An effective remedy for toenail fungus can only be with the right choice of composition that affects the cause of the disease.Fungi on the nails (mycosis and onychomycosis) are destructive changes in the appearance and structure of the nail plate, sometimes spreading to the skin of the feet.The cause of this phenomenon is always more than 10 types of dermatophytes, yeasts (Candida) and molds.In order to choose one of the fungus medicines available in the pharmacy, you need to know which pathogen caused the nail damage, and this can only be examined in the laboratory.
Self-treatment, including folk remedies, is a very long process, it takes several months, but most often it does not lead to a cure, but to the temporary removal of visible symptoms from the surface of the nail.The fungus itself, the cause of the pathology, subsequently grows again, affecting the nail plates and the skin around them.In order to reduce the treatment time and get a lasting result, it is more reasonable to contact a mycologist, a specialist in the treatment of all types of nail fungus.After a laboratory examination of a particle of the affected nail, the doctor will determine the type of fungus and prescribe an antimycotic drug whose pharmacological action is aimed at combating the existing pathogen.
All offered drugs differ in the method of use and composition.Means for fighting different types of fungi - antifungals - are available in affordable and convenient dosage forms.The active ingredients can be presented in a composition for external use (lacquer, ointment, cream, gel) or orally (tablets, capsules).Liquid types - solutions, sprays - are also widespread in the pharmaceutical market.
Often, the mycologist prescribes complex therapy, using external drugs in the treatment program, the effect of which is enhanced by taking tablets and capsules.Also, the treatment program, depending on the area of fungal infection, may include a sterile medical pedicure procedure.A systematic, comprehensive approach is always indicated for extensive nail lesions.
Without exception, all drugs are divided into three categories, according to their spectrum of action:
- Azole
Compounds that have a fungistatic effect (stop the growth of colonies), destroy the pathogen at a high concentration of the active substance (fungicidal effect).Active against most fungi, including candida.
Examples – fluconazole, miconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole, clotrimazole.
- Allylamines
Effective for lesions up to 50% of the nail surface, for the treatment of manifestations on the skin of the feet, can be used every day, works against molds, candida, dermatophytes.
Examples - terbinafine hydrochloride, naftifine,
- Morpholines
They counteract all known types of nail fungus, quickly penetrate the nail plate, but act more slowly than other substances;the course of treatment may take up to six months.
Examples - amorolfine, chlornitrophenol.
All drugs based on the listed compounds are available in dosage forms for local, oral and infusional administration.
Antifungal preparations for external use
This category includes products that are applied directly to the affected nail itself or the skin around it - these are ointments, creams, as well as convenient varnishes for the treatment of nail fungus.All drugs have their advantages, but also disadvantages, which are most often manifested in a certain discomfort from the use of formulations with a creamy consistency.The price of products in the form of varnishes is higher than creams and ointments against fungi, but if there are different types in the pharmacy, the price of antifungal agents is not the main selection criterion.The spectrum of action of the drug and the speed of removal of nail fungus are important.
The slow drying and absorption of creams and ointments is not as convenient as varnishes, provided that most of the time is spent daily in shoes, and the feet sweat, which can slow down the healing process.On the contrary, varnishes dry on the surface of the nail plate quite quickly without causing discomfort during the day.
Cream medicines for fungus
It cannot be said for sure that gels, ointments and creams against different types of fungi do not work as effectively as varnishes - how effective the drugs will be depends on the degree of damage and the discipline of the patient in the treatment of the disease.However, many cream products do not contain excipients, which facilitate the rapid penetration of the composition deep into the hard stratum corneum of the nails.
Advantages of anti-fungal creams, ointments, gels:
- Does not irritate the skin of the feet.
- Destruction of the pathology on the nails themselves and on the skin around them.
- Easy-to-use sets (with nail file, scraper).
- Broad spectrum of action, active against all types of pathogens.
- All categories are represented - azoles, allylamines and morpholines.
