Fungal spores surround people everywhere. Some of them are constantly represented in the microflora of the skin and mucous membranes and only when the immune system is impaired they begin to multiply actively, causing inconvenience to their carrier.
Insidious and terrible, or what a nail fungus looks like
Externally, a nail affected by a fungus changes greatly: it loses its natural shine, thickens, exfoliates, becomes loose, acquires a yellowish tint and, if untreated, can be completely destroyed.
Eating alive
For some time a person may not notice that he is sick with mycosis. The fungus on the legs, the signs of which can be difficult to recognize, sometimes manifests itself with only slight peeling of the skin of the feet and a white coating. It happens that the disease begins with the formation of a small crack between the fingers or slight peeling of the nail. By affecting the skin and nail, the fungus makes the structure of the protective integument loose, which contributes to the formation of wounds and difficult healing ulcers. In turn, the wounds can be additionally infected with bacteria, which will significantly complicate the course of the disease.
What to treat?
Fungal diseases are difficult to treat, because their pathogens quickly become resistant to the effects of medications. A sick nail fungus literally eats alive. As a warning to descendants, I will describe my own experience in combating an insidious disease. So, the fungus that almost destroyed the nail was discovered in an elderly relative who, by the will of fate, remained in my care. The woman first became infected at the age of forty and, having consulted a doctor, received advice to treat the affected areas with an antifungal ointment. Despite the fact that the disease did not go away, until the age of eighty, a relative followed the advice of forty years ago, not knowing that fungi quickly lose their sensitivity to medicines and the cream that she uses has long lost her effectiveness. Defeating the fungus was in my interest. Therefore, after consulting with the doctor, I found out fundamentally important things: fungi can penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin and, given the duration and severity of the disease, local exposure alone is clearly not enough. The treatment should be comprehensive: healthy food (cereals, vegetables, dried fruits), vitamins, antifungal pills, drugs to restore intestinal microflora, hygiene procedures for the legs.
Treatment regimen
Salt baths for the legs - twice a day.
If the fungus that hit the nail cannot be cured with the help of an ointment, “heavy artillery” should be used. In this case, it was the foot baths with sea salt (or ordinary table salt and a few drops of iodine). Dead skin and nail flakes were removed using a salt scrub. After the bath, the legs were thoroughly wiped.
Iodine treatment - twice a day.
Since there were non-healing wounds on the legs, we did not use alcohol solution. A wonderful drying and disinfecting effect has a solution of "Betadine", with which we treated the affected areas of the skin.
The antifungal antibiotic is topical and oral - according to the schedule prescribed by the doctor.
To summarize
Our hard work was not in vain. Within three months, the skin ulcers healed . After six months, all signs of the disease completely disappeared and new healthy nails grew. Thus, we conclude that even the most neglected case is treatable. It is only important to follow the doctor's recommendations exactly.
We draw the attention of lovers of home self-medication to the fact that the fungus never "goes away". Temporary attenuation of the inflammatory process on the skin is not a reason to interrupt the intake of medications prescribed by a doctor.