Treating nail fungus with folk remedies is a long process that can take from 1 to 4 months. At the same time, it is possible that after some time there will be a relapse of the disease. This is due to the high level of infectivity of the microorganisms that cause this pathology, as well as the spread of their spores in the environment where the infected person lives.
What is nail fungus
The fungus of the nail plaques on the toes is an infectious disease with a chronic form of the course that occurs as a result of infection of this part of the limb with pathogens (fungi). In medical terminology, this pathology is called onychomycosis.
It is considered a common disease difficult to treat with all types of therapy.On average, one in ten inhabitants suffers from toenail fungus. The disease can turn into complicated forms, completely affecting the entire surface of the nail plate, causing its detachment and deformation.
Types of toenail fungus
Treatment of nail fungus with the help of folk remedies is a long process, and a positive result can be obtained after 1-3 months. from the start of therapy. Of great importance is also the variety of mycoses, the development of which led to the defeat of all or part of the nail plate.
The table below shows the types of toenail fungus, as well as a description of the pathological process:
| Type of onychomycosis | Characteristics of the disease |
| Normotrophic | The color tone of the nail plate changes. Elongated streaks and irregular spots may appear. At the same time, the usual gloss of the nail, the transparency of the plate and its normal thickness are preserved. It is considered a non-severe type of disease that responds well to treatment with traditional medicine. |
| Hypertrophic | The color of the nail changes, its shine and transparency are lost. A gradual deformation of the nail plate develops with the destruction of the edges. Detachment of part of the nail from the bed is possible. The degree of deformation of the plaque directly depends on the insemination of tissues by pathogenic microorganisms. |
| Onycholytic | This is an atrophic type of the disease, when the stage of deformity of the nail plate is over. The nail tissue dies, which ultimately leads to its rejection from the root of the bed. |
This classification of onychomycosis species diversity is used by dermatologists.
In addition, the disease is divided according to the signs of the clinical picture, namely:
- distal - damage to the nail plate occurs only on the side of the free edge;
- lateral - the destruction of the nail develops on the sides;
- proximal - the mycosis destroys the tissues of the posterior crest;
- total - the fungus completely affected the entire nail from its root to the front.
The type and form of the disease is determined by a specialist specialist at the time of examination of the patient. Based on the results of the examination and diagnosis, a treatment regimen is selected. This applies to both drug therapy methods and folk remedies.
Stages and degrees of toenail fungus
Toenail fungus, a treatment with folk remedies that takes a long time, is a chronic disease. Onychomycosis develops over several months, and sometimes even over many years. It depends on the strength of the patient's immune system, as well as the strain of the infectious pathogen.
Each stage of the disease is characterized by a progressive deterioration in the health of the affected tissues, namely:
- 1st stage - there is a gradual change in the color shade of the nail plate along the edges, the formation of stripes and spots of white, gray or yellow shades is possible, otherspainful signs of the disease are completely absent (a the person feels a strong and unpleasant yeast odor that comes from the toes);
- 2nd stage - onychomycosis progresses, covering the entire area of the nail plate, the structure of which begins to change from the edges to the base of the bed (the color of diseased tissues is completely yellow or gray, therehas no sign of transparency);
- 3rd stage - the last stage in the development of the nail fungus, which is characterized by complete necrosis of the affected tissues, they are deformed and rejected by the body (the appearance of local inflammation caused by the detachmentof the nail plate from the base of the bed is possible).
The last stage of the disease is the most severe form of onychomycosis. After the rejection of the nail, its re-formation occurs, but in this case healthy tissue is already formed. If a person does not take measures to treat a dermatological disease and get rid of pathogenic microorganisms, the new nail will also be infected with yeast infection and destroyed to the ground.
Symptoms of toenail fungus
Nail fungus, the treatment of which with folk remedies requires the regular use of home decoctions, tinctures and ointments, is a disease with pronounced symptoms.
Onychomycosis of this part of the body can be recognized by the following symptoms:
- redness of the epithelial tissues located around the circumference of the nail plate;
- white spots or stripes appear on the sides of the nail, as well as on the side of its front face, which does not disappear during plate machining or water intake procedures;
- the nail plate gradually changes color, there is a loss of its transparency (the pathological process develops from the edges to the center and to the root of the tissues); Fungal microorganisms
- penetrate deep into the nail plate, destroying its structure, which leads to its deformation;
- the affected nail has a yellow wrinkled shape;
- under mechanical action on the affected tissues, they are separated from the nail bed (this process may be accompanied by painful symptoms and the secretion of ichor at the root of the nail, where it connects to the epithelial tissuesand soft toe).
