For the treatment of onychomycosis, doctors prescribe serious local and systemic chemicals. They can cause allergies and side effects. An alternative to pharmacy medicines are homemade formulations with antifungal action. The effectiveness of traditional methods has not been clinically confirmed. The benefits of treatment with homemade products lie in their availability and positive experiences with others.
When you can do without a doctor and chemistry
Dermatologists focus the attention of patients - neglected onychomycosis can be treated exclusively under the supervision of a physician. Long-term complex therapy will be required, with the appointment of pills and external agents. Self-medication is permissible only in the early stages of the development of the nail fungus. It is possible to distinguish progressive mycosis from the just begun by the symptoms:
- color - after infection with a fungus, the plate at the end becomes unclear, whitish or slightly yellowish, spots may appear; in advanced cases, the entire nail becomes gray-yellow, greenish or brown;
- structure - at the first stages of onychomycosis, the structure of the nail plate does not change significantly, as the nail progresses, it thickens strongly, stratifies, becomes loose, crumbles;
- the condition of the skin around - at the beginning of the disease does not change, in the later stages dryness, soreness, cracks, burrs appear;
- sensations - absent, if the skin is damaged, itching, pain, general discomfort appears.
Home remedies can only be used 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. With extensive changes in the nail plates, a course of complex therapy will be required, lasting from 3 to 12 months.
There is no food that can kill fungi from within the body. Home-made 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 treatment of 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 of these substances have a high level of safety and are well tolerated when used externally. However, a small risk of individual sensitivity remains. The presence of an allergic reaction is easy to check if you smear a small area of skin with a preparation prepared for nails. In case of itching, burning or swelling, you should stop using the mixture on a regular basis.
Homemade natural medicines have another specific property - they nourish the nail plate and accelerate its growth. This contributes to the faster regrowth 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 them, you can buy them in any store, with minimal financial investment.
The disadvantages of home-made medicines for onychomycosis are insignificant - an unpleasant odor, staining of nails, time spent on preparation and processing of limbs. Considering that at the end of the treatment, the patient will fully recover, the imperfections of traditional methods can be endured.
How to choose an effective recipe
Common sense must be used when familiarizing with existing treatments for nail fungus. No one applies completely indifferent substances to the horn plates, such as rice porridge or pancakes. Naturally, sour cream, milk, raw dough will also be completely ineffective. Traditional medicine recommends mixtures that affect the acidity of the environment (soda, vinegar), vitamin and essential oil products. Such preparations can really be useful, as they create unfavorable living conditions for the fungus, stimulate exfoliation of the damaged part of the plate, and accelerate the growth of nails.
Recommendations to apply motor oil, formaldehyde, diluted aggressive acids to nails affected by fungus are the inventions of irresponsible "healers". Any methods that could damage healthy skin should be discarded immediately.
If the fungus affects only a small part of the nail, there are enough products rich in vitamins and minerals. 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 medicines. If your nails are about half damaged, you can stop at recipes with baking soda, vinegar or antiseptic drugs. With more extensive mycoses, you should immediately consult a doctor. Excess risk is fraught with onycholysis - the process of destruction and rejection of nails on all fingers of a limb.
List of the best home remedies
The most effective are substances that can have a detrimental effect on the fungus. These include vinegar. At home, you can use ordinary table acid. For a more gentle effect, you should opt for wine, apple cider, rice vinegar. Basic home use methods.
- Pieces of cotton wool are impregnated with acid, applied to damaged nail plates, glued with a plaster or wrapped with a bandage. Leave to act 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 irritation on the skin around the plate.
- 9% table vinegar in equal proportions is mixed with glycerin, applied to nails with cotton swabs, for 15 minutes. The processing is repeated three times a day.
- A glass of table vinegar is poured into a basin filled to the ankles with hot water. Legs soar for 15 minutes, after which they simply wipe off the moisture with a towel. Repeat the procedure 3 times a week.
The baking soda can be used as a paste or as a foot bath. 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 the nail plates, applying the paste in a thick layer. Cover with a plaster or bandage. Stand for 15 minutes. Then they are washed off with water, the nails are wiped with a washcloth. Processing is carried out daily, up to 3 times a day.
- To prepare a medicinal soda bath for feet, you need to heat 3 liters of water, add 3 tablespoons of baking soda and 3 tablespoons of Iodinol solution. Legs soar for 20 minutes, rinse with clean running water and wipe dry. The procedure is repeated daily, twice a day.