- Low cost of medicines.
Azole
Imidazole derivatives - Clotrimazole, Econazole, Ketoconazole, Miconazole, Ketoconazole.
Triazole Derivatives:
- fluconazoles;
- itraconazole.
Allylamines
Types of products based on the active substance terbinafine
Naftifine and its derivatives.
Amorpholines
Toenail fungus medications with the active ingredient amorolfine are resistant to a wide range of pathogens, including candida.
Other drugs - sertaconazole, clotrimazole, salicylic, sulfur, zinc ointment.
Nail fungus varnishes
They are used in the initial stages of mycosis, when the nail is affected on no more than 2/3 of the entire surface.If the fungus has already penetrated deep into the nail tissue, you must first remove the upper layers and only then use the medicine.After cutting out the affected areas, it will have to be repeated, according to the information indicated in the description.
Advantages of antifungal varnishes:
- Durability - the applied coating lasts up to several days.
- Comfort of use - the products do not stain clothes and dry quickly.
- Components with high activity - quickly penetrate the surface of the affected nail through microcracks.
- Wide range of action - they are used against various types of pathogens, have a fungistatic and fungicidal effect.
- Convenience - the set contains the varnish itself, as well as additional tools necessary for use: files, sponges.
- A large selection of different products.
Sprays and solutions for the treatment and disinfection of fungi
With similar properties to cream preparations and varnishes, manufacturers of antifungal products offer a wide range of sprays and solutions.Their use makes sense in the initial stages of development of the pathology.The liquid form of antifungal agents allows the composition to penetrate into the most difficult-to-reach places, filling micropores, cracks, folds of the skin, and also has an antimicrobial, antiseptic effect and acts as a drug with a fungistatic function.Also, sprays and solutions dry the skin of the feet and the horny plate of the nail, creating an environment unfavorable for the pathogen.
Each product, presented in liquid form, as a solution or spray, depending on its belonging to the group of active substances, acts against fungal nail infections and in the form of disease prevention, disinfection of personal hygiene items, clothing and shoes.In addition, liquid forms are convenient to use for treating the skin of the feet.
Miconazole, Fluconazole, Terbinafine hydrochloride, Bifonazole, Clotrimazole.
Anti-fungal tablets on the nails
Systemic mycoses with deep lesions, when the toenail fungus spreads over the entire surface and depth of the stratum corneum, as well as epidermicosis and candidiasis, often require complex therapy with the simultaneous use of tablets and local preparations.For the treatment of fungal nail infections, in addition to antifungals, antibiotics, as well as iodine preparations and ammonium salts are used.
Antimycotics - itraconazole, fluconazole, terbinafine.
Antibiotics - griseofulvin, levorin, natamycin, drugs of the nystatin group, any drug based on amphotericin.
Preparations for the treatment of fungi for pregnant and lactating women
The choice of drugs for fungus at any stage of pregnancy is exclusively the prerogative of the attending physician.An independent approach to determining the type of fungus and treating lesions may turn out to be wrong, which will at least delay time and allow the colonies to penetrate deep into the nail and in some cases cause an unwanted reaction.The faster you can detect the pathology of the feet and the horny plates of the nails and contact a mycologist, the better, better and safer the treatment and its results will be.
It is preferable to choose a drug for external use, and in situations where the disease has already reached the systemic stage, with deep penetration of the fungus into the nail structure, it is worth discussing the procedure for its complete removal by surgery.
There are no guaranteed safe synthetic substances that destroy the fungus without the risk of harming the successful course of the pregnancy and the fetus.Even the relative safety of traditional methods can cause an allergic reaction to a natural component or burn the skin around the nail (when using vinegar, iodine, etc.)
Undecylenic acid + zinc undecylenate is a combined drug, it is prescribed in the presence of strict indications, signs of hypersensitivity may appear.
Bifonazol - with the exception of the first trimester, during the second and third trimesters, there is a risk of allergic reactions.