All of the above symptoms are accompanied by the constant persistence of a pungent, unpleasant odor, which resembles yeast, but more pronounced. This sign of the disease appears even before the external symptoms begin to develop, indicating a gradual destruction of the tissues of the nail plate.
Causes of toenail fungus
Fungi on the toenails, the treatment of which in folk remedies is based on the principle of systemic use of drugs at home, cannot develop on their own without the influence of a number of factors.
Onychomycosis infection is possible in the following cases:
- as a result of visiting public showers, baths, steam rooms, swimming pools, saunas, if a person was not using individual rubber slippers, came into contact with a surface on which viable sporesfungal microorganisms are present;
- wearing shoes together by several people, when one of them has mycotic lesions of the nail plates;
- poor hygiene, occasional washing of the feet;
- the presence of concomitant diseases such as diabetes mellitus, varicose veins, as well as deformity of the foot, increases the risk of nail fungus, as local immunity decreases, or a nutrient medium is created to increase the population offungal microorganisms;
- wearing shoes made from a poor quality coating that does not pass air and does not absorb water, which ultimately leads to the toes being constantly wet;
- contact of the open part of the foot or the nail with the floor surface of the apartment, if a person with onychomycosis lives in the same living conditions.
A person's immune status plays an important role in the development of this disease. People with strong immunity can avoid infection and other damage to the nail plate. Hot and humid environments are ideal conditions for fungal microorganisms, so this information should be taken into account when visiting beaches and other crowded places.
Diagnosis of toenail fungus
The fungus on the toenails, the treatment of which with folk remedies begins only after a detailed examination by a dermatologist, is an infectious disease that requires careful diagnosis. This is necessary to establish the strain of fungal microorganisms, and then select a treatment regimen that will be effective in a particular case.
For the diagnosis of onychomycosis, the patient should undergo the following examination steps:
- preliminary examination by a dermatologist who examines the appearance of the affected plaque, assesses the condition of the tissues, the degree of their deformation;
- a smear is taken from the surface of the epithelium located around the circumference of the nail bed (a biochemical analysis is performed for a strain of fungal microorganisms, as well as the possible presence of secondary bacterial microflora);
- under the conditions of the handling room of the laboratory, the specialist selects a part of the affected tissues in order to study in more detail the fungal microorganisms and exclude the simultaneous presence of several types of mycosis;
- In addition to the toes, an examination of the skin surface of the foot is done to make sure that the fungal disease is localized and that there is no sign of its spread to other parts of the lower extremity.
Based on the results of an external examination, as well as on the basis of laboratory results, the attending physician diagnoses the patient - onychomycosis or denies the presence of pathology.
Diagnosis takes an average of 1-3 days. In a public hospital, the services of a biochemistry laboratory are free, but the conditions for studying biological material can last up to 7-10 days.
When to see a doctor
A consultation with a dermatologist should be performed as soon as signs of developing nail fungus have been detected.The delay is heavy with worsening of symptoms and damage to large areas of the nail plate.
In addition, a person showing signs of onychomycosis is a carrier of a fungal infection and also, without realizing it, spreads spores of pathogenic microorganisms in the daily conditions of his residence. In this case, infection of healthy family members with onychomycosis is not excluded.
Prevention of nail fungus
It is possible to avoid contamination of the toenails with fungal infection, but for this, simple prevention rules must be followed daily, which will protect the lower limbs from insemination by pathogenic microorganisms.
The following actions are recommended:
- do not go to public baths, swimming pools, saunas, showers and do not wear individual shoes with rubber soles on your feet;
- only wear high quality genuine leather shoes;
- observe the rules of personal hygiene, wash your feet daily with lukewarm water and soap, wash the socks;
- insist on treatment of family members who show signs of toenail fungus, but who have allowed the disease to run its course and do not seek medical help;
- during the summer holidays near open bodies of water, on the beach, walk only with shoes, avoiding contact of the epithelial surface of the feet and toes with sand, river silt orEarth;
- only wear your own shoes;
- make sure that there are no areas of mold growth in the apartment or private house (moisture on the walls, fungus that has infected old parquet floors, baseboards, blackening of the wallpaper in thecorners).
In order to prevent fungal nail infections, it is recommended to pay special attention to strengthening the immune system.
To do this, you need to take a contrast shower every day, give up bad habits, harden the body, eat rationally, eat only biologically useful products (cereals, chicken, rabbit, turkey, veal, fresh fruit, vegetables, herbs, cottage cheese, milk, cheese, sea fish).
