For the treatment of onychomycosis, doctors prescribe severe local and systemic chemicals. They can cause allergies and side effects. An alternative to pharmacy drugs 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 the doctor and chemistry
Dermatologists focus the attention of patients: neglected onychomycosis can only be treated under the supervision of a doctor. Long-term complex therapy will be required, with the appointment of pills and external agents. Self-medication is allowed only in the early stages of the development of the nail fungus. It is possible to distinguish progressive mycosis from that which has just begun by symptoms:
- color - after infection with a fungus, the plate eventually becomes unclear, whitish or slightly yellowish, spots may appear; in advanced cases, the entire nail becomes gray-yellow, greenish or brown;
- structure - in the early stages of onychomycosis, the structure of the nail plate does not change significantly, as the nail progresses, it strongly thickens, stratifies, loosens, crumbles;
- the condition of the skin around - at the beginning of the disease does not change, in the later stages dryness, pain, cracks, smudges appear;
- sensations - absent, if the skin is damaged, itching, pain, general discomfort appears.
Home remedies can only be used in the early stages of nail fungus. 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 nails, 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. Homemade 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.
Because 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);
- inexpensive local antiseptics from the pharmacy (peroxide, iodine, alcohol);
- herbal extracts (infusions, essential oils).
All these substances have a high level of safety and are well tolerated when used outdoors. 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 the nails. If you experience itching, burning or swelling, discontinue regular use of the mixture.
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 found in every home. In their absence, you can buy them in any store, with minimal financial investment.
The disadvantages of homemade medicines for onychomycosis are insignificant: an unpleasant smell, the coloring of the nails, the time spent preparing and processing the limbs. Considering that at the end of the treatment the patient will recover completely, the imperfections of traditional methods can be tolerated.
How to choose an effective recipe
Common sense should be used when familiarizing yourself with existing treatments for nail fungus. Nobody applies completely indifferent substances to horn dishes, such as rice porridge or pancakes. Of course, sour cream, milk and raw pasta will also be completely ineffective. Traditional medicine recommends mixtures that affect the acidity of the environment (carbonated soft drinks, vinegar), vitamins and products based on essential oils. Such preparations can be really useful, as they create unfavorable living conditions for the fungus, stimulate the exfoliation of the damaged part of the plate and accelerate the growth of nails.
The recommendations for applying motor oil, formaldehyde, diluted aggressive acids on nails affected by fungus are the inventions of irresponsible "healers". Any methods that could harm healthy skin must be eliminated immediately.
If the fungus affects only a small part of the nail, then products rich in vitamins and minerals are sufficient. If several nails are affected at the same time, but the area of plate damage does not reach half the area of each plate, you can choose herbal medicines. If your nails are 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 destroying and rejecting 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 delicate effect, you should opt for wine, apple cider, rice vinegar. Basic methods for home use.
- Pieces of cotton wool are soaked in acid, applied to damaged nails, glued with a plaster or wrapped with a bandage. Leave 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 dish.
- 9% table vinegar in equal proportions is mixed with glycerin, applied to the nails with cotton swabs, for 15 minutes. Processing is repeated three times a day.
- A glass of table vinegar is poured into a basin filled up to the ankles with hot water. The legs stand up for 15 minutes, after which they simply wipe off the moisture with a towel. Repeat the procedure 3 times a week.
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 nails, 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 towel. Processing is carried out daily, up to 3 times a day.
- To prepare a medicinal soda bath for the feet, you need to heat 3 liters of water, add 3 tablespoons of baking soda and 3 tablespoons of iodinol solution. Feet lift for 20 minutes, rinse with clean running water and dry. The procedure is repeated every day, twice a day.
- A tar 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 stirred until a foam is formed. Dip your feet, hold until the water cools completely. Processing is carried out 3 times a week.
Using these methods, you should carefully monitor the skin reaction. When burning, redness, swelling, dryness, itching appear, the method of treatment of onychomycosis should be replaced with a more gentle one.
Food
Some vegetables, juices, and root vegetables have antifungal properties. They are more pronounced in essential oil plants - with a strong pronounced aroma, a specific taste. Proven treatments for nail fungus involve regular application of gruel or squeezing vegetables.
- The garlic is passed through a press until a homogeneous substance is obtained. The same amount of common table salt is added. Mix the composition thoroughly until the crystals are completely dissolved. Apply the product on cotton pads, apply on damaged nails, leave under a bandage for one night.
- Juice of garlic, water and glycerin are mixed in equal quantities. The solution is stored in the refrigerator, used for normal 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 based on horseradish root, rubbed into a homogeneous gruel, is tied to the nails. Before grinding, the roots are peeled off 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 the nails 2 hours after treatment.
Beekeeping products
Bee gifts have always been considered a repository of minerals, vitamins and biologically active substances. Among them are components with a broad spectrum of antifungal action. Wax, honey, bee bread, propolis, pollen - all apiary products 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 the ready-made product at the pharmacy. To prepare the extract at home, you will need to pour 10 g of crushed propolis on a grater with 100 ml of vodka or alcohol. After 14 days of infusion, the product is filtered into a bottle for storage. The tincture is used to treat fungus-damaged nails 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 mixed until a homogeneous substance is obtained. Place the mixture in the refrigerator until it is completely solidified. The ointment is rubbed into the nails 2 times a day. After application, it is recommended 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 bee gifts on one condition: if they are well tolerated. If you are allergic to honey, it is better to choose other methods of treating nail fungus.
Medical plants
Among the 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, provided that they are applied exclusively to the nails.
- 50 crushed marigold flowers are prepared in a large cup of boiling water. After complete cooling, the product is filtered into a basin of hot water (3 liters). The legs rise for 10-15 minutes.
- 6 tablespoons of oak bark pour 1. 5 liters of boiling water. They turn on a low heat, 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.
- 10 drops of tea tree, lavender, ylang-ylang or rosemary essential oil are diluted in 3 liters of warm water. Soak 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. Manipulation is repeated twice a day.
When using herbal remedies, a quick effect should not be expected. However, regular use of these recipes will not only eliminate 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, people recommend the use of laundry soap (brown, with an inscription of 72%, without fragrances). Wet feet together with nails are well soapy. The bar can be used to walk directly on the nail plates so that the foam penetrates 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 carefully washed off with a stiff brush. Processing is daily.
Damaged nails can be treated with a 5% pure alcohol solution of iodine. The disadvantage of this therapy is that the plates are stained brown.
Using a solution of pure hydrogen peroxide, antifungal nail wraps are prepared twice a day. Cotton pads soaked in hydrogen peroxide are applied to the already steamed nails. After 15-40 minutes, the compress is removed.
It is very simple to assess the effectiveness of alternative treatment methods: if a healthy nail grows at the base, and the damaged surface decreases after each pedicure, the method helps. If the condition worsens. And the nail becomes yellowish, thickens, which means that the tool is ineffective. In order for popular drugs to work better, you should cut the damaged area of the nail every week, treat the shoes with antifungal agents.