- A tar-soda bath is prepared as follows: heat 3 liters of water, add 3 tablespoons of soda, 3 tablespoons of iodine solution, 3 tablespoons of tar soap crushed on a grater. The solution is shaken until a foam is formed. Immerse your feet, hold until the water cools completely. Processing is carried out 3 times a week.
Using these methods, you should carefully monitor the reaction of the skin. When burning, redness, swelling, dryness, itching appear, the method of treatment of onychomycosis must be replaced with a more gentle one.
Food
Certain vegetables, juices, and root vegetables have anti-fungal properties. They are most pronounced in essential oil plants - with a strong pronounced aroma, specific taste. Proven treatments for onychomycosis involve regular application of vegetable gruel or juicing.
- The garlic is passed through a press until a homogeneous substance is obtained. The same amount of common table salt is added. Thoroughly mix the composition until the crystals are completely dissolved. Apply the product to cotton swabs, apply to 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 treatments 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, a compress made from horseradish root, rubbed into a homogeneous gruel, is tied to the nails. Before grinding, the roots are peeled from the skin.
By using natural remedies, the likelihood of allergies or irritation is reduced. Redness, burning, itching - reasons to halve the time of exposure to compresses, wash off the remnants of solutions from nails 2 hours after treatment.
Beekeeping products
Gifts from bees have always been considered a storehouse of minerals, vitamins, and biologically active substances. Among them there are components with a wide spectrum of antifungal action. Wax, honey, bee bread, propolis, pollen - all products from the apiary can improve health when used internally and externally. For the treatment of fungal nail diseases, they must be used according to special recipes.
- Propolis is used as a tincture. You can buy ready-made product at the pharmacy. To prepare the extract at home, you will need to pour 10 g of propolis crushed on a grater with 100 ml of vodka or alcohol. After 14 days of infusion, the product is filtered into a bottle for storage. Tincture is used to treat nails damaged by the fungus 3 times a day. To enhance the effect, the product is applied in 3 layers.
- Propolis ointment. Any fat (100 g) is heated in a water bath. Propolis (10 g) is frozen, pounded with a rolling pin into a fine powder. It is introduced into heated oil, actively stirred until a homogeneous substance is obtained. Place the mixture in the refrigerator until it solidifies completely. The ointment is rubbed into the nails 2 times a day. After application, it is advisable 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 remedies, 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 allowed, with the condition that they are applied exclusively to the nail plates.
- 50 crushed calendula flowers are brewed in a large cup of boiling water. After complete cooling, the product is filtered into a bowl of hot water (3 liters). Legs soar for 10-15 minutes.
- 6 tablespoons of oak bark pour 1. 5 liters of boiling water. Put on a slow fire, simmer for half an hour. After complete cooling, the hood is mixed with 1. 5 liters of clean hot water. Take a bath for 20 minutes.
- Add 10 drops of tea tree, lavender, ylang-ylang or rosemary essential oil to 3 liters of hot water. Immerse your feet in the mixture for 20 minutes. After that, the feet are wrapped in a towel for 10 minutes. The procedure is carried out every day.
- Tea tree oil is mixed with a little hot water. The resulting mixture is impregnated with a cotton swab, tied for an hour to the affected nail plate. The manipulation is repeated twice a day.
When using herbal remedies, one should not expect a quick effect. However, the regular use of these recipes will not only get rid of the fungus, but also strengthen the nails, improve local blood circulation, and heal the skin on the feet.
Chemical compounds
For the treatment of the fungus, the people recommend using laundry soap (brown, with an inscription of 72%, without fragrances). Wet feet together with nails are well lathered. The bar can be used to walk directly over the nail plates so that the foam gets into the area under the rollers and under the free edge of the nail. In a soapy state, stand for 20 minutes. After that, the foam is thoroughly washed off with a stiff brush. Processing is daily.
Damaged nails can be treated with pure alcohol solution of iodine 5%. The disadvantage of this therapy is that the plates are stained brown.
Using a pure hydrogen peroxide solution, 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 simple to assess the effectiveness of alternative methods of treatment - if a healthy nail grows at the base, and the damaged surface decreases after each pedicure, then the method helps. If the condition gets worse. And the nail becomes yellowish, thickens - which means that the tool is ineffective. In order for folk drugs to work better, you should cut off the damaged area of the nail every week, treat shoes with antifungal agents.