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 should make sure that this is the case. 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 signs of the disease are itching of the skin of the palms and soles and discoloration of the nails. If you start therapy at this stage, it will be easy to cure. In addition to itching and changes in the shade of the nail plate, fragility, inflammation of the areas of the fingers near the nails and thickening of the skin around it are observed.
Important! The pathological process should 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 can be 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 their occurrence on the arms and legs.
Standing
Mycosis is a public disease, since it is easier to get infected in places where it is widely used:
- The infection can occur in a swimming pool, sauna or bathhouse. Harmful microorganisms remain in the shower, on the floor, in the changing rooms and on the 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 visit swimming pools or wash in public showers at work, this will not protect him 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 the family infection. Bathroom mats, 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 become infected not only with a fungus, but also acquire additional skin problems.
- When you try on shoes. Not all stores and outlets control the process of trying on shoes at the time of purchase. When choosing a new pair, you should try it on with a sock, as the likelihood of problems with nails and skin in the form of fungus increases.
- When walking barefoot on the beach. Particles from the feet of infected patients remain on the sand, and when walking barefoot, a healthy person can contract onchemycosis.
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 on the hands will be different. The most common include:
- disruption of the endocrine gland, presence of serious blood diseases leading to complications;
- increased level of sweat on the palms;
- long-term use of antibacterial agents or drugs against malignant tumors;
- 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 mushrooms?
Depending on the form of the disease being treated, therapy may differ. At the first signs on the skin of the hands or feet, or on the nails of the extremities, it is advisable to consult a pediatrician if it is a child, a therapist or a dermatologist if it is an adult.
The specialist will prescribe the necessary medications. These include tablets and ointments. Also, many of them recommend folk remedies for nail fungus. These methods are no less effective and help to combat the problem, even if it is an advanced version.
Important! Therapy requires an integrated approach, as this makes eliminating the lesion much easier. Therefore, along with the listed methods, hardware treatment options are practiced.
Recipes of folk remedies
Treatment of nail fungus with folk remedies occurs after consulting a doctor. After the diagnosis and examinations, the specialist takes into account the individual needs of the patient and prescribes the appropriate medications. It is not worth practicing independent treatment, since ignorance of some features of the disease and the presence of an allergy to some components of the remedy or folk method will lead to complications.
Essence of vinegar and egg
Vinegar and other acids destroy microorganisms that cause fungus to grow. Therefore, in the treatment, vinegar essence or ordinary 9% table is often used. Baths with it can help even with advanced forms. They use it to make baths, lotions and prepare ointments. The most effective remedy with this component is an ointment, which includes a chicken egg with butter. Prepare a homemade ointment:
- Wash an egg and place it in a container so that it does not touch the walls or peek out.
- Pour it not with vinegar, but with vinegar essence (70%).
- Place it in a dark place for a couple of days, during which the shell should dissolve completely.
- Remove the film from the resulting composition, then mix it with the essence.
- Add a spoonful of butter, beat.
Apply the mixture to the affected areas before going to bed. To enhance the effect, rewrap with a bandage. Treat for at least a month and a half or until the problem is completely eliminated.
To prepare the second recipe, you will also need essence (1 tablespoon) with an egg and dimethyl phthalate (1 teaspoon). Mix all components and leave in a cold place for 24 hours. The resulting ointment can also be used before bedtime. After application, wear gloves or socks, depending on the location of the lesion. The result after daily application of the composition should appear after 3-4 weeks.
Hydrogen peroxide and vinegar
Fungal nail disease can also be treated with vinegar and peroxide. With the help of this composition, it is removed from the skin in 1 week. For the 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 worth preparing the surface. The hand or foot should be washed with antibacterial soap and the nails, if present, should be trimmed. 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. Although this recipe is quite effective, it will take a month for the nails to grow back.
Tea mushroom
Previously, kombucha was popular and found in almost every home. Despite its current irrelevance, it is an effective folk remedy in the fight against fungi. It has an antibacterial effect. For the first treatment option, not liquid is used, but the mushroom itself. A small piece is applied to the affected area, wrapped in a bandage or plastic bag. Leave it like that until it dries or in the morning. For preventive purposes, in addition to lotions, the kombucha liquid itself is also used. In addition to lotions, kombucha is used in other ways. To do this, it should be crushed and rubbed into the affected nails or the skin of the feet or hands. Do this at least twice a day.
The next option involves a three-month kombucha infusion. The liquid in which the mushroom floats 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 breastfeeding women, for those suffering from diabetes or alcoholism, since this mushroom contains alcohol.
Treatment with laundry soap
Another homemade option for eliminating fungi involves using laundry soap. Despite the fact that experts consider this option not very effective, it is still used as an auxiliary. Laundry soap has antibacterial and antifungal properties.
