Each disease requires a responsible approach, including foot fungus - treatment at home must also follow certain rules.
For information
Much depends on the area and intensity of damage to the skin and nails, whether there are other secondary diseases, even the age of the patient is taken into account. In any case, all funds are divided into 3 main groups. If you want to treat foot fungus at home, you can use topical preparations - these are special ointments, patches and other similar products that are sold at any pharmacy. You can also drink drugs for internal use. And, finally, it is possible to treat foot fungus exclusively with folk remedies, of course, with a reasonable approach. Also, some experts believe that the most effective therapy is complex, that is, it is necessary to treat the disease with means of different groups.
First you need to make sure that it is a mycosis (this is the scientific name of the disease). It has pronounced symptoms, such as itching and inflammation of the skin. There is a fungus of the membrane type, when exfoliating scales appear on the skin, they are usually located between the fourth toe and the little finger. Sometimes this can be accompanied by a bacterial infection that exacerbates the symptoms described. The presence of an infection can be indicated by the appearance of fluid-filled blisters on the skin. This is how vesicular mycosis manifests itself. But the moccasin-like fungus is manifested not so much by itching as by painful sensations in the foot, which is accompanied by roughness of the skin and its cracking.
medicines
If you are sure of this diagnosis, you can treat the fungus at home with topical products. But remember that they are effective only in the initial stages of this disease. In advanced cases, you will have to drink and drugs for internal use.
As a rule, if the fungus has affected only the skin, then you need to use some kind of topical cream, pharmacies offer a wide selection of such products. The course of treatment in this case is from 2 to 6 weeks, depending on the dosage and intensity of use. If this is not just a foot fungus, then the disease has also affected keratolytic-type patches, which will help to remove the affected areas of the nail.
As for means for internal use, these are quite radical means.
It is best to use them anyway as directed and under the supervision of a doctor. The course of application will be quite long until not only the symptomatic manifestations, but also the harmful organisms themselves completely disappear. As a rule, in such cases, pulse therapy is used, when the drug for the fungus is taken at certain intervals, for example, they drink this drug for a week, then endure a three-week break, then a new weekly course. of follows the therapy. Although it is believed that other medications can be taken at this time, it is best not to.
Home remedies
Of course, not a single doctor will advise you to treat the fungus on your own, if only because you must first make the correct diagnosis. However, if you are sure that it is such a disease, foot fungus at home can also be treated with folk remedies. Which is considered more effective?
Treatment of leg fungus with the help of washing powder is often recommended. Such a tool contains a lot of alkalis that kill these microorganisms. You can cure the fungus as follows: for at least 2 weeks, soak your feet in hot water, in which 100 g of this detergent was previously diluted. In about 2 weeks, the symptoms of the disease will disappear. But to be sure of the result, it is better to continue for another 2-3 days. The disadvantage of this tool is a possible allergic reaction to washing powder. In order for alkalis to act on a fungal infection, other means can be used, for example, ordinary baking soda diluted with water.
Hydrogen peroxide is used to treat foot fungus. It is especially effective when the disease has also affected the nail plates. Using this method, you must first steam the skin and nails in a soda solution, for which 1 tsp is taken. baking soda and diluted with hot water. When the nails are steamed enough, you can use hydrogen peroxide - cotton pads are impregnated with this composition and applied to the affected areas. To prevent the peroxide from evaporating too quickly (and also to create a compress effect), the foot is wrapped in plastic wrap or wrapped in a plastic bag for about an hour. Foot fungus is treated by this method for several weeks, depending on the degree of damage to the skin and nails. Ideally, compresses should be done twice a day, in the morning and at night.
Foot fungus at home can also be treated with ammonia (sold in pharmacies). It is not used in its pure form, but as an aqueous solution (1 tablespoon of alcohol per 1 tablespoon of boiled water). In this solution you need to soak a cotton cloth and make a compress, which is kept on the leg for the whole night. Boric acid is considered an effective remedy. You can buy it in powder form at the pharmacy. They are used in powder form. 10 sessions are enough to forget about the infection.
Another popular remedy is garlic. His cloves should be cut in half, soaked in table salt and rubbed on the affected areas. Garlic can also be used for compresses. The most common onion works the same way. Of herbs, you can advise chamomile, mint, sage. The dried herbs are mixed together and put into socks to wear throughout the day. In summer, it is even better to use fresh plants, including chamomile flowers, instead of dried herbs.
At the initial stage, you can fight the fungus with the help of ordinary medical alcohol. It is enough to insert cotton swabs between the fingers for 2 weeks and leave them overnight.
Prevention
It is possible to get rid of foot fungus, but for the treatment to be effective, it is necessary to disinfect those objects with which the sick person has been in contact. At home, this, of course, is a shower, a bath, the patient's personal belongings - from shoes and underwear to nail care tools. For processing, powdered detergent or a chloramine solution is usually used. Shoes are best treated with a solution of acetic acid (40%). Particular attention should be paid to the insoles and side sections of shoes or boots. After applying acetic acid, the shoes must be aired. As for bed linen, it should be boiled in a soapy soda solution and ironed with a hot iron.
In the future, you will need to pay special attention to hygiene issues: if you go to the sauna or gym, use antifungal ointments and varnishes. It is also necessary to dry shoes very carefully, especially sports shoes.