Nail fungus treatment methods
Onychomycosis therapy is carried out using traditional pharmaceuticals, traditional medicine recipes, and is also carried out by the method of surgical intervention. Each of these methods is effective at a certain stage of the development of the disease.
Drugs
Treatment of a fungal infection is carried out with drugs that have a spectrum of antifungal action.
Antifungal drugs should only be prescribed by a dermatologist. Only a specialist of this profile can determine which particular drug is effective in a particular clinical case. In addition, when forming a treatment scheme, data from laboratory studies on samples taken from a deformed or damaged nail are taken into account.
Traditional methods
There are folk medicine recipes that allow you to get rid of fungal infection of the toenails without the use of pharmaceutical preparations. To do this, use the following compresses, homemade ointments, tinctures and other methods:
Compress Kombucha
To prepare this folk remedy, you will need to buy a kombucha or grow it yourself at home. A piece of this ingredient is cut with a knife and then placed on the surface of the infected nail. The procedure is carried out at night before going to bed. Kombucha is secured to the finger with an adhesive bandage. The timing of treatment is not time-limited.
Onion juice tincture
You need to take 1 medium-sized onion, chop it with a knife, then pour 1 tbsp. Granulated sugar.
The future medicine is sent to the refrigerator for 24 hours. During this period, the chopped vegetable manages to release a sufficient amount of juice, which is infused and then used as a medicine. A diseased nail is wiped with onion juice 3-4 times a day for 3 months or until complete healing.
Antiseptic solution
This product is prepared at home by mixing in equal proportions of 1 tsp. boiled water, ethyl alcohol and garlic pulp. All components are mixed until a homogeneous mass is formed. The resulting solution is used for the antiseptic treatment of the nail plate at least 2 times a day. The treatment lasts at least 3-4 months.
Salt ointment for mushrooms
An effective and easy to make at home antifungal. To do this, you need to take ½ tsp. table salt, add 1 tbsp. l. honey collected from herbs, then mix all the ingredients. The result is a honey-based ointment that contains a high concentration of mineral salt.
The product is applied to the nail plate once a day. It is best to perform the procedure at night. In the process of treatment, it is necessary to observe precautions, not allowing home drugs to penetrate the skin around the circumference of the nail bed, and you should also protect the mucous membrane of the eyes.
Homemade ointment is used until the diseased nail comes off with the subsequent formation of a healthy plaque. Alternative therapy is really effective, but the only downside to using them is the timing of the therapy.
The duration of their use should be at least 3 months. The initial form of fungal infection of the nail plates on the feet can be eliminated in 2 months. In this case, the course of treatment should be continuous. Skipping even one procedure can worsen tissue health.
Other methods
An alternative treatment for a fungal infection of the nails of the lower extremities is surgery. The method is that the attending physician removes the deformed nail plate.
In general, surgery is performed as follows:
- The patient walks into the operating room alone, then lies down on the couch or sits on a chair.
- A nurse injects local anesthetic into a finger whose nail has onychomycosis.
- Once the anesthetic has started to work (after 5-10 minutes), the surgeon tears off the affected nail plate with forceps.
- Antiseptic treatment of the operated area is performed, suture material and a sterile dressing are applied.
At the end of the surgical procedure, the patient is transferred to his ward of the surgical ward, where he receives additional treatment with antifungal drugs. The average time for complete healing of the wound site is 7-10 days. Within one month. a new nail plate grows, which, provided the treatment process is properly organized, does not show any signs of fungus.
Possible complications
In the absence of actions aimed at curing the nail plates from a fungal infection,may develop the following complications caused by pathogenic microorganisms:
- complete deformation of the nail plate with its additional detachment from the base of the bed;
- the spread of the fungus to healthy skin tissues located on the surface of the foot, between the toes, the transition of the disease to the nails of the upper extremities, the inguinal folds;
- infection with onychomycosis of other family members who have never had a fungal disease (children are the most vulnerable because their immune system is weaker than that of adults);
- loss of the nail and the end of the process of forming a new plaque, because due to the abundance of infectious microorganisms, the integrity of its structure is initially violated.
Treatment of nail fungus with folk remedies is possible, but it will require maximum effort, spending at least 3 months. time.
The main danger of onychomycosis is that the fungal microorganisms that damage the nail plate are very infectious and quickly adapt to new environmental conditions, as well as to the effects of the active components of the drug.
That is why the treatment of the disease should begin as early as possible in order to avoid its transition to a complicated or chronic form of the course.