolin.It is used to treat infected areas, and after a while the product is washed off.It has an unpleasant odor, but acts against colonies of fungi, mites and other microorganisms.
The simplest way is to treat diseased areas with iodine.Its antiseptic properties are known to all;the solution kills harmful microorganisms, being effective against fungal spores.
How to deal with home remedies
You already know how to treat foot and nail fungus, what drugs are sold in the pharmacy.Against the disease, baths based on oils, propolis, decoctions, infusions and other independently prepared components are used as additional methods.
Oil therapy
A good effect to reduce the risk of developing a newly contracted infection is the use of natural oils.Make a mixture of equal parts tea tree oil and lavender.Add two parts of olive oil to the mixture, lubricate the nails and affected areas of the feet with the resulting product overnight.
Foot baths
- Lemon juice plus Listerine, apple cider vinegar.Mix all the ingredients in equal parts and add them to the bath water.The concentration per 1 liter is three tablespoons of the composition.A daily procedure lasting 15 minutes will help speed up the treatment process and restore the cells of the dermis and cornea.
- Soda baths are prepared according to the recipe: a spoonful of soda plus 20 g of shaved laundry soap.Keep your feet in the bath for 40 minutes, during which the solution penetrates the skin cells of the foot and the nail plate.
- Pink baths of potassium permanganate.The duration of the procedure is 20 minutes.
- Salt plus vinegar in a concentration of 100 g + 4 tablespoons per 4 liters of water.The salt can be table salt or sea salt.
- 3% hydrogen peroxide - applied for 2 minutes, then a paste of water plus peroxide is applied to the nail, which is washed off once the hissing stops.
Folk remedies
They are effective in relieving the symptoms of itching, irritation on the skin of the feet and around the sore nail.Provide therapeutic support with pharmaceutical products.Independent folk treatment, without drugs, is not effective against mycosis.
To eliminate the risk of spreading the infection, celandine juice is used.Lubricate problem areas, do not wash off the product.It is allowed to carry out several such manipulations per day.
Wrap cut garlic over the affected area, keep it on the nail overnight and on the skin for 10 minutes.
Rub kombucha, melted propolis or oak bark infusion into problem areas.
To restore skin tissue and nails, prepare baths with decoctions of medicinal herbs.To do this, use chamomile, thyme, nettle, calendula.
Conclusion.A wide range of drugs, the ability to combine treatment with local, oral and folk remedies helps to ensure that mycosis of the feet and nails is completely cured.This is a long process, so be patient and learn how to correctly use the tips presented in the article.If you listen to the advice, the unpleasant problem will be eliminated.