Fungus on the big toe is a disease that can happen to anyone. It is expressed not only in changes in the appearance of the nail, but also in itching, pain, and redness. The finger may swell, swelling will appear, and walking will be difficult. Scientifically, this disease is called “onychomycosis,” and if you encounter it, you will definitely have to treat it, because it will not go away on its own.
Big toe fungus: appearance
The disease begins with slight discomfort, which the patient initially does not pay attention to. It may be a slight itching or tingling sensation. After some time, visible changes in the appearance of the nail plate appear. At this stage, most patients realize that they need treatment. The nail plate becomes less shiny than on healthy fingers, and then acquires a yellow or gray tint. Nails become brittle, may crumble, and darken over time. The fungus damages the vessels that are located under the nail plate, causing the nail to turn black. In the advanced stage, an unpleasant odor appears, the temperature may rise, and the patient feels overwhelmed and weakened. A fungal infection is often accompanied by a bacterial one, which is characterized by purulent discharge from under the nail, a higher temperature and the need to take antibiotics.
Fungal infection in 90% of cases begins with the big toe. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, this finger comes into contact with shoes more often than others. Secondly, the mechanical impact on it is always stronger. As a result, microcracks, calluses and other damage appear. Any damage to the skin, even minimal, is an open gate for a fungal infection. If you start treatment immediately, when the first symptoms appear, you can stop the disease much faster. If the nail is not treated immediately, the fungus from the big toe will spread to other nails, the space between the toes and the entire foot.
Start drug treatment only after consulting a doctor.
Treatment of thumb fungus is a long process
If you are not a supporter of traditional medicine, and the disease is not very advanced, you can only get by with local treatment. For this, pharmacists have developed special antimycotic varnishes and solutions.
Varnishes contain substances (most often amorolfine) that destroy the structure of the cell membrane of the fungus. The most popular varnishes for thumb nail fungus:
Treatment of fungus with varnish
In addition, sometimes doctors prescribe mycosan - this is a well-proven serum that actively fights all types of nail fungus. The serum comes with special files for grinding down damaged parts of the nail. Before using medications, you must read the package insert, which describes the regimen of use. Despite the fact that the varnishes look almost the same, they must be used strictly according to the recipe. For example, loceryl is applied to nails 2 times a week for six months, and batrafen 1 time every 2 days in monthly courses.
To make your nails look more aesthetically pleasing, you can apply regular manicure polish over the medicated polish.
Fukortsin for the treatment of fungus
Solutions are used for compresses, lotions and baths. One of the best solutions for treating toenail fungus is Berezhnov's liquid. This is a very effective remedy that can be ordered from the prescription department of the pharmacy. The solution has a complex composition, so not every pharmacy can produce it. However, the liquid prepared according to this time-tested recipe is very effective.
Another solution is fucorcin. The liquid is red in color and works well against mycosis of the nail. Be careful when using - if it gets on the skin, especially damaged skin, it can cause burns and pain.
Nitrofungin is a solution with the active ingredient chlornitrophenol. It is used externally to combat early and middle stage fungus.
The most commonly used medications in the treatment of nail fungus are creams and ointments. They contain a variety of substances that actively fight fungal infections. They are applied to previously prepared nails - steamed, cleaned and dried.
The most popular creams and ointments:
A variety of creams for the treatment of big toe fungus
The creams are easy to apply, the treatment is painless and reliable. Usually it is enough to apply any of the creams in the morning and evening. To make it work faster, be sure to soak your feet in water with soap suds and baking soda for 15 minutes, then dry all damaged areas and remove dead skin. Use a special file to remove the upper damaged part of the nail. Remember - the deeper the cream penetrates, the more effective it will be in treatment.
In advanced stages, internal treatment is added to local treatment. Tablets that actively fight fungus have many contraindications and side effects. Therefore, before taking medications, you should definitely consult with your doctor, who will prescribe one of the following medications:
Most of these drugs cannot be used to treat children, as well as those patients who suffer from liver or kidney failure. Some medications may interact with athlete's foot medications, so tell your doctor if you are taking other pills (including birth control) at the same time.
In addition to tablets, varnishes, creams and ointments, there are many other medicines. For example, sprays, powders, medicinal patches. Modern medications can not only quickly destroy the fungus, but also, accumulating in tissues, protect them from infection for a long time.
If the severe stage of nail fungus is quite difficult to cure without medication, then even folk remedies can cope with the initial stage. They are chosen by those who prefer to be treated with more natural remedies or have contraindications for treatment with drugs.
