To treat onychomycosis, doctors prescribe serious local and systemic chemicals. They can cause allergies and side effects. An alternative to pharmaceutical drugs are home compositions with antifungal action. The effectiveness of traditional methods has not been clinically confirmed. The benefits of treatment with home products lie in their availability and positive experiences with others.
When you can without a doctor and chemistry
Dermatologists focus on patients' attention - neglected onychomycosis can be treated only under the supervision of a doctor. Long-term complex therapy will be needed, with the appointment of pills and external means. Self-treatment is permissible only in the early stages of development of nail fungus. It is possible to distinguish progressive mycosis from just started by symptoms:
- color - after infection with fungus, the plate at the end becomes blurred, whitish or slightly yellowish, spots may appear; in advanced cases the whole nail becomes gray-yellow, greenish or brown;
- structure - in the first stages of onychomycosis the structure of the nail plate does not change significantly, with the progress of the nail it thickens strongly, stratifies, becomes loose, disintegrates;
- the condition of the skin around - at the beginning of the disease does not change, in the later stages appear dryness, soreness, cracks, pores;
- sensations - absent if the skin is damaged, there is itching, pain, general discomfort.
Home remedies can be used only in the early stages of onychomycosis. You can recover on your own if no more than 3 nails are affected, in less than 2/3 of the area, there is no severe hyperkeratosis and the skin is not involved in the pathological process. Extensive changes in the nail plates will require a course of complex therapy lasting from 3 to 12 months.
There is no food that can kill the fungus in the body. Homemade mixtures have a fungistatic effect - they slow down the growth and reproduction of fungal microorganisms. They prevent the infection from spreading to the growing nail.
Why home remedies are better than pharmacies
Traditional methods of treating onychomycosis are based on the use of:
- available food (garlic, onion, honey);
- popular chemical compounds for household use (vinegar, soda);
- cheap local antiseptics from the pharmacy (peroxide, iodine, alcohol);
- herbal extracts (infusions, essential oils).
All these substances have a high level of safety and are well tolerated when used externally. However, there is a small risk of individual sensitivity. The presence of an allergic reaction is easy to check if you smear a small part of the skin with a preparation prepared for nails. In case of itching, burning or swelling, you should stop using the mixture regularly.
Home remedies have another specific property - they nourish the nail plate and accelerate its growth. This contributes to the faster growth of the nail and the removal of the affected part of it.
The indisputable advantage of folk methods is their cheapness. Most products and substances are in every home. In the absence of such, you can buy them in any store, with minimal financial investment.
The disadvantages of home-made medicines for onychomycosis are insignificant - unpleasant odor, nail discoloration, time spent preparing and treating the limbs. Given that at the end of the treatment the patient will fully recover, the imperfections of traditional methods can be tolerated.
How to choose an effective recipe
Common sense should be used when familiarizing yourself with existing nail fungus treatments. No one applies completely indifferent substances to the horn plates, such as rice porridge or pancakes. Of course, sour cream, milk, raw dough will also be completely ineffective. Traditional medicine recommends mixtures that affect the acidity of the environment (soda, vinegar), vitamins and essential oils. Such preparations can really be useful, as they create unfavorable living conditions for the fungus, stimulate the exfoliation of the damaged part of the plate and accelerate the growth of nails.
Recommendations for applying motor oil, formaldehyde, dilute aggressive acids on fungus-affected nails are inventions of irresponsible "healers". All methods that can damage healthy skin should be discarded immediately.
If the fungus affects only a small part of the nail, products rich in vitamins and minerals are sufficient. If several nails are affected at once, but the area of damage to the plate does not reach ½ the area of each plate, you can choose herbal remedies. If your nails are almost half damaged, you can opt for recipes with baking soda, vinegar or antiseptic drugs. In case of extensive mycoses, you should consult a doctor immediately. Excess risk is fraught with onycholysis - the process of destruction and rejection of nails on all fingers of the limb.
List of the best home remedies
The most effective are substances that can have a detrimental effect on fungi. These include vinegar. At home you can use ordinary table acid. For a more gentle effect you should choose wine, apple cider, rice vinegar. Basic methods for home use.
- Pieces of cotton wool are impregnated with acid, applied to damaged nail plates, glued with plaster or wrapped with a bandage. Leave on for 3 hours, repeat the procedure 2 times a day.
- The principle is the same as in the first method, but the compress is left overnight. The method is suitable only if it is well tolerated and there is no skin irritation around the plate.
- 9% table vinegar in equal proportions is mixed with glycerin, applied to the nails with cotton swabs for 15 minutes. The treatment is repeated three times a day.
- A glass of table vinegar is poured into a basin filled to the ankles with hot water. The legs are raised for 15 minutes, after which they simply wipe the moisture with a towel. Repeat the procedure 3 times a week.
Baking soda can be used as a paste or as a foot bath. The solutions with it effectively prepare the nail plate for exposure to other drugs.
- The required amount of finely ground soda is diluted with water to the consistency of a thick paste. The tool is used to treat nail plates by applying the paste in a thick layer. Cover with plaster or bandage. Wait 15 minutes. Then they are washed with water, nails are wiped with a towel. The treatment is performed daily, up to 3 times a day.
