Today, the fungus has become a fairly common disease, the infection of which often occurs in public places, especially those with high humidity. The parasitic fungi that cause mycosis can infect not only the skin, but also the nails and even the hair. How to treat foot fungus at home?
To combat these fungi, medicine offers various antimicrobial drugs, the components of which are capable of destroying the cell membrane of parasites. However, not all people in the process of treating the fungus at home resort to pharmacy drugs; there are many folk recipes that help against the fungus no worse than medicines. For example, boric acid from the foot fungus. It allows you to quickly get rid of an unpleasant disease.
You can get infected with a fungus in various ways. The disease can be transmitted through direct contact with a sick person, through his things or objects with which he came into contact. Some time after infection, the skin will begin to peel off, this is the first symptom of infection. A little later, the sweating of the legs will increase significantly, as a result of which a favorable environment appears in which bacteria will multiply faster.
The part of the skin affected by the fungus will begin to redden and itch and skin scales will appear. In addition, the skin will begin to crack and pain and itching will appear. If the pathology affects the nails, their appearance will change, the color will become whitish. If the fungus is left untreated, the nail plate is likely to come off.
Methods of treatment, antifungal agents
Today, foot fungus treatment is not particularly difficult. It is quite possible to get rid of the infection even at home. At the same time, most drugs against mycosis are dispensed in pharmacies without a prescription. You can also use the methods of traditional medicine. However, it is recommended that you consult a doctor before starting treatment, especially if you have diabetes or a relapse of the fungus. And be sure to remember that it will not be possible to quickly cure mycosis, it will be possible to get rid of the fungus only after sufficiently long and comprehensive treatment.
Medicines sold through pharmacy chains can come in very different forms, but most often they are ointments. All antifungal agents are local and are intended for external use only. It is necessary to treat with such drugs by applying them to the infected areas of the skin of the feet and nails. The duration of the course can be up to one and a half months.
It is often possible to get rid of mycosis much faster than the end of the recommended course, but it is necessary to continue to treat mycosis for the entire stipulated time, because due to the premature cessation of the use of the drug, there is a high risk ofrelapse of the disease.
It should be borne in mind that almost all antifungal agents are not recommended for the treatment of pregnant and lactating mothers, young children and people with individual intolerance to the drug.
Recently, external agents against fungi have spread. Medicines are designed to stop bacteria from multiplying and growing. They are equally effective in treating nail fungus and skin lesions of the foot. Concentrated products kill the fungus. Treatment necessarily includes regular removal of areas of the skin or part of the nail infected with the fungus. It is also important that the treatment can be done at home.
Preparations are available in the form of nail polish or cream. The duration of treatment directly depends on the size of the affected skin area and the neglect of the disease. The duration of a therapeutic course can be up to one and a half months. The main advantage of the funds is the non-absorption of its blood, which means that there is no need to fear intoxication of the body.
To get rid of the fungus, you will have to apply the cream on the affected foot, while no breaks are allowed. After the disappearance of the fungus, it is recommended to repeat the procedure several times, this will consolidate the effect obtained.
Methods of treatment with folk remedies
To cure foot fungus, like many other diseases, you can use folk remedies at home. A huge number of different agents are used against the fungus. So, regular laundry or tar soap, or vinegar baths, help excellently. Treatment with celandine or soda also shows good results. In addition, folk remedies often contain various herbs.
However, it should be borne in mind that folk recipes usually only deal with the initial stages of the disease; it is very problematic to cure mycosis running at home without the use of drugs.
All methods of traditional medicine are based exclusively on the external use of various natural remedies, these can be baths or compresses with solutions. The treatment process can be started independently after the first signs of mycosis have been detected. However, for effective treatment, it is still best to consult a doctor.
Soap in the treatment of the disease
Folk recipes for fighting fungi, containing soap, involve exclusively tar or laundry soap. The procedure is easily done at home. It consists of removing dead skin flakes and exfoliated nails. To do this, the legs are steamed, after which the feet and fingers affected by the fungus are thoroughly lathered and scrubbed with a stiff brush for at least five minutes.
Laundry soap works best with skin fungus, and in case of nail damage, tar soap is recommended. After completing the procedure, the legs are washed with running water, continuing to scrub them with a brush. The procedure is repeated at least 5 times in a row. After completing the latter, you need to thoroughly dry your feet and apply a moisturizer on them. Thin cotton socks can be worn for the best effect.
The duration of treatment is about a week, the procedures are carried out in the morning and in the evening. You can notice a significant improvement after the third day of treatment with these simple folk remedies. It should be borne in mind that tar or laundry soap is quite effective in the early stages of the development of the disease; neglected mycosis may not be treated in this way.
Sodium bicarbonate
Folk recipes most often contain the simplest and cheapest means for everyone. One of them is the most common baking soda you will find in any home. Baking soda will help neutralize the burning and itching sensations that are signs of a fungal infection. To do this, take soda (about a tablespoon) and dilute with water so that a thick paste is obtained, which will be applied to the affected areas of the skin.
After that, you should wait for the paste to dry (about 10 minutes) and wash the foot with cold water, the soda should be completely removed, soap is not recommended. After a thorough cleansing, it is recommended to apply a powder or cornstarch to the affected skin areas. Foot treatment should be carried out several times a day and continue treatment until the fungus disappears.
Soda allows you to fight the fungus without having side effects. Therefore, soda can also be used to treat children. After completing the treatment, it is highly recommended that you maintain personal hygiene and use laundry soap to wash your feet. For the prevention of mycosis, you can also use soda or vinegar baths.
Celandine treatment
Many folk recipes that allow you to cure mycosis at home consist of celandine. Like many other herbs, celandine is widely used as an antiseptic and healing agent. Methods of treatment with celandine can be very different. For example, trays to which celandine is added in the form of tincture.
To prepare such a tincture, celandine is poured with water and stored for about two weeks. Celandine can also be used in the form of alcohol tincture, which is used to clean the affected areas. If you find mycosis on your hands, you can use celandine baths.
It should be remembered that celandine is poisonous, therefore, after all the procedures, you need to make sure that it does not remain in your hands. Use soap for this. Celandine treatment usually lasts about fifteen days. Celandine can cure both mycosis of the feet and nails affected by the fungus.
Using other traditional medicines
Traditional recipes for the treatment of athlete's foot often contain vinegar. Most often, traditional healers recommend using wine vinegar. At home, the fight against fungi consists in filling the bathroom with diluted vinegar and putting your feet in it for five to ten minutes. After that, the feet must be washed thoroughly with soap.
It is also possible to neutralize the effect of the vinegar solution with soda, which must be dissolved in water. As mentioned above, soda baths alone can be used to clean the skin of fungus, and in combination with vinegar, the result should improve. After completing the procedure, it is recommended to wear vinegar-soaked socks on your feet and go to bed with them.
Sufficiently good results are also demonstrated by the soap and soda solutions used to clean the affected areas. However, it should be borne in mind that soap and soda solutions are best used not for the treatment of mycosis, but for prevention. Vinegar baths also do a great preventative job.
Fungus on the hands is much less common than on the feet. Usually, the infection occurs after frequent contact of the hand with the affected feet. Mycosis on the hands is treated with almost the same means as on the feet. Since the presence of fungus on the hands is detected faster, the fight against it begins in the early stages. Not very strong means can also help perfectly.
The easiest way to get started is to try soda or vinegar baths. In addition, it is recommended to clean the brushes with vinegar several times during the day. If such baths do not help, then you should resort to stronger drugs.