Foot fungus, which can be delayed at home, can affect one in five people. In most cases, this pathology does not endanger the patient's life, but causes a lot of discomfort. If the rules of personal hygiene are not followed, the fungus red trichophyton infects the foot. Candida is often found in the colonies of this microorganism. As a result of the reproduction of pathogenic microflora, toxic toxins are formed, which are transferred from the bloodstream to the body. They disrupt the metabolism and increase the body's sensitivity to external negative factors.
It is necessary to understand in more detail how to treat foot fungus at home to get rid of this problem quickly.
How to distinguish fungi from other diseases?
Before starting treatment, it is important to make sure that the feet are really affected by the fungus and not by another infection. As a rule, infection with this microorganism is accompanied by dryness and flaking of the feet. In some cases, the skin may become red and flakes will appear between the folds. If a person suffers from excessive sweating, a diaper rash may occur. They are often accompanied by itchy vesicles and calluses.
Particular attention should be paid to the color and shape of the nails. Fungal spores tend to penetrate deep under the nail plate. First, yellow streaks appear on the nails, over time the latter begin to crack and lose color. Then cavities or a crumbling mixture form under the nail. All this is usually accompanied by an unpleasant odor.
If a person finds these signs in himself, treatment should begin immediately. At this stage, the infection is much easier to treat. One course of antifungal therapy will be enough to get rid of this problem.
If the fungus is ignored, it can develop into mycosis. It is able to interfere with movement, sometimes due to the pathology in humans, body temperature may rise. In some cases, the neglected fungus can provoke the development of psoriasis or eczema.
Treatment of nail fungus at home should begin only after consultation with a specialist. The dermatologist will tell you which baths and ointments should be used to eliminate the pathology.
As the treatment of foot fungus with home remedies involves the use of products of animal and plant origin, it is mandatory to pass all tests that will eliminate the risk of allergic reactions.
Methods of treating nail fungus at home
Treatment of foot fungus at home should begin with disinfection. At the same time it is necessary to disinfect not only the affected areas of the skin, but also all items of care for the feet, shoes, clothes and bathroom. The lack of regular disinfection cancels the effectiveness of treatment, contributes to the infection of other family members with this disease.
You can use Australian tea tree oil to disinfect the skin. It perfectly removes inflammatory processes provoked by fungi, moisturizes and softens dry skin. Tea tree oil should be rubbed into the affected areas 2 times a day for 1-2 months. Constant use of this natural component will help you forget forever not only about the fungus, but also about cracks and calluses.
It is recommended to boil the clothes with the addition of detergents. For 5 liters of boiling water you need to take 1 tsp soda and ¼ laundry soap. If possible, it is advisable to completely get rid of old socks.
Shoes should be treated regularly with 40% acetic acid. With a cotton swab dipped in the substance, it is necessary to wipe thoroughly the entire inner area of the shoe. The used discs should then be discarded and the new ones soaked in acetic acid again, put in the boot or shoe and tied with a plastic bag. It is advisable to do this at night so that the whole infection is destroyed by morning. It is better to wash the insoles periodically. This will help get rid of the pathogenic microflora that lives in the shoes.
There are no less fungi in the bathroom than in shoes and clothes. Tiles and all interior elements should be cleaned regularly with chlorinated water. You can add a little washing powder to it. Make sure that all surfaces are dry and free of moisture. It is recommended to constantly ventilate the bathroom to prevent the development of fungus.
Scissors, brushes and other cosmetic products used to treat nails and feet should be placed in alcohol. If the metal composition allows, then you can disinfect them with fire.
All methods of treating nail fungus will be in vain if you do not follow the rules of personal hygiene and do not disinfect.
Foot baths
Home remedies for toenail fungus can be applied topically (rubbed into the skin) or taken in baths. This is the most common way to treat this disease. It will not only help to disinfect the skin and nail plate, but will also relieve fatigue and swelling. It is best to do foot baths at night. Immediately after this procedure you should wrap your limbs with a clean towel and go to bed. There will be no sense in the bathrooms if, for example, immediately after them a person puts on shoes and goes to work.
It is necessary to consider several proven recipes for water foot treatments that will get rid of the fungus. The most common way is a bath with salt and soda. To prepare it, you need to mix these components in hot water in equal proportions and place the limbs in a basin for 30 minutes. When the water cools, add hot water. After such a bath, the feet should be rinsed with cool, clean liquid.
