Fungal infection of the nail plate is an infectious disease caused by several types of harmful microorganisms. Since the fungus leads not only to deformation, but also, in case of complications, to rejection of the nail, it must be treated. A folk remedy for nail fungus is the safest and most effective treatment option for the disease.
Nail fungus and its signs
Before using folk remedies for nail fungus, you need to make sure that this is it. Signs of onychomycosis do not appear immediately, but gradually. The first symptoms almost always go unnoticed, especially if the person has never encountered a similar problem before.
The main warning signs of the disease are itching of the skin of the palms and soles and discoloration of the nails. If you start treatment at this stage, it will be easy to cure. In addition to itching and changes in shade of the nail plate, fragility appears, inflammation of the areas of the fingers near the nails is observed, as well as thickening of the skin around it.
Important! The pathological process must be diagnosed by a doctor, who will also tell you which folk remedies should be used to treat mycosis.
Causes of nail fungus
Depending on the type of lesion and its location, the causes are multiple. Nail fungus affects not only the feet, but also the hands. When one nail becomes infected, the lesion spreads to the other. This disease is contagious, so it is worth familiarizing yourself with the causes of its appearance on the arms and legs.
Walk
Mycosis is a public disease, because it is more easily infected in places where it is widely used:
- Infection can occur in a swimming pool, sauna or public bath. Harmful microorganisms remain in the shower, on the floor, on changing benches and on carpets. High humidity is a preferred environment for the life and reproduction of pathogenic fungi.
- At home in the bathroom. Even if a person does not frequent swimming pools or wash in public showers at work, this will not protect them from infection. If there is already a carrier of the infection in the family, the use of a towel, washcloth and soap becomes the cause of family infection. Bathroom rugs, shower grates and an unwashed bathtub can also become a source of infection.
- During a pedicure session. Manicurists and pedicurists are required to sterilize their instruments after each use. If these rules are ignored, the client may not only become infected with fungus, but also develop additional skin problems.
- When trying on shoes. Not all stores and outlets control the process of trying on shoes when purchasing them. When choosing a new pair, you should try it on with a sock, as the risk of nail and skin problems in the form of fungus increases.
- Walking barefoot on the beach. Particles from the feet of infected patients remain on the sand, and when walking barefoot, a healthy person can get onchimycosis.
On the hands
Before thinking about how to get rid of nail fungus using folk remedies, you should familiarize yourself with the causes of its appearance. The palm does not come into contact with the causative agent of the disease as often as the foot, so the routes of infection of the nail plate of the hands will be different. The most common include:
- disruption of the endocrine gland, the presence of serious blood diseases leading to complications;
- increased level of sweat in the palms;
- long-term use of antibacterial agents or drugs for malignancies;
- the presence of chronic gastrointestinal diseases, which lead to a weakening of the body's resistance to various microorganisms;
- formation of damage during professional activities, household chores;
- manicure with non-sterile instruments.
How can adults and children get rid of fungus?
Depending on the form of the disease being treated, treatment may differ. At the first signs on the skin of the hands or feet, or on the extremity nails, you should consult a pediatrician if it concerns a child, a therapist or a dermatologist if it concerns aadult.
The specialist will prescribe the necessary medications. These include tablets and ointments. In addition, many of them recommend folk remedies for nail fungus. These methods are no less effective and allow you to combat the problem, even if it is an advanced version.
Important! Treatment requires an integrated approach, as this greatly facilitates the elimination of the lesion. Therefore, along with the listed methods, hardware processing options are practiced.
Folk remedy recipes
Treatment of nail fungus with folk remedies takes place after consulting a doctor. After diagnostics and tests, the specialist takes into account the patient's individual needs and prescribes appropriate medications. It is not worth practicing independent treatment, since ignorance of certain features of the disease and the presence of an allergy to certain components of the remedy or traditional method will lead to complications.
Vinegar essence and egg
Vinegar and other acids destroy the microorganisms that cause fungus to develop. Therefore, vinegar essence or ordinary table 9% is quite often used in treatment. Baths with it can help even with advanced forms. They use it to prepare baths, lotions and prepare ointments. The most effective remedy with this component is an ointment containing a chicken egg with butter. Make a homemade ointment:
- Wash an egg and place it in a container so that it does not touch the walls or stick out.
- Pour it not with vinegar, but with vinegar essence (70%).
- Place in a dark place for a few days, during which the shell should completely dissolve.
- Remove the film from the resulting composition, then mix it with gasoline.
- Add a spoonful of butter, beat.
Apply the mixture to the affected areas before going to bed. To enhance the effect, rewind with a bandage. Treat it for at least a month and a half or until the problem is completely eliminated.
