According to statistics, every fifth inhabitant of the planet thinks about how to effectively treat toenail fungus at home, because at the crazy pace of life there is not enough time to visit a doctor. This disease is not dangerous or deadly, but it is very disturbing, so I want to get rid of it as soon as possible. The following tools and tips will help you forget about such an unpleasant disease.
Iodine is a cheap and effective tool in the fight against fungi
Why is this particular alcohol solution so popular? It's very simple: the structure of mushrooms is protein, and iodine causes the protein to fold, destroying it.
There are several recipes that use this universal tool, choose the one that suits you:
- Apply one drop of 5% solution to each affected nail twice a day. Use an ordinary cotton swab for this purpose. Remember to prevent healthy nails: apply 1 drop of iodine on them every day. In this case, the course of therapy will take about 4-6 weeks.
- Many people wonder whether it is possible to treat nail fungus without pills, because not everyone and not always can take medication. Traditional medicine knows many recipes, and we list the most proven and effective ones. One of them is iodine baths. Add a few drops of alcohol to a bowl of warm water, then immerse your feet in this water and keep it there for about 10-15 minutes. At the end of the procedure, the affected parts of the nail should be removed and then these areas should be treated with ordinary hydrogen peroxide. If you want, you can apply any antibacterial ointment in addition to gauze bandage and fix it on your nails overnight. 3 such procedures will suffice.
Effective baking soda recipes
Wondering where to treat nail fungus? Of course, if you have the time and money, you can use laser therapy or other advances in medicine. But in most cases, you can get rid of the disease by using the tools that everyone has at home. For example, why not use baking soda, which makes the entire corneal layer very soft and makes it easier for creams and ointments to penetrate the affected areas?
We take baths using soda and soap
For the procedure you will need:
- Basin with 7-8 liters of water.
- Soda - 3 cups.
- Tar or laundry soap, pre-ground in a frying pan - 3–4 tbsp.
First you need to mix all the ingredients for the bath very carefully. As soon as you are sure that the soap and soda are completely soluble in water, lower your feet into the pool. The procedure takes about 20 minutes. After the bath, try to cut the affected nails as much as possible. When your feet are dry, apply any antibacterial ointment to your nails and the skin around them. Repeat the procedure once every 4 days until the fungus is completely gone.
Soda cake - tested and inexpensive
Take the required amount of soda (taking into account how many areas you need to treat) and mix with water so that the consistency resembles a thick cream. Then apply the mixture in one layer to the affected areas. Put a few drops of lemon juice on top of the paste. If you feel tingling and small bubbles appear on the surface, do not worry, it should be so. After 5 minutes, remove the paste, wash your feet and apply antifungal ointment. You can use this paste no more than once in 4-5 days.
How to get rid of fungus with vinegar
If you do not know how to treat nail fungus at home, then we offer you a few more recipes. If you start treatment at the earliest stages, you will be able to overcome the disease very quickly.
- We are doing tricks. Combine 2 tablespoons and mix thoroughly. l. vodka, 3 egg whites and 2 tbsp. l. vinegar essence. Then, take a gauze napkin or a bandage folded in several layers, moisten the prepared solution and apply to the affected area for 15 minutes. After this time, replace the used bandage with a new one and repeat the procedure. This should be done every evening until the affected nail is completely removed.
- Compress. Here you can use both table and apple cider vinegar. Take a cotton swab, soak it well with liquid and glue it to the nail, then straighten it with adhesive film and bandage. Apply compress for 3 hours every evening. With such methods, fungus on the nail of the thumb will not be difficult to treat for 1-2 months. Everything is simple and all components are available.
- Baths. To prepare the bath, combine vinegar and water in a ratio of 1: 8, respectively. However, before lowering your feet there, steam them in ordinary hot water and remove the affected nail plates as much as possible. And only after that, soak your feet in a bowl of vinegar for 20 minutes. Repeat the procedure every evening for 7 days. Now you know how to treat nail fungus in a week, but this only applies to early stage diseases.
Lemon and turmeric for the health of your nails
You can try to kill nail fungus with lemon and turmeric. The first ingredient perfectly whitens the nail, while the second has unique antiseptic properties and prevents the growth of fungi and infection of other nails.
Combine a few drops of lemon juice and a little turmeric to make a thick paste and apply it to the affected area of the fungus. It is enough to endure it for 20 minutes a day. After 5-7 days you will see the results of lemon treatment, but this is not a reason to stop the procedure.
Every day, drip fresh lemon juice on the nail, leave for 5-7 minutes and you can wash the surface with soap. However, such procedures should be performed daily for 2-3 months.
Garlic is the number 1 enemy of fungal diseases
This is a great tool for those who are looking for an answer to the question of how to quickly treat nail fungus at home, despite some unpleasant moments. The first is the smell, and the second is the vibrating pain you feel enough to endure.
You can try the following recipes:
- Squeeze the garlic juice and treat the affected nail with it every day.
- Mix equal amounts of rubbing alcohol and garlic juice. Treat the affected areas with this composition in the morning and evening.
- Mix vegetable oil and garlic cuttings until a thick mixture is obtained. Apply the composition before going to bed and leave overnight, straighten with a bandage for comfort.
Treatment with garlic should be continued until the fungus is completely gone, it can take 2 weeks or 2 months, it all depends on the stage of the disease.
How to deal with chronic forms of the fungus with medication?
It is very important to know how to properly treat advanced nail fungus, because in this case, monotherapy will not help, you will have to resort to an integrated approach, which includes pills, ointments, folk remedies. Here it is advisable to consult a doctor who will prepare a specific treatment plan for your condition.
Apply:
- Broad-spectrum antifungal drugs. It is necessary to take the drug once a week until it is completely cured, ie until a new nail is fully grown.
- Terbinafine-based drugs. To treat an old fungus on the legs with these tools, you need to take them for at least 2 months, otherwise you will not be able to cope with the disease.
- Itraconazole-based products. Effective and fairly safe drugs that fight almost all known fungal species.
- Drugs containing ketoconazole. They only start to move after 3 months of regular use, but then their movements will be fast and effective.
As we have already said, when it comes to the chronic form of the disease, it is necessary to take a comprehensive approach. Thus, nail fungus will be difficult to treat with pills. It is also necessary to use local agents, ie creams and ointments. Good results are obtained using Tibetan patch.
Folk remedies to avoid fungus
In principle, you can use all of the above recipes in combination with tablets and ointments. But it is still worth adding a few more effective traditional medicine:
- Buy it at a pharmacy or prepare your own propolis tincture with alcohol. Soak tampons there every day and apply to painful areas.
- Kombucha fights many diseases of the body, and fungi are no exception. Make an ointment from it and apply it on the affected nail plates twice a day. In the evening, you can first soak your feet in a solution of potassium permanganate, then apply the same gruel, cover with a bandage and leave it on all night.
- If someone in your family smokes, it may be helpful in this situation, as the recipe requires ash. After 3 cigarettes, mix the remaining ash with a small amount of fluoride toothpaste (half a teaspoon is enough). Apply this product to the affected nail, wrap in a bag and leave overnight.
Now you see that it is foolish to ask how to quickly treat nail fungus at home, because any method requires patience and time. But in most cases, you will see the first results very soon.