How to Get Rid of Toenail Fungus

Nail mycosis, like all other fungal diseases, is a contagious disease.Pathogenic microscopic fungi are very easily transmitted from a sick person to a healthy person and quickly penetrate the nails, forming a colony.

Toenails are the places that most often suffer from fungal infections.According to medical statistics, nail fungus affects approximately 15% of the world's population.Note that men are more susceptible to this disease.Doctors attribute this phenomenon to the fact that women are more scrupulous about hygiene standards.In addition, the fungus affects older people much more often, which is most likely due to their slightly reduced immunity and the presence of chronic diseases.

Regardless of the type of fungus that causes the nail disease, it will present with similar symptoms and require the same treatment.Due to the fact that fungal nail infection does not pose a threat to life, most patients are in no hurry to receive treatment, considering that the problem is only cosmetic.This approach is fundamentally wrong, since due to prolonged exposure to the fungus, the immune system begins to suffer, and this opens the door to many diseases.

How does fungal infection occur?

It is very easy to get a fungal infection.That is why this disease has become so widespread.Most often the disease is caused by the following reasons:

• violation of personal hygiene rules;
• wearing someone else's shoes;
• wearing someone else's socks;
• being barefoot in the gym;
• being barefoot in the pool;
• being barefoot in a public bathroom.

The fungus is transmitted particularly quickly from one family member to another.For this reason, even if 1 person in the family is facing this disease, everyone should get their nails treated.

What predisposes to the development of nail fungus

Some people are more susceptible to fungal diseases, while others are less susceptible.This is due to the fact that there are certain factors that predispose to the disease.Such provocateurs of the disease include:

• diabetes mellitus: since this disease causes damage to the capillaries, the metabolism in the tissues of the nail fold is disrupted, causing a rapid weakening of local immunity;
• mechanical injuries to the nail plate - with improperly trimmed, cracked and broken nails, the nutrition of the nail plate begins to be partially disrupted, due to which its ability to resist fungus is significantly reduced;
• vascular disease: in this case the fungus develops for the same reason as diabetes;
• fungal skin infections - if a fungus is present on the skin, if left untreated, it gradually spreads to surrounding tissues, causing damage to the nails;
• decline in immunity - with a decrease in protective forces, which can occur for many reasons, the body is unable to resist the pathogenic fungus and it easily penetrates the nail tissue.

It is in the presence of provoking factors that in the vast majority of cases the development of fungal nail infection occurs.

How does the fungus manifest itself?

It is quite easy to determine the presence of fungus on the nails, since the symptoms of this disease are very noticeable and it is not easy to confuse them with something else.You can suspect a fungal infection of the nail plate when the following signs appear:

• change in the color of the nail plate - in the presence of fungi, the color of the nail changes from healthy to yellow, grayish or brown, depending on the type of fungus that caused the disease;
• rough surface of the nail: the roughness caused by a fungus is easily determined not only by touch, but also by eye.This symptom appears due to the fact that uneven destruction of the upper layer of the nail plate occurs;
• delamination of the nail: the nail begins to detach from the edge and gradually the process reaches the base of the plaque.On examination the border of the nail delamination area is clearly visible;
• white spots under the nail - this is what the places look like where the nail has started to detach from the base.As the nail plate grows under the influence of the fungus, a cavity resembling a white spot forms between it and the subungual tissues;
• dullness of the nails: the shine of the nail gradually disappears and no specific damage to its surface is observed.This symptom occurs due to peeling of the top layer of the nail, which is thin and called skin.It contains fat and moisture, which is why there is shine;
• a large number of hangnails: the appearance of these very painful dry peelings on the skin is observed due to the fact that the fungus also affects the nail fold.Because of this, the skin begins to die and peel quickly;
• detachment of the nail plate - due to the fact that the fungus affects the growth area of the nail, the plate begins to gradually peel off, first from the base and then evenly, up to the edge;
• destruction of the nail plate: the diseased nail becomes brittle, begins to crumble and deform.This happens due to the growth of fungi in the thickness of the nail.

When the first symptoms of nail fungus appear, you should start therapy with drugs or folk remedies.Both are very effective and therefore the patient must decide for himself which treatment method to prefer.

Medicines against nail fungus

If the nail plate is not yet strongly affected by the fungus, you can do without removing it.To cure a nail you need to use medications prescribed by your doctor.

