For the treatment of onychomycosis, doctors prescribe severe topical and systemic chemicals. They can cause allergies and side effects. An alternative to the drug is a homemade formula with antifungal properties. The effectiveness of traditional methods has not been clinically proven. The benefits of using homemade products for therapy lie in their availability and positive experiences with others.
When can you go without doctors and chemistry
Dermatologists focus on their patients - neglected onychomycosis can only be treated under a doctor's supervision. Long-term complex treatment will be required, with prescribed pills and external medicines. Self-medication is only allowed in the early stages of nail fungus development. Progressive mycosis can be distinguished from incipient mycosis by the following symptoms:
- Color - after fungal infection, the base of the plate becomes indistinct, whitish or yellowish, and may appear mottled; in advanced cases, the entire nail becomes gray-yellow, green, or brown;
- Structure - in the first stage of onychomycosis, the structure of the nail plate does not change significantly, as the nail progresses, it thickens strongly, delaminates, becomes loose, chipped;
- The condition of the surrounding skin - unchanged at the beginning of the disease, dryness, soreness, cracks, burrs appear in the later stages;
- Sensation - absent, itching, pain, general discomfort may occur if the skin is damaged.
Home remedies should only be used in the early stages of onychomycosis. If no more than 3 nails are affected, less than 2/3 of the area, there is no severe hyperkeratosis, and the skin is not involved in the pathological process, you can recover on your own. With extensive changes to the nail plate, a complex course of treatment will be required, lasting 3 to 12 months.
No food can kill the fungus in the body. Homemade mixes are bacteriostatic - they slow the growth and reproduction of fungal microbes. They prevent the infection from spreading to growing nails.
Why home remedies are better than drugstores
Traditional methods of treating onychomycosis are based on the following:
- Available food (garlic, onion, honey);
- popular compounds for household use (vinegar, soda);
- Inexpensive local preservatives (peroxides, iodine, alcohol) from pharmacies;
- Herbal extracts (infusion, essential oils).
All of these substances have a high safety profile and are well tolerated when used externally. However, a small risk of personal sensitivity remains. It is easy to check for an allergic reaction if you apply a small patch of skin with the preparation for nails. You should stop using the mixture regularly if itching, burning, or swelling occurs.
Homemade natural medicines have another special property - they nourish the nail plate and accelerate its growth. This helps the nail regenerate faster and remove the affected part.
The indisputable advantage of folk methods is their cheapness. Most products and substances are in every household. Without them, you can buy them at any store with minimal financial investment.
The disadvantages of homemade medicine for onychomycosis are trivial - bad smell, stained nails, time spent preparing and treating extremities. The drawbacks of traditional methods are tolerable, considering that after treatment is over, the patient will fully recover.
How to choose a recipe that works
Common sense must be used when familiarizing yourself with existing nail fungus treatments. No one smears a croissant plate with something completely inconsequential, like porridge or pancakes. Naturally, sour cream, milk, and dough will also be completely ineffective. Traditional medicine recommends mixtures (soda, vinegar), vitamins, and essential oil products that affect the acidity of the environment. Such preparations are really useful because they create unfavorable living conditions for the fungus, stimulate peeling of damaged parts of the board, and accelerate the growth of nails.
It is suggested that the application of motor oil, formaldehyde, diluted corrosive acid to the nails affected by fungi is the invention of irresponsible "therapists". Anything that could damage healthy skin should be thrown away immediately.
If the fungus affects only a small part of the nail, a product rich in vitamins and minerals will suffice. If several nails are affected at the same time, but the damaged area of the board is not ½ of the area of each board, herbal remedies may be an option. If your nails are about half damaged, you can stop recipes that use baking soda, vinegar, or preservatives. For more widespread fungal diseases, you should consult your doctor immediately. Excessive risk is fraught with onycholysis - the process of destroying and repelling the nails on all fingers of a limb.
List of Best Home Remedies
The most effective are substances that may adversely affect the fungus. These include vinegar. At home, you can use regular table acid. For a milder effect, you should opt for wine, cider, and rice vinegar. Basic home use.
- Cotton sheets soaked in acid are applied to damaged nail plates, stuck in a plaster or wrapped in a bandage. Leave on for 3 hours and repeat the process 2 times a day.
- The principle is the same as the first method, but apply the compress overnight. This method is only suitable if it is well tolerated and not irritating to the skin around the dish.
- Mix equal parts 9% vinegar and glycerin and apply to nails with a cotton swab for 15 minutes. This treatment was repeated three times a day.
- Pour a cup of vinegar into a basin with hot water. The legs soared for 15 minutes, after which they simply wiped off the moisture with a towel. Repeat this process 3 times a week.
Baking soda can be used as a paste or as a foot bath. Its solution effectively prepares the nail plate for exposure to other drugs.
- Dilute the desired amount of fine soda with water to make a thick paste. This tool is used to treat the nail plate, applying the paste in thick layers. Cover with a plaster or bandage. Let stand for 15 minutes. Then wash them off with water and wipe the nails with a towel. Treatment is performed daily, up to 3 times a day.
