Each disease requires a responsible approach, including the fungus on the feet - home treatment should also follow certain rules.
For information
It all depends on the area and intensity of damage to the skin and nails, the existence of other secondary diseases, even the age of the patient. 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 medicines for internal use. And, finally, it is possible to treat foot fungus exclusively with folk remedies - of course, with a reasonable approach. In addition, some experts believe that the most effective therapy is complex, that is, it is necessary to treat the disease with means from different groups.
First you need to make sure that you are dealing with mycosis (this is the scientific name of the disease). It has pronounced symptoms, such as itching and inflammation of the skin. There is a membrane-like fungus, when exfoliating scales appear on the skin - they are usually localized between the 4th toe and the little finger. Sometimes this can be accompanied by a bacterial infection which 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 on the foot, which are accompanied by roughness of the skin and its cracking.
Medications
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 early stages of this disease. In advanced cases, you will need to drink and medication for internal use.
As a rule, if the fungus has affected only the skin, you need to use some kind of topical cream, pharmacies offer a wide selection of such products. The duration of treatment in this case is 2-6 weeks, depending on the dosage and intensity of use. If it is not just a fungus on the foot, the disease has also affected keratolytic type plaques, which will help to remove the affected areas of the nail.
As for the means for internal use, these are quite radical means.
It is best to use them anyway as directed and under the supervision of a physician. The course of application will be long enough until not only symptomatic manifestations, but also the pests themselves completely disappear. As a rule, in such cases, pulse therapy is used, when the medicine for the fungus is taken at certain intervals, for example, they drink this medicine for a week, then endure a three-week break, then a new oneweekly course of therapy follows. Although it is believed that other drugs can be taken at this time, it is better not to do so.
Folk remedies
Of course, no doctor will advise you to treat the fungus yourself, if only because first you need to 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 the most effective?
It is often advisable to treat fungus on the legs with the help of washing powder. Such a tool contains many alkalis that kill these microorganisms. You can cure the fungus in the following way: for at least 2 weeks, soak your feet in warm water, in which 100 g of this detergent has been 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. When using this method, you must first spray the skin and nails in a solution of soda, for which 1 tsp is taken. baking soda and diluted with hot water. When the nails are sufficiently steamed, you can use hydrogen peroxide - cotton pads are impregnated with this composition and applied to the affected areas. In order to prevent the peroxide from evaporating too quickly (and also to create a compress effect), the foot is wrapped in plastic film or wrapped in a plastic bag for about an hour. Fungus on the feet is treated with this method for several weeks, depending on the degree of damage to the skin and nails. Ideally, the compresses should be done 2 times a day, morning and evening.
Foot fungus at home can also be treated with ammonia (it is sold in pharmacies). It is not used in its pure form, but in the form of an aqueous solution (1 tablespoon of alcohol for 1 tablespoon of boiled water). In this solution you need to soak a cotton cloth and make a compress, which is held on the leg overnight. 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 the infection.
Another popular remedy is garlic. Its cloves should be cut in half, soaked in table salt and rubbed into the affected areas. Garlic can also be used for compresses. The most common onion works the same way. Of the herbs you can advise chamomile, mint, sage. The dry herbs are mixed together and put into socks to be worn throughout the day. In summer, it is even better to use fresh plants, especially chamomile flowers, rather than dried herbs.
At the initial stage, you can fight the fungus with the help of ordinary medical alcohol. Just insert cotton swabs between fingers for 2 weeks and leave overnight.
Prevention
It is possible to get rid of fungus on the feet, but in order for the treatment to be effective, it is necessary to disinfect the objects with which the sick person has come into contact. At home, of course, this is a shower, bath, personal belongings of the patient - from shoes and underwear to nail care tools. For treatment, washing powder or 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 parts of shoes or boots. After applying acetic acid, shoes should be aired. As for linen, it must be boiled in a soapy solution of soda 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. You should also dry your shoes very carefully, especially sports shoes.