Treatment of nail fungus with medications is very long and can last up to 1 year.It is necessary to apply medicinal formulations strictly according to the rules and without omissions, otherwise all efforts spent on eliminating the fungus will be in vain.

When the fungus has affected the thickness of the nail, it makes no sense to treat the nail plate and it is necessary to use drugs designed to remove it.If these products are used correctly, the diseased nail can be removed painlessly or almost painlessly.

In this case there are drugs that soften and detach the nail plate from the underlying tissues.Removal of the nail occurs several times and causes almost no discomfort to the patient.

Folk remedies for the treatment of nail fungus

Traditional medicine can be used in the treatment of nail fungus only if the disease has not gone too far.Ideally, such methods of therapy should be started at the first symptoms of the disease.

• Iodine is destructive to almost all types of nail fungus and therefore can be successfully used in the fight against the disease, although doctors do not take this method of therapy very seriously.Using iodine solution is easy.To achieve the desired effect, it is enough to lubricate the diseased nail with iodine in the morning and evening.Healthy nails should also be treated with iodine, but only once every 2 days.This treatment is continued until a healthy nail begins to grow.
• Kombucha can also be used in treatment.A small piece will be enough to remove fungus from your nails.Such a piece should be separated from the fungus and cleaned of films.Then it is ground into a pulp, which is rubbed into the sore nail in the morning and evening.This treatment lasts at least 45 days.
• Copper sulfate is also used in the fight against nail fungus.For medicinal purposes, you need to take 1 level teaspoon of copper sulfate and dissolve it in 1 liter of boiled water.The resulting composition is very concentrated and therefore for treatment 1 tablespoon is added per 1.5 liters of water at a temperature of 50 degrees.A foot bath with this composition is used once a day.The duration of the procedure is 15 minutes.Therapy is continued until a healthy nail begins to grow.
• A salt and vinegar bath is helpful at the onset of fungal nail infections.To prepare the composition for the bath you need to dissolve 4 tablespoons of 9% vinegar and 100 g of salt in 4 liters of very warm water.Bathing is done 2 times a day.The duration of 1 procedure is 15 minutes.If there are wounds on the skin of the legs, it is better to refuse such treatment, as this can lead to their degeneration into ulcers.
• Celandine is also recommended for the treatment of nail fungus.In the summer season, when you can easily find a fresh plant, it will be useful to use its juice.To obtain the medicinal composition, the stems of the plant are scrolled through a meat grinder, and then the juice is squeezed out of the resulting mass through cheesecloth.Prepare 200 ml of juice.Then the same volume of alcohol with an alcohol content of 70% is poured into the juice.After infusing the drug for 1 day, it is used to lubricate the affected nail 4 times a day.In order for the beneficial effect to be maximum, the legs are pre-steamed.Treatment is carried out until the healthy nail plate grows completely.
• Baking soda is another way to fight nail fungus.For therapeutic purposes it is better to use baking soda paste.To prepare it, 1 teaspoon of the substance is diluted with boiled water until a thick paste is obtained and mixed well.After that, the drug is applied to the affected nail in a thick layer and sprinkled with lemon juice.Following the chemical reaction you will feel a slight burning sensation and abundant foam will be observed.After 5 minutes of exposure, the soda is washed off.This procedure is repeated every day until a healthy nail grows.

Prevention of nail fungus

If you do not forget the rules for preventing nail fungus, it is quite possible to protect yourself from this problem.To prevent the disease, you should follow the following recommendations:

• observe hygiene rules;
• do not wear wet shoes;
• wash your slippers at least once a month using antibacterial detergents;
• use iodine treatment of nails as a preventive measure once a month;
• wear only your own shoes;
• use flip flops when in the sauna and swimming pool;
• regularly do manicures and pedicures according to all the rules;
• change socks every day;
• air your shoes every day;
• use an ultraviolet shoe dryer.

With strict compliance with preventive measures, fungal diseases can be prevented even if there is a sick person in the family.It is very important to tell your child from early childhood about hygiene rules and the dangers of breaking them.The fact is that many children get sick with nail fungus by trying on adult shoes of guests or parents, as well as exchanging shoes with friends in kindergarten.Understanding why this is dangerous to your health will help protect your child from nail fungus from an early age.