To prepare the second recipe, you will also need gasoline (1 tablespoon) with an egg, as well as dimethyl phthalate (1 teaspoon). Mix all the components and leave to cool for 24 hours. The resulting ointment can also be used before bedtime. After application, wear mittens or socks, depending on the location of the lesion. The result after daily application of the composition should appear after 3-4 weeks.
Peroxide and vinegar
Fungal nail disease can also be treated with vinegar and peroxide. Thanks to this composition, it is eliminated from the skin in 1 week. For preparation, 3% hydrogen peroxide and the same vinegar are used. It is necessary to mix these solutions in equal quantities. If a 3% vinegar solution is not available, it is worth diluting a 9% solution with water in a ratio of 1 to 3.
Before applying the resulting liquid, it is necessary to prepare the surface. The hand or foot should be washed with antibacterial soap and the nails, if present, should be cut. Apply the solution using a cotton pad. Remove it from the nail plate only after stopping the hissing process, characteristic of peroxide. Next, wash your feet and hands and lubricate the affected areas with tea tree essential oil. Even though this recipe is quite effective, you will have to wait a month for your nails to grow back.
Tea mushroom
Previously, kombucha was popular and found in almost every home. Despite its current uselessness, it is an effective folk remedy in the fight against fungus. It has an antibacterial effect. For the first treatment option, not the liquid is used, but the fungus itself. A small piece is applied to the affected area, wrapped in a bandage or plastic bag. Leave it like this until it dries or in the morning. For preventive purposes, in addition to lotions, kombucha liquid itself is also used. In addition to lotions, kombucha is used in other ways. To do this, it must be crushed and rubbed into the affected nails or skin of the feet or hands. Do it at least twice a day.
The next option involves the presence of kombucha infusion for three months. The liquid the mushroom floats in is also used as a solution for lotions. It must first be filtered and boiled for at least 40 minutes.
Important! It is not recommended to use this option for pregnant and lactating women, those who suffer from diabetes or alcoholism, since this mushroom contains alcohol.
Treatment with laundry soap
Another homemade option for removing fungus is to use laundry soap. Despite the fact that experts consider this option not very effective, it is still used as an auxiliary option. Laundry soap has antibacterial and antifungal properties.
It helps soften the nail during bathing, simplifying the subsequent nail treatment process. To enhance the effect, tar and vinegar are used in tandem with soap. You can speed up the healing process by using the following options for using the product:
- wash your feet or hands with laundry soap 2 times a day (morning and evening);
- spray your feet with a small amount of grated laundry soap for at least 20 minutes (one spoonful of soap per liter of hot water);
- soap your feet, wait 20 minutes.
After the presented manipulations, the skin and nail plates soften, which simplifies their treatment.
Birch tar and tar soap
Birch tar and its derivatives, most often soap, are used to solve cosmetic problems. These include increased oily skin, the appearance of comedones, and this also includes nail fungus. Previously, birch tar was used to remove skin lesions by lubricating the skin and nails. But before doing this, it is worth steaming it in soapy water or other solution. After removing dead skin using a pumice stone, nail file or scissors, the tar is applied using a cotton swab and left for several hours without dressing.
In addition to using it in its pure form, you can prepare an ointment based on it. For this you need baby cream and tar. Mix in equal amounts. Also use by applying to required areas. Leave the ointment on for 2 hours, then wash your feet (hands) with lukewarm water.
Another way to cure a fungal infection is also to create a tar ointment. To prepare it you need badger fat or cream, sulfur powder and tar. The mixture is made up of two parts tar and one part fat and sulfur. Mix it all together until smooth. To make the process easier, heat in a water bath. Apply the resulting composition to the nails and cover with a bandage.
Folk remedies for treating nail fungus involve the use of tar soap. With it, as with household items, you can prepare baths and lotions. It also has antibacterial properties. Tar soap and ointments based on it are effective products, but their main disadvantage is their specific smell, as well as certain limitations.
Important! Soap and ointments should not be used if the patient has sensitive or dry skin or has allergic manifestations.
Iodine solution against fungus
Iodine is used to combat the proliferation of microorganisms on nails and skin. It helps eliminate unpleasant odors as well as itching. To benefit from the effect of this remedy, you must use it systematically for a month or two.
To get rid of a fungal infection, you need to take a 5% solution and apply it twice a day. They also make baths with it, adding it to hot water. The procedure lasts at least 15 minutes, after which hydrogen peroxide is applied to the damaged nails.
Lotions are prepared from an iodine solution. For preparation you need nitrofungin with garlic juice, iodine and vinegar essence. Mix everything in equal quantities, stir and apply to the steamed skin area overnight. In addition, with this composition, the affected areas of the nails can be easily removed.