- To prepare a medicinal soda bath for your feet, you need to heat 3 liters of water, add 3 tablespoons of baking soda and 3 tablespoons of iodine solution. Soak your feet for 20 minutes, rinse with clean tap water and dry. This process is repeated once a day, twice a day.
- The tar soda bath is prepared as follows: Heat 3 liters of water, add 3 tablespoons of soda water, 3 tablespoons of iodine solution, 3 tablespoons of tar soap, and grind with a grater. Shake the solution until foam forms. Immerse your feet in the water and hold until the water is completely cool. Treatments were performed 3 times a week.
Using these methods, you should carefully monitor the skin's response. When burning, redness, swelling, dryness, and itching occur, the treatment of onychomycosis must be replaced by a gentler method.
food
Certain vegetables, juices, and root vegetables have antifungal properties. They are most evident in essential oil plants - with a strong aroma and special taste. Proven treatments for onychomycosis include regular use of vegetable porridge or juicing.
- The garlic is passed through a press until a homogeneous mass is obtained. Add the same amount of regular table salt. The composition is mixed thoroughly until the crystals are completely dissolved. Apply the product to a cotton swab, apply it to the damaged nail, and wrap it in a bandage overnight.
- Mix equal parts garlic juice, water and glycerin. The solution is stored in the refrigerator for regular nail care with a brush, 3 times a day.
- Mix onion juice with aloe vera juice. The resulting substance is used to lubricate damaged nails 3 times a day.
- In the evening, use a compress made of horseradish, knead into an even gruel, and tie it to the nails. Before grinding, peel the roots away from the skin.
Reduce the likelihood of allergies or irritation by using natural remedies. Redness, burning, itching - the reason for halving the exposure time of the compresses, washes off any residual solution from the nails 2 hours after treatment.
beekeeping products
The gift of bees has long been considered a treasure trove of minerals, vitamins and bioactive substances. Among them are ingredients with broad-spectrum antifungal effects. Wax, honey, bee bread, propolis, pollen - all products from apiaries improve health when used inside and outside. For the treatment of fungal nail diseases, it must be used according to a special formula.
- Propolis is used as a tincture. You can buy ready-made products in pharmacies. To prepare the extract at home, you need to pour 10 grams of propolis into a grinder and add 100 ml of vodka or alcohol. After 14 days of infusion, the product is filtered into bottles for storage. The tincture is used to treat nails damaged by fungus 3 times a day. To enhance the effect, the product is applied in 3 layers.
- Propolis ointment. Any fat (100 grams) is heated in a water bath. Freeze propolis (10 g) and mash it into a fine powder with a rolling pin. Introduce it into the heated oil, stirring vigorously until a homogeneous mass is obtained. Put the mixture in the refrigerator until completely set. Apply the ointment to the nails 2 times a day. After application, cotton socks are recommended.
- Mix equal parts honey and onion juice until smooth. The tool is used to lubricate the nails 3 times a day.
You can use bee gifts in one situation - if they are well tolerated. If you are allergic to honey, other options for onychomycosis are better.
Medicinal plants
Among herbal medicines, the most popular are herbal raw materials, which contain tannins and essential oils. In the treatment of onychomycosis, pure essential oils are permitted, provided that they are only applied to the nail plate.
- Brew 50 crushed marigolds in a large glass of boiling water. After cooling completely, strain the product into a bowl of hot water (3 liters). Leave your legs in the air for 10-15 minutes.
- Pour 6 tablespoons of oak bark into 1. 5 liters of boiling water. They put it on fire and simmered for half an hour. When completely cool, mix the cooker hood with 1. 5 liters of clean hot water. Take a bath for 20 minutes.
- Dilute 10 drops of tea tree, lavender, ylang ylang or rosemary essential oil into 3 liters of hot water. Dip your feet in the mixture for 20 minutes. Afterwards, wrap your feet in a towel for 10 minutes. This procedure takes place every day.
- Mix tea tree oil with a little hot water. Dip the resulting mixture with a cotton swab and tie it to the affected nail plate for an hour. This operation is repeated twice a day.
When using herbal remedies, one should not expect quick results. However, regular use of these recipes not only removes the fungus, but also strengthens the nails, improves local circulation, and heals the skin of the feet.
compound
For the treatment of fungi, laundry soap (brown, with 72% inscription, fragrance free) is recommended. Wet feet lather well with nails. The rod can be used to walk directly over the nail plate so that the foam gets into the area under the roller and under the free edge of the nail. In soapy condition, let stand for 20 minutes. Afterwards, wash off the lather thoroughly with a stiff brush. Processed daily.
Damaged nails can be treated with a solution of 5% iodine in pure alcohol. The downside of this remedy is that the plates are stained brown.
Antifungal nail compresses twice a day using pure hydrogen peroxide solution. Apply a cotton swab soaked in hydrogen peroxide to the pre-steamed nail. After 15-40 minutes, remove the compress.
Assessing the effectiveness of alternative treatments is straightforward—if healthy nails grow at the base, and the damaged surface decreases after each pedicure, the method helps. If the condition worsens. The nails turn yellow and thick - this means the tool is ineffective. To make the folk medicine work better, you should trim the damaged area of your nails weekly and treat your shoes with an antifungal agent.