Fungi or mycoses thrive in warm, humid places. Therefore, the human body is best suited for the life of entire colonies of various fungi. Hygiene, healthy food, sports and strong immunity protect us from parasites, but do they always do so?
Possible reasons
- Tight and uncomfortable shoes. The constant debate on tight shoes leads to the fact that bacteria multiply rapidly from sweat and dust. They stay on your feet, inside your shoes, on your toes, and on the ground you walked on. So the "bouquet" is spread throughout the house and gets the clean "new" feet of your home.
- Poor shoe material, non-ventilated fabric or dermantine. The same effect of "suffocation" of the feet, as in tight shoes, but beautiful.
- Disregard for hygiene in public places. Never go barefoot in the steam room, pool, showers, and sauna. Disposable slippers do not protect from slipping on the tiles, but mainly from the exchange of foreign bacteria.
- Personal items. Do not loan socks, towels, leggings, shoes, pantyhose, manicure sets for yourself or someone else. In the fitting room, wear your clean nylon sock.
- Immune problems. Weak or temporarily weakened immunity does not cope well with viral and fungal attacks. This includes people diagnosed with diabetes, AIDS, psoriasis, varicose veins, vascular disease, and obesity.
- Non-compliance with the rules of hygiene of the feet. Wash them daily with soap, change your socks, trim your nails once a week. Wash your shoes every few weeks or more.
- Corns, calluses, cracks, excessive sweating. Inadequate treatment or lack of it, neglect of the care and hygiene of the painful areas.
Signs by stages of development.
Often, the external manifestations of the fungus are absent, do not attract attention or do not bother the patient. It is important to identify symptoms as soon as possible and consult a doctor.
- First stage: blurred or mild.
- peeling of the skin on the foot, especially between the toes;
- the appearance of blisters on the skin of the fingers, which burst and cause discomfort;
- small wounds or cracks at the site of the blisters;
- unpleasant smell;
- changes in the structure, color and thickness of the nail; yellow spots, whitish streaks, thickening and porosity of the plate.
- Second stage: squamous-hyperkeratotic.
- Third stage: intertriginous.
- Fourth stage: dyshidrotic.
Most of the time, the fungus chooses the thumb, which infects all the others. Most men are sick: they have increased sweating, so the feet are at high risk of developing the disease.
The feet itch, the skin between the toes is covered with white crusts, there is a burning sensation that intensifies. It becomes impossible to ignore anxiety.
The mycosis penetrates deep into the epidermis: the skin between the fingers becomes inflamed, moistened and flakes off. Painful wet wounds and cracks remain open. They ooze and hurt. It becomes almost impossible to walk. The focus of inflammation has clearly defined borders.
The skin of the foot is completely affected. Blisters and blisters cover the feet, filled with fluid. It is impossible to move, the wounds hurt and itch a lot.
Nail treatment is long: 1-2 months, if the symptoms appeared in the first stage and a dermatologist helped you in time. Neglected forms, even the strongest therapy cannot heal quickly.
Therapies
It is possible to decide on treatment only after confirming the diagnosis. For example, foot peeling is a typical seasonal dermatitis. By taking it for toenail fungus and treating it with vinegar at home, your skin will suffer doubly. And the improvement will not come.
Traditional methods are good in the early stages or as an auxiliary therapy. Doctors warn that folk remedies only eliminate external manifestations. A relapse will undoubtedly occur when the immune system weakens. The medication is suitable for all stages.
Medicine
Treatment is carried out by the doctor with the help of a complex:
- antifungal ointments, foams, creams and tablets;
- solutions and "talkers" of pharmaceutical preparation;
- immunostimulants and vitamins.
The laser is gaining popularity. The procedure is intended primarily for plaque and no tablets are required. There are contraindications to treatment (pregnancy, lactation, oncology, skin damage), therefore it is not a universal method and it is also expensive.
With an advanced form, antifungal drugs are changed several times per course due to the addiction of the fungi to the active ingredient. Affected nails are removed in a hospital. The legs are regularly raised and cleaned of scabs, flaky skin, if not a sloppy guy (no open wounds).
Household and leisure footwear are either disinfected well or disposed of. The socks are washed, boiled and ironed at the maximum temperature allowed. Assign all bedding, foot-touching clothing, and shower accessories just for yourself during treatment. Wash them well after use to avoid reinfection.
ethnoscience
These home remedies are always available to help relieve symptoms before your first visit to your doctor.
- Potato.
Boil the washed shells and mash them. Pour the hot potato broth into a bowl and warm your legs. After thoroughly moistening your feet, rub them with the puree. Soak for a while until the compress has cooled down. Rinse with lukewarm water and grease the hearths with lard (make sure inside).
- Table vinegar
Mix in equal parts with water and make an elastic dough. Apply firmly to the nail and secure with a plaster. Protect the delicate skin of the finger with a film or plaster so that the acid does not damage the epidermis. Change the compress daily for 4-5 days until the plaque comes off.
Second way. Collect 200 ml of vinegar and lower the washed chicken egg. Wait until the acid has completely eaten the shell and forms a homogeneous mixture. It is spotted with sore spots in the morning and at night for a month.
- Iodine.
The affected areas are stained with a tampon soaked in iodine every day. There is a high risk of burning the skin and causing increased flaking, burning and dryness.
- Lemon juice.
A lemon slice is applied for 8-10 days until the nail separates.
Compresses with caustic, sour and burning mixtures should not be used if the skin has wounds and cracks. The neglected form is an open wound, in which even water provokes a sharp pain.
- Garlic.
A popular remedy for all diseases safely fights bacteria and fungi. Take 50 grams of butter and a crushed clove of garlic, mix and leave for 24 hours. Apply to diseased areas at night after washing your feet, the treatment lasts 30 days.
- Salt baths.
The fungus is destroyed with sea salt. Add a tablespoon of salt to a bowl of water at night and steam your feet.
- Rowan.
The fresh green leaves are ground into mush and made into a polyethylene compress overnight. The result of the folk remedy will be noticeable after 10 days.
- Burrow, chamomile and violet.
The herbs are mixed in equal parts and boiled with boiling water. The feet are wrapped in gauze with a warm infusion. Change the compress while it dries and apply it only at home while resting.
- Propolis.
Rub the affected areas daily until the symptoms disappear.
- Coffee.
The natural black coffee is prepared and allowed to cool. They put the limbs with the mushroom in the drink and rise. Do this carefully so that the coffee residue does not stir. Look for good grains that are not overcooked. This procedure relieves symptoms and helps the dead skin shed painlessly.
- Horseradish.
Grate fresh horseradish. You only need a teaspoon for the compress. Do it at night every time you cut your nails. Keep going until a new, healthy dish grows. Be very careful: horseradish is very itchy on mucous membranes and open wounds.
If you do not have an advanced form, symptoms have only just appeared and the doctor has confirmed the guesses, alternative methods sometimes completely help to heal. Also, nail removal methods can become a lifesaver when the doctor prescribes surgical removal.