An effective remedy for toenail fungus can only be with the correct choice of composition that affects the causative agent of the disease.Nail fungus (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, yeast-like (Candida) and mold fungi.To choose one of the fungal remedies available in the pharmacy, you need to know which pathogen caused the nail damage, and this can only be studied in the laboratory.
Self-treatment, including folk remedies, is a very long process, takes several months, but most often does not lead to a cure, but to a temporary elimination of visible symptoms from the surface of the nail.The fungus itself, the causative agent of the pathology, subsequently grows again, affecting the nail plates and the skin around it.To reduce treatment time and get a lasting result, it is wiser to contact a mycologist, a specialist in the treatment of all types of nail fungi.After a laboratory examination of a particle of the affected nail, the doctor will determine the type of fungus and prescribe an antimycotic drug, the pharmacological action of which is aimed at combating the existing pathogen.
All offered drugs differ in the method of their use and composition.Means for combating different types of fungi - antimycotics - are available in accessible and convenient dosage forms.The active ingredients can be presented in a composition for external use (varnish, ointment, cream, gel), or oral (tablets, capsules).Liquid types – solutions, sprays – are also widely available on the pharmaceutical market.
Often, a mycologist prescribes complex therapy, using external medications in the treatment program, whose effect 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:
- Azoles
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 of up to 50% of the surface of the nails, for the treatment of manifestations on the skin of the feet, can be used every day, act against mold fungi, candida, dermatophytes.
Examples - Terbinafine hydrochloride, Naftifine,
- Morpholines
They counteract all known types of nail fungus, quickly penetrate the nail plate, but work more slowly than other substances; the course of treatment can take up to six months.
Examples - Amorolfine, Chlornitrophenol.
All drugs based on the listed compounds are available in dosage forms for local, oral and infusion use.
Anti-fungal 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 treating toenail fungus.All drugs have their advantages, but also disadvantages, which most often manifest themselves in some discomfort from using formulations with a creamy consistency.The cost 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 antifungals is not the main selection criterion.What matters is the spectrum of action of the medicine and the speed of getting rid of nail fungus.
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.
Creamy fungus remedies
It cannot be said with certainty that gels, ointments and creams against various types of fungi do not work as effectively as varnishes - how effective the drugs will be depends on the degree of damage and the patient’s discipline in treating the disease.However, many creamy products do not contain excipients that facilitate rapid penetration of the composition deep into the hard horny plates of the nails.
Advantages of creams, ointments, gels against fungus:
- Does not irritate the skin of the feet.
- Destroy pathology on the nails themselves and on the skin around them.
- Convenient sets for use (with nail file, scraper).
- Wide spectrum of action, active against all types of pathogens.
- All categories are represented - azoles, allylamines and morpholines.
- Low price of drugs.
Azoles
Imidazole derivatives – Clotrimazole, Econazole, Ketoconazole, Miconazole, Ketoconazole.
Triazole derivatives:
- fluconazoles;
- itraconazoles.
Allylamines
Types of products based on the active substance terbinafine
Naftifine and its derivatives.
Amorpholines
Remedies for toenail fungus with the active ingredient amorolfine resist a wide range of pathogens, including candida.
Other drugs - Sertaconazole, Clotrimazole, salicylic, sulfuric, zinc ointment.
Varnishes for fungus on nails
They are used in the initial stages of mycoses, when the nail is affected on no more than 2/3 of the entire surface area.If the fungus has already penetrated deep into the nail tissue, you will need to first remove the top layers and only then use the drug.After cutting down the affected areas, it will need to be repeated, according to the information specified in the description.
Advantages of anti-fungal varnishes:
- Durability – the applied coating lasts up to several days.
- Comfort of use - the products do not stain clothing and dry quickly.
- High activity components - quickly penetrate the surface of the affected nail through microcracks.
- Wide spectrum of action - used against different 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.
- Large selection of different products.
Sprays and solutions for fungus treatment and disinfection
With similar properties to creamy preparations and varnishes, anti-fungal product manufacturers offer a wide range of sprays and solutions.Their use makes sense in the initial stages of pathology development.The liquid form of anti-fungal agents allows the composition to penetrate into the most hard-to-reach places, filling micropores, cracks, folds of the skin, and also has an antimicrobial, antiseptic effect, and works as a medicine with fungistatic functionality.Also, sprays and solutions dry out the skin on the legs and the horny plate of the nail, creating an environment unfavorable for the pathogen.
Any product presented in liquid form, as a solution or spray, depending on its membership in 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.Additionally, liquid forms are convenient to use to treat the skin of the feet.
Miconazole, Fluconazole, Terbinafine Hydrochloride, Bifonazole, Clotrimazole.
Tablets against nail fungus
Systemic mycoses with deep lesions, when toenail fungus spreads to the entire surface and depth of the stratum corneum, as well as epidermycoses and candidiasis often require complex therapy, with the simultaneous use of tablets and topical preparations.To treat fungal infections on the nails, in addition to antimycotics, antibiotics are used, as well as iodine preparations and ammonium salts.
Antimycotics – Itraconazole, Fluconazole, Terbinafine.
Antibiotics - Griseofulvin, Levorin, Natamycin, drugs of the nystatin group, any medicine based on Amphotericin.
Preparations for the treatment of fungus for pregnant and lactating women
The choice of remedies for fungus at any stage of pregnancy is the prerogative of the attending physician exclusively.An independent approach to determining the type of fungus and treating lesions may turn out to be erroneous, which will at least delay time and allow colonies to penetrate deep into the nail, and in some cases cause an undesirable reaction.The faster you can detect pathology on your feet and on the horny plates of your 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 fungi into the nail structure, it is worth discussing the procedure for its complete removal through surgery.
There are no guaranteed safe synthetic substances that destroy fungi without any risk of harming the successful course of pregnancy and the fetus.Even the relative safety of traditional methods can cause an allergic reaction to a natural component, or a burn of the skin around the nail (when using vinegar, iodine, etc.)
Undecylenic acid + zinc undecylenate is a combination drug, prescribed in the presence of strict indications, signs of hypersensitivity may occur.
Bifonazole - except for the first trimester, in the second and third according to strict indications, there is a risk of allergic reactions.