Helps soften the nail during bathing, simplifying the subsequent nail treatment process. To enhance the effect, tar and vinegar are used together 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);
- steam your feet with a small amount of grated laundry soap for at least 20 minutes (one tablespoon of soap per liter of warm water);
- soap your feet, wait 20 minutes.
After the presented manipulations, the skin and nails soften, which simplifies their processing.
Birch tar and tar soap
Birch tar and its derivatives, most often soap, are used to solve aesthetic problems. These include increased oiliness of the skin, the appearance of comedones and this also includes nail fungus. Previously, birch tar was used to eliminate skin lesions by lubricating the skin and nails with it. But before doing this, it is worth steaming it in soapy water or another solution. After removing dead skin using a pumice stone, nail file or scissors, the tar is applied with a cotton swab and left for several hours without dressings.
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 quantities. Also use by applying on the required areas. Leave the ointment for 2 hours, then wash your feet (hands) in warm water.
Another way to treat a fungal infection is also to make a tar ointment. To prepare it you need badger fat or cream, sulfur powder and tar. The mixture is two parts tar and one part grease and sulfur. Mix everything until smooth. To facilitate the process, heat in a water bath. Apply the resulting composition on the nails and cover with a plaster.
Folk remedies for treating nail fungus involve the use of tar soap. With it, as with household items, you can make baths and lotions. It also has antibacterial properties. Tar soap and ointments based on it are effective products, but their significant disadvantage is the specific smell, as well as some limitations.
Important! Soap and ointments should not be used if the patient has sensitive or dry skin or has allergic reactions.
Iodine solution against fungi
Iodine is used to combat the proliferation of microorganisms on nails and skin. Helps eliminate unpleasant odors and itching. To get the effect of this remedy, you should use it systematically for a month or two.
To eliminate the fungal infection, you need to take a 5% solution and apply it twice a day. They also take 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.
The lotions are made using an iodine solution. For preparation you need nitrofungin with garlic juice, iodine and vinegar essence. Mix everything in equal quantities, mix and apply to the steamed skin area overnight. Also, 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 ball, dip it in manganese and treat your 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 warm boiled water. Keep your feet or hands in this liquid for 20 minutes. Repeat the procedure until restored.
- For lotions, add half a teaspoon of liquid potassium permanganate to a glass of water. Add some lemon juice here. Moisten a napkin or cotton ball 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.
Lotions with essential oils
Traditional methods of treatment are inexhaustible, and everyone can choose a more effective option for themselves. Oils, essential and otherwise, are used for various purposes, but they have also proven to be an effective solution to the fungal problem. Onychomycosis is eliminated using tea tree oil, lemon, eucalyptus, mint, thymol and pine. Also castor oil, avocado oil, coconut oil.
The first lotion solution is made from a small amount of vinegar and eucalyptus oil. Leave the composition for three days and store in a cool place after use. Lubricate the affected nail and skin with it. Use until signs of the 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 condition.
Important! The use of tea tree oil often leads to darkening of the nail plate.
Table or sea salt baths and compresses
The simplest and most effective remedy against fungi is sea 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 or table salt, as much as garlic juice. Dissolve all this in a glass of water. Apply to the nail plate and skin twice a day.
Important! Sea salt baths are effective even in advanced forms of the disease.
Mumiyo
This pharmaceutical drug is a means of wide application and action. Its rich composition allows you to eliminate the signs of onychomycosis. But its significant disadvantage 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 drug allows you to restore the natural process of skin regeneration, which leads to rapid healing of lesions on the leg and arm.
Economical 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, then the simplest and cheapest means are suitable for therapy. These include lotions with vinegar, hydrogen peroxide and iodine solution. The best foot baths with hands are obtained by adding sea salt or ordinary table salt, even with the same potassium permanganate or iodine.
Despite the cheapness and ease of preparation, the use of these options leads to a rapid achievement of the effect. The more advanced the form, the less likely it is to eliminate the manifestations of the disease. In this case, you cannot do without the use of drugs.
Important! When using folk remedies, the main condition is systematic use.
Reviews
After people notice the manifestations of the disease, they often do not go to the doctor for a consultation, but go to the forum and read reviews of those who have already solved their problem. This option is suitable if the patient has at least some knowledge of the treatment.
On the Internet there is a lot of information and videos on the topic of onychomycosis and its treatment. Each of them is effective in a specific case. If we are talking about an advanced form of the disease, the traditional treatment option will not work. Therefore, it is worth saying stop to alternative medicine before a visit to a specialist is carried out.
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 toilets and showers in places of widespread use, saunas and bathrooms;
- try on shoes while shopping for socks;
- prefer socks made of cotton fabric;
- refuse someone else's shoes;
- do not use other people's personal hygiene articles;
- keep your feet dry;
- monitor your health, since a fungal disease manifests itself in a context of general malaise.
Important! Compliance with preventive measures is necessary even after treatment, since after recovery the patient has an increased risk of recurrence.
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 Get Rid of Nail Fungus Quickly.