Important! After using files, scissors and other objects to remove the lesion, it is necessary to disinfect it. This is necessary to eliminate the possibility of reinfection.
Potassium permanganate solution
The easiest way to disinfect a surface is to treat it with potassium permanganate. This product allows you to use it for both lotions and baths. The easiest way is to take a moistened cotton swab, dip it in manganese and treat the skin and nails.
- To prepare an antimicrobial bath, you need half a liter of vinegar and 10 grams of manganese. Dilute all this in 10 liters of boiling water. Keep your feet or hands in this liquid for 20 minutes. Repeat the procedure until recovery occurs.
- For lotions, add half a teaspoon of liquid potassium permanganate to a glass of water. Add lemon juice here. Moisten a towel or cotton pad with this solution and apply to the lesion. Put on a sock after bandaging the area. Keep the lotion on for at least a quarter of an hour.
Essential oil lotions
Traditional methods of treatment are inexhaustible and everyone can choose a more effective option for themselves. Oils, essential and otherwise, are used for a variety of purposes, but have also been found to be an effective solution to the fungus problem. Onychomycosis is eliminated using tea tree oil, lemon, eucalyptus, mint, thymol and pine. Also castor oil, avocado oil, coconut oil.
The first solution for the lotion is a small amount of vinegar and eucalyptus oil. Leave the composition to act for three days and store in a cool place after use. Lubricate the affected nail and skin with it. Use until signs of disease disappear. No less common is a mixture of two oils – tea tree and lemon. This composition will quickly return your nails to their previous state.
Important! Using tea tree oil often leads to darkening of the nail plate.
Table salt or sea salt baths and compresses
The simplest and most effective remedy for fungus is sea salt or table salt. In addition to this, you will need iodine with soda, essential oils, garlic water and more. For the first bath, you need to mix a glass of soda with a liter of water, two tablespoons of salt and iodine solution.
The next option requires the use of essential oils, which have a calming effect and disinfectant properties. For 100 grams of salt you need 6 drops of oil. Chamomile, eucalyptus, juniper are suitable. Lotions are also made with salt. The solution requires a tablespoon of sea salt or table salt, as much as garlic juice. Dissolve all this in a glass of water. Apply to nail plate and skin twice a day.
Important! Sea salt baths are effective even for advanced forms of the disease.
Mumiyo
This pharmaceutical drug is a means of wide application and action. Its rich composition helps eliminate the signs of onychomycosis. But its major drawback is that it can cause an allergic reaction. This remedy negatively affects the proliferation of fungi by activating various processes. They allow you to destroy pathogenic microorganisms without pain and unnecessary problems. This medication allows you to restore the natural process of skin regeneration, which leads to rapid healing of lesions of the leg and arm.
Inexpensive and effective remedy
The best remedy for the treatment of mycosis is the one that is ideal for a particular patient. If we talk about the initial form of the disease, the simplest and most inexpensive means of therapy are suitable. These include lotions containing vinegar, hydrogen peroxide and iodine solution. The best foot baths with hands involve adding sea salt or regular table salt, also with the same potassium permanganate or iodine.
Despite the low cost and ease of preparation, the use of these options allows you to quickly achieve the effect. The more advanced the form, the lower the probability of eliminating the manifestations of the disease. In this case, you cannot do without medications.
Important! When using folk remedies, the main condition is systematic use.
Comments
After people notice manifestations of the disease, they often do not go to the doctor for a consultation, but go to the forum and read the reviews of those who have already solved their problem. This option is suitable if the patient is at least somewhat familiar with the treatment.
There is a lot of information and videos on the Internet on the topic of onychomycosis and its treatment. Each of them is effective in a specific case. If it is an advanced form of the disease, the traditional treatment option will not work. It is therefore worth saying stop to alternative medicines before an examination by a specialist.
Prevention of fungus on nails
A good method to eliminate onychomycosis is its prevention. The fight against the disease begins with the following recommendations:
- refuse to walk barefoot on the beach;
- use rubber slippers when using bathrooms and showers in busy places, saunas and baths;
- try on shoes while shopping in socks;
- prefer socks made of cotton fabric;
- refuse someone else's shoes;
- do not use other people’s personal hygiene items;
- keep your feet dry;
- monitor your health, as a fungal disease manifests itself against the background of general malaise.
Important! Compliance with preventive measures is also necessary after treatment, because after recovery the patient has an increased risk of relapse.
Conclusion: Folk remedies for the treatment of nail plate fungus are an effective method that even experienced specialists consider. Therefore, it is actively used not only at the first signs of the disease, but also in advanced forms of nail fungus. Watch user video: how to quickly get rid of nail fungus.