Coffee is not only a flavorful drink. It is also an effective remedy against toenail fungus. The ability to destroy fungus was noticed many years ago, and since then a huge number of people have been able to get rid of this disease by making baths or applying masks to the affected areas. Most often, treatment with coffee is carried out as follows:
Coffee is a unique remedy for foot care and fungus treatment
Coffee contains many healthy oils, vitamins and biologically active substances. Therefore, he not only fights the disease, but also actively cares for his skin and nails.
Vinegar is an excellent remedy that quickly destroys fungus. It can be added to foot baths, lubricated the nail plate, and made compresses. However, vinegar is a fairly strong acid, and if it comes into contact with the skin, it can cause burns, pain and small wounds. Therefore, you should not allow undiluted vinegar to be applied to your skin.
Do not forget that vinegar essence can be of different strengths. The strongest is 70%, but most often they use regular 9% apple cider vinegar.
To make a healing bath with vinegar, heat the water to 50 degrees and add 3 tablespoons of vinegar to each liter of water. You can do such baths 2 times a day, but remember that vinegar dries the skin very much, so it must be lubricated with baby cream. The use of special antifungal creams after vinegar baths, lotions or compresses will speed up the healing process.
Vinegar will help everyone
For treatment, you need to take only natural apple cider vinegar.
Soda in high concentrations can corrode the skin, so if you decide to use a slurry of wet soda, cover the skin around the nail with an adhesive plaster. You can also add soda to bath solutions. Herbal baths with the addition of soda worked well. Add 2 tablespoons of soda to any solution and soak your feet in it for 20-30 minutes. Lubricate the damaged areas with fungicidal cream, and the rest of the skin with rich baby cream.
Everyone has heard that applying iodine to the nail plate makes it stronger. But iodine can not only strengthen nails, but also cure them from the initial stage of fungus. Using a cotton swab, cover all nails with iodine, including healthy ones - this is done for prevention. Usually, after a few hours, the iodine is absorbed, which signals a lack of iodine in the body. In this case, apply iodine in another layer. We perform this procedure 2 times a day.
Iodine can also be added to foot baths by mixing it with regular warm water or herbal solutions.
Garlic is a natural antibiotic. It successfully destroys harmful bacteria, viruses and fungi. Therefore, using it to treat fungus on the big toe nail is largely justified. In addition, it is a completely safe product available to everyone. Garlic is used either alone or in combination with other products.
If you are allergic to garlic, do not treat the fungus this way.
An excellent vitamin product that should be in every home. Unfortunately, today the prevalence of kombucha has decreased, but it can still be seen in some homes. Kombucha is a storehouse of useful biological components, vitamins, and minerals. By drinking this drink, you increase your immunity, thanks to which the body defeats the fungus faster. The fungus produces special enzymes that destroy fungi, so by making lotions with this beneficial liquid, you will quickly cope with the disease. Kombucha is best used as part of complex therapy, since it can completely cure the fungus only at the initial stage of the disease.
The cheapest treatment for fungus is with potatoes. In order to prepare potato medicinal mass, take potato peelings and boil them in water. We use the resulting decoction for baths. After the procedure, wipe your feet dry and put on warm socks. This procedure must be performed at least once a day.
Antifungal ointment will speed up the healing process.
Ammonia is used either pure or in solutions. Using a cotton swab, you can apply ammonia to the nail plate and leave until dry. It can also be added to foot baths. Remember to avoid getting alcohol on exposed skin.
Whether treatment of the thumbnail with traditional methods will be successful depends, first of all, on the patient’s body and his immune system, as well as on the stage of the disease. But in any case, the treatment will be quite long - even after all the symptoms disappear, the risk of relapse is quite high. Therefore, therapy is carried out in some cases for six months.
Stages of thumb fungus
The initial stage is the easiest to treat. Sometimes it is enough to anoint the diseased nail with anti-fungal ointment for a week, take baths with iodine or salt several times, and the disease will recede. You can cope only with traditional methods, but it is better not to risk it and consult a doctor. A simple smear will determine the causative agent of the disease, and the doctor will not make a mistake in prescribing medications. You can treat a fungus with a bacterial infection (or vice versa), which will aggravate the course of the disease.
It is important to prevent the fungus from spreading to other fingers, so just in case, treat other nails (if not with ointment, cream or spray, then at least with iodine).
At the middle stage, when nail damage is noticeable to the naked eye, home treatment methods should only be taken in a comprehensive manner. To poultices, baths and compresses it is necessary to add the use of special medical ointments. This is the only way you won’t “drive” the fungus inside and you can quickly deal with it.
