An effective remedy for toenail fungus can be only with the correct choice of the composition that affects the causative agent of the disease.Nail fungi (mycosis and onychomycosis) are destructive changes in the appearance and structure of the nail plate, which sometimes spread to the skin of the feet.The cause of this phenomenon are increasingly more than 10 types of dermatophytes, yeast-like fungi (Candida) and molds.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 leads not to cure, but to the temporary elimination of visible symptoms from the surface of the nail.The fungus itself, the causative agent of the pathology, subsequently grows back, affecting the nails and surrounding skin.To reduce the treatment time and achieve a lasting result, it is wiser to turn to a mycologist, a specialist in the treatment of all types of nail fungus.After a laboratory examination of a particle of the affected nail, the doctor will determine the type of fungus and prescribe an antifungal drug, the pharmacological action of which is aimed at fighting the existing pathogen.
All offered drugs differ in the method of use and composition.Means to combat different types of fungi - antifungals - are available in accessible and convenient dosage forms.Active ingredients can be presented in a composition for external use (paint, ointment, cream, gel) or oral use (tablets, capsules).Liquid types – solutions, sprays – are also widely available on the pharmaceutical market.
Often the mycologist prescribes a complex therapy, using external drugs in the treatment program, the effect of which is enhanced by taking tablets and capsules.Additionally, the treatment program, depending on the area of the fungal infection, may include a sterile medical pedicure procedure.A systematic and complete approach is always indicated for extensive nail lesions.
Without exception, all drugs are divided into three categories, depending on 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 up to 50% of the nail surface, for the treatment of manifestations on the skin of the feet, can be used every day, acts against mold, candida, dermatophytes.
Examples - Terbinafine hydrochloride, Naftifine,
- Morpholines
They counteract all known types of nail fungi, quickly penetrate the nail plate, but act 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.
Antifungal preparations for external use
This category includes products that are applied directly to the affected nail or the surrounding skin - these are convenient ointments, creams and varnishes for the treatment of toenail fungus.All drugs have their advantages, but also disadvantages, which very often manifest themselves in a certain discomfort resulting from the use of formulations with a creamy consistency.The cost of products in the form of paints is higher than that of creams and ointments against fungi, but if there are different types of them 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 with which nail fungus is eliminated.
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 quite quickly on the surface of the nail plate, without causing discomfort during the day.
Creamy remedies against fungi
It cannot be said for sure that gels, ointments and creams against various types of fungi do not work as effectively as varnishes: the effectiveness of drugs 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 the rapid penetration of the composition deep into the hard horny plates of the nails.
Advantages of creams, ointments, gels against fungi:
- Does not irritate the skin of the feet.
- Destroy the pathology on the nails themselves and the surrounding skin.
- Convenient sets to use (with nail file, scraper).
- Broad spectrum of action, active against all types of pathogens.
- All categories are represented: azoles, allylamines and morpholines.
- Low drug prices.
Azoles
Imidazole derivatives – Clotrimazole, Econazole, Ketoconazole, Miconazole, Ketoconazole.
Triazole derivatives:
- fluconazoles;
- itraconazoles.
Allylamines
Types of products based on the active ingredient terbinafine
Naftifine and its derivatives.
Amorpholines
Toenail fungus remedies with the active ingredient amorolfine resist a wide range of pathogens, including candida.
Other drugs: sertaconazole, clotrimazole, salicylic ointment, sulfuric, zinc.
Fungus paints on nails
They are used in the initial stages of mycosis, when no more than 2/3 of the entire surface of the nail is affected.If the fungus has already penetrated deep into the nail tissue, it will be necessary to first remove the upper layers and only then use the drug.After cutting the affected areas, it will be necessary to repeat it, according to the information specified in the description.
Advantages of antifungal paints:
- Durability: The applied coating lasts up to several days.
- Convenience of use: the products do not stain clothing and dry quickly.
- Highly active components: quickly penetrate the surface of the affected nail through microcracks.
- Broad spectrum of action: used against different types of pathogens, it has a fungistatic and fungicidal effect.
- Convenience: the set contains the paint itself, as well as additional tools necessary for use: files, sponges.
- Large selection of different products.
Sprays and solutions for the treatment and disinfection of fungi
With properties similar to cream preparations and paints, manufacturers of antifungal products offer a wide range of sprays and solutions.Their use makes sense in the initial stages of the development of pathology.The liquid form of antifungal agents allows the composition to penetrate into the most difficult to reach places, filling micropores, cracks, skin folds, and also has an antimicrobial, antiseptic effect and works as a medicine with fungistatic functionality.In addition, sprays and solutions dry out the skin of the legs and the horny plate of the nail, creating an unfavorable environment for the pathogen.
Any product presented in liquid form, as a solution or spray, depending on its belonging to the group of active ingredients, acts against fungal infections of the nails and in the form of disease prevention, disinfection of personal hygiene items, clothing and shoes.In addition, liquid forms are convenient to use for treating the skin of the feet.
Miconazole, Fluconazole, Terbinafine hydrochloride, Bifonazole, Clotrimazole.
Tablets against nail fungus
Systemic mycoses with deep lesions, when the toenail fungus spreads over the entire surface and depth of the stratum corneum, as well as epidermicosis 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 antifungals, antibiotics, iodine preparations and ammonium salts are used.
Antifungals – Itraconazole, Fluconazole, Terbinafine.
Antibiotics: Griseofulvin, Levorin, Natamycin, drugs from the nystatin group, any medicine based on amphotericin.
Preparations for the treatment of fungi for pregnant and breastfeeding women
The choice of remedies against fungi at any stage of pregnancy is exclusively the prerogative of the treating doctor.An independent approach to determining the type of fungus and treating the lesions may turn out to be incorrect, which will at least delay the time and allow the colonies to penetrate deep into the nail and in some cases cause an unwanted reaction.The faster you can detect the pathology on your feet and horny plates of the nails and contact a mycologist, the better, better and safer the treatment and its results will be.
It is better to choose a drug for external use, and in situations where the disease has already reached the systemic stage, with deep penetration of the fungi into the structure of the nail, it is worth discussing the procedure for its complete removal by surgery.
There are no safe synthetic substances that destroy fungi without any risk of harming the smooth progress of pregnancy and the fetus.Even the relative safety of traditional methods can cause an allergic reaction to a natural component or a skin burn around the nail (when using vinegar, iodine, etc.)
Undecylenic acid + zinc undecylenate is a combined drug, prescribed in the presence of strict indications, signs of hypersensitivity may occur.
Bifonazole: with the exception of the first trimester, in the second and third, according to strict indications, there is a risk of allergic reactions.