- To prepare a bath with healing soda for the feet, you need to heat 3 liters of water, add 3 tablespoons of baking soda and 3 tablespoons of iodinol solution. Raise your feet for 20 minutes, rinse with clean running water and wipe. The procedure is repeated daily, twice a day.
- Tar-soda bath is prepared as follows: heat 3 liters of water, add 3 tablespoons of baking soda, 3 tablespoons of iodine solution, 3 tablespoons of tar soap, crushed on a grater. Shake the solution until foam forms. Soak your feet, hold until the water cools completely. The treatment is performed 3 times a week.
Using these methods, you need to carefully monitor the reaction of the skin. When burning, redness, swelling, dryness, itching occur, the method of treatment of onychomycosis should be replaced by a more gentle one.
Food
Some vegetables, juices and root vegetables have antifungal properties. They are most pronounced in essential oil plants - with a strong aroma, specific taste. Proven treatments for onychomycosis include regular use of vegetable puree or juice.
- The garlic is passed through a press until a homogeneous substance is obtained. Add the same amount of common salt. Stir the composition well until the crystals are completely dissolved. Apply the product on cotton swabs, apply on damaged nails, leave under a bandage overnight.
- Garlic juice, water and glycerin are mixed in equal amounts. The solution is stored in the refrigerator, used for regular nail treatment with a brush, three times a day.
- Onion juice is mixed with aloe juice. The resulting substance is used to lubricate damaged nails 3 times a day.
- At night on the nails is tied a compress made from horseradish root, rubbed into a homogeneous slurry. Before grinding, the roots are peeled from the skin.
Using natural remedies reduces the likelihood of allergies or irritation. Redness, burning, itching - reasons to halve the time of exposure to compresses, washing away the remnants of nail solutions 2 hours after treatment.
Beekeeping products
Gifts from bees have always been considered a storehouse of minerals, vitamins and biologically active substances. Among them are components with a wide range of antifungal action. Wax, honey, bee bread, propolis, pollen - all apiary products can improve health when applied internally and externally. For the treatment of fungal diseases of the nails, they should be used according to special recipes.
- Propolis is used as a tincture. You can buy the finished product at the pharmacy. To prepare the extract at home, you will need to pour 10 g of grated propolis with 100 ml of vodka or alcohol. After 14 days of infusion, the product is filtered into a storage bottle. The tincture is used to treat fungus-damaged nails 3 times a day. To enhance the effect, the product is applied in 3 layers.
- Ointment with propolis. Each fat (100 g) was heated on a water bath. Propolis (10 g) is frozen, hammered with a rolling pin. It is introduced into heated oil, stirring actively until a homogeneous substance is obtained. Refrigerate until completely hardened. The ointment is rubbed into the nails 2 times a day. After application, it is recommended to wear cotton socks.
- Equal amounts of honey and onion juice are mixed until smooth. The tool is used to lubricate the nails 3 times a day.
You can use the gifts of bees on one condition - if they are well tolerated. If you are allergic to honey, it is better to choose other methods of treating onychomycosis.
Medicinal plants
Among herbal medicines, the most popular are herbal raw materials with tannins and essential oils in the composition. In the treatment of onychomycosis, the use of pure essential oils is permitted, provided that they are applied exclusively to the nail plates.
- 50 crushed marigold flowers are brewed in a large glass of boiling water. After complete cooling, the product is filtered into a bowl of hot water (3 liters). The legs are raised for 10-15 minutes.
- 6 tablespoons of oak bark is poured 1, 5 liters of boiling water. Put on low heat, simmer for half an hour. After complete cooling, the aspirator is mixed with 1. 5 liters of clean hot water. Take a bath for 20 minutes.
- Dilute 10 drops of essential oil of tea tree, lavender, ylang-ylang or rosemary in 3 liters of hot water. Immerse your feet in the mixture for 20 minutes. The legs are then wrapped in a towel for 10 minutes. The procedure is performed every day.
- Tea tree oil is mixed with a little hot water. The resulting mixture is impregnated with a cotton swab tied for one hour to the affected nail plate. The manipulation is repeated twice a day.
A rapid effect should not be expected when using herbal medicines. However, regular use of these recipes will not only eliminate fungus, but also strengthen nails, improve local blood circulation and heal the skin of the feet.
Chemical compounds
To treat the fungus, people recommend using laundry soap (brown, 72% labeled, odorless). Wet feet along with nails are well foamed. The tape can be used to pass directly on the nail plates so that the foam falls into the area under the rollers and under the free edge of the nail. It stays in soapy state for 20 minutes. Then the foam is washed thoroughly with a stiff brush. Processing is daily.
Damaged nails can be treated with a pure alcoholic solution of iodine 5%. The disadvantage of this therapy is that the plates are colored brown.
With the help of a pure solution of hydrogen peroxide, antifungal nail compresses are made twice a day. Cotton swabs soaked in hydrogen peroxide are applied to pre-steamed nails. After 15-40 minutes, the compress is removed.
It is very easy to evaluate the effectiveness of alternative treatments - if a healthy nail grows at the base and the damaged surface decreases after each pedicure, then the method helps. If the condition worsens. And the nail becomes yellowish, thickens - which means that the tool is ineffective. In order for folk remedies to work better, you need to cut the damaged area of the nail every week, treat the shoes with antifungal agents.