In advanced cases, treatment includes not only traditional methods, ointments, creams and baths, but also taking special antifungal tablets prescribed by the doctor. In especially severe cases, surgical intervention is necessary - removal of the nail with a laser, mechanically using anesthesia or special chemicals. Sometimes a severe stage of big toe nail fungus requires hospitalization, and the addition of a bacterial infection requires long-term treatment with antibiotics.
Mycosis is a disease that can be encountered. The key to effective therapy is timely treatment prescribed at the first appearance of symptoms. But even in advanced forms, the disease can be eliminated. However, this will require a set of measures.
The cause of mycosis cannot be a weakened immune system, taking antibiotics, or poor hygiene. However, the disease spreads more actively in the presence of these factors. It appears due to the contact of fungal microorganisms with healthy tissues. Their penetration inside is greatly facilitated in the presence of wounds or microcracks. If the skin of the feet is absolutely healthy, then a person receives good protection against mycosis. But this condition of the legs is rare.
The cause of microcracks can be:
Microorganisms can get on the nail in the following ways:
The risk of rapid development of the disease increases in the presence of certain factors:
In the presence of all these circumstances, the disease will develop actively and move into new stages.
Symptoms of the disease vary significantly depending on its stage:
But this stage may not be final. If you do not get rid of mycosis, fungal microorganisms can enter the blood, spread throughout the body, and penetrate the internal organs.
Mycosis is caused by various microorganisms. Depending on them, the manifestations of the disease may vary. For example, moldy fungi can take over the nail. In this case, it acquires green and blue shades. However, in 95% of cases, the cause of the disease is dermatophytes. When they appear, standard symptoms are observed.
The disease can only affect the thumbnail. If there are no manifestations of the disease on other plates, then most likely this is the first or second stage. Therapy is carried out according to a standard regimen. The diseased nail is lubricated daily with local products. Once a week you need to lubricate all other nails for preventive purposes.
How to kill nail fungus? There cannot be universal methods, since everything depends on the stage of the disease. At the first stage, you can limit yourself to traditional methods. In the final stages, only an integrated approach will help. The following treatment methods are distinguished:
Only a doctor can choose the optimal method. You should not choose the most effective scheme yourself, since such schemes simply do not exist.
The best technique will be the one that is suitable for a particular case. For example, systemic medications give good results, but have many side effects and contraindications. Using them in the early stages is not only pointless, but also harmful.
Local remedies effectively act on superficial mycosis. They not only destroy fungal microorganisms, but also relieve inflammation, serve as an antiseptic, and quickly eliminate symptoms. The first effects can be noticed after 1-2 weeks of use. However, if all the symptoms go away, this does not mean that the disease has disappeared. Treatment must be continued until a healthy nail grows back. Most local medications have no side effects or contraindications, except for intolerance to the components. Let's consider the most popular means:
There are also serums against mycosis and other remedies.
Systemic treatment consists of taking tablets. One course is usually 1-2 months. However, this method has many contraindications. The drugs penetrate into the blood, and therefore they are not recommended for pregnant women and children.
Much depends on the prescribed dosage regimen. Pulse therapy is popular. Its meaning is to take pills for a short time, for a week, and a long rest, for 3 weeks. Similar courses are held several times. This method has the following advantages:
Among the tablets are Fluconazole and Itraconazole. Taking such medications must be done under the supervision of a doctor. All contraindications must be taken into account. For example, the pills are not recommended for people with kidney failure.
A complete comprehensive treatment may include the following elements:
We have already discussed the features of systemic and local drugs, so let’s move on to auxiliary measures:
Hardware pedicure for nail fungus
Ultraviolet therapy can be used separately or in combination. Ultraviolet light painlessly destroys fungal microorganisms.
Folk remedies should be used with great caution. They were not developed by professionals, and therefore can cause harm. For example, the patient is often advised to lubricate the affected surface with iodine. The burning sensation is attributed to the fact that these are the consequences of the destruction of the fungus. However, discomfort occurs due to damage to the integument. With active use, even burns and severe irritation are possible. The consequences of such problems may exceed the consequences of mycosis itself.
Folk remedies cannot be used as the only medicine. They are only suitable for the following purposes:
Let's look at some of their traditional techniques:
During this therapy, the skin is treated with oil. This is necessary for hydration and protection from burns. When using traditional recipes, it is advisable to consult a doctor.
What kills nail fungus? The worst enemies of pathogenic microorganisms are high temperatures, proper medications, and ultraviolet radiation. Contrary to speculation, mycosis can be completely destroyed. However, this is only possible with medications prescribed by a doctor and their regular use. During treatment and after, you need to treat socks and shoes so that pathogenic microorganisms do not spread further.