Baths with potassium permanganate and mustard are also popular. To prepare them, you need to take:
- 0. 5 h alkali potassium permanganate;
- 1 tbsp crushed laundry soap;
- 1 tbsp. Carbonated drinks;
- 2 tbsp. mustard.
All these components must be mixed in 5 liters of warm water. It is necessary to lower the feet in a basin with the composition for 20 minutes, then rinse them with warm liquid and wipe them with a clean cloth. This procedure can be done daily until the symptoms of the fungal infection completely disappear.
Every day you can soak your feet in a bath of sea salt (100 g per 5 liters of water). For greater effect you can add 4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar.
An effective home remedy for nail fungus is a bath with milkweed. To prepare it, you need to grind 100 g of the leaves and stems of this plant, pour the resulting dry mixture into 3 liters of hot water. In such a mixture, the feet should be kept for about 30 minutes, constantly maintaining the temperature of the liquid. You do not have to do this procedure daily, it is enough to rise in this way on your feet 2-3 times a week and after 1-2 months there will be no trace of the fungus.
Lotions and compresses
Home remedies for fungus on the toes can be rubbed regularly into the damaged skin. Often for this purpose is used onion juice or infusion of the herb horsetail. This procedure is painless, it is recommended to wipe the skin with medicinal products 3-4 times a day to forget about the fungus forever after a month.
You can prepare a special alcoholic tincture of lilac flowers. 10 mg of raw materials should be poured with 100 mg of alcohol and left to boil for 10 days. With this solution you need to lubricate the damaged areas of skin and nails for a week.
It is good to make compresses of alcoholic tinctures. The easiest way is to mix 1 tablespoon of ammonia in 1 cup of warm water. This mixture should be well soaked in gauze and placed on the affected area of the foot. Then the foot should be wrapped in polyethylene and wrapped in a towel. Instead of the latter, you can use ordinary warm socks. Such a compress should be done at night, 2-3 times a week until complete recovery.
Alcoholic tincture of propolis has also proven to be an excellent antifungal agent. She should wipe the affected nail daily for 2 months. The result will become noticeable after the first 2 weeks: the diseased nail plate will gradually begin to separate and a healthy nail will appear in its place.
Garlic is often used in the fight against fungi. It should be finely grated and mixed with melted butter in equal proportions. This mass should be prepared immediately before application on the skin, do not store it for a long time. The resulting slurry should be applied to inflamed areas every day for 2 weeks.
You can prepare a therapeutic mixture of peroxide. For this you need:
- 0, 5 cups of baking soda;
- 4 cups hot water;
- ¼ glass of hydrogen peroxide (3%);
- 0, 5 cups of magnesium sulfate;
- ¼ A glass of vinegar.
All components, except vinegar, must be mixed well. Vinegar should be added last. It is necessary to impregnate a cotton swab with this therapeutic solution and apply it on the nail plate affected by the fungus. You can stick it with glue. It is desirable to apply such a bandage every 10 hours for 1 month.
It is recommended to make novocaine lotions at night. It is enough to moisten a cotton swab in the preparation and apply it at night on the sore spot. You can use such lotions no more than 2 times a week until the symptoms of the disease disappear completely.
Antifungal ointments
If a person has started the disease and does not know how to cure the fungus on the skin of the feet at home, to avoid surgery, it is recommended to prepare a tar ointment. It is necessary to mix in equal proportions pure substance, yellow sulfur powder and burnt blue vitriol. The finished mass must be boiled. The inflamed areas should then be cooled and smeared until the symptoms of the disease disappear.
Vinegar ointment will help to overcome the fungus. To prepare it, you need to mix:
- 70% acetic acid;
- dimethyl phtholate;
- glycerol;
- olive oil.
During the preparation of the ointment you must adhere to the proportions 2: 1: 1: 1. The components do not need heat treatment, just mix them well. Vinegar ointment should be applied to the affected areas with a cotton swab, kept for about 8 hours, then carefully removed with laundry soap. It is recommended to apply the drug on inflamed areas at night.
It will be possible to cure the fungus with the help of celandine ointment. To prepare it you will need:
- 5 drops of celandine juice;
- 2 drops of oregano juice;
- 2 drops of marigold tincture.
- 4 tbsp. l. water.
All components must be mixed well. This ointment should be treated with nails and affected skin 3 times a day.