One of the most contagious diseases from antiquity to the present - mycosis, or fungus. Immunity to it does not exist, therefore, the only prevention is compliance with hygiene rules. Despite the fact that over the past 50 years, the incidence rate has slightly decreased, many people still suffer from fungus. Athletes and those who often visit the pool and beach are especially susceptible to illness.
In recent years, new drugs for the fungus have appeared, so it has become easier to recover. But for this you need to use the drugs correctly and follow the doctor's recommendations.
Features of the disease
Mycoses develop when microorganisms get on the skin. There are more than 400 species of fungi that can parasitize in the human body. They are very contagious and can survive for quite a while on things. The fungus feels best on wet surfaces. And takes root in the body, weakened by any disease, especially diabetes, or with low immunity.
Fungal diseases are very difficult to treat, most often due to the fact that the patient does not pay due attention to compliance with all the doctor's prescriptions. Irregular or early discontinuation of treatment leads to the appearance of drug-resistant forms of the fungus. Also, re-infection very often occurs if preventive measures are not followed.
How to understand that you are facing a problem?
It is very important to recognize in time that the fungus is developing. The sooner treatment is started, the easier it is to get rid of the disease. By what signs can you determine the onset of the disease? Among them are the following:
- on the foot, the skin becomes rough, cracking, scales flake from it, burning and itching appear;
- spots or stripes appear on the nails;
- nails thicken and fade;
- skin on the fingers is inflamed and red;
- in the last stages of the disease, the nail is stratified, deformed, and can even die out.
Most often, the feet are affected by the fungus, the surface between the fingers and nails. Only in advanced cases can it spread through the body, for example, to the hands or scalp.
How to eliminate fungus
1. The most important condition for successful treatment is the correct diagnosis. Therefore, before choosing a drug, you need to consult a doctor and take tests.
2. Medicines for fungus work best if they are used in the initial stages of the disease. Otherwise, treatment may be delayed for a long period - more than a year.
3. The fungus is very difficult to influence drugs, developing a protective reaction against many of them. Therefore, treatment must necessarily be comprehensive. It is quite difficult to cope with the disease by local means alone, and the fungus often develops resistance to them.
4. It is very important to strictly follow all the doctor’s prescriptions and follow the recommended treatment regimen. Even the best medicine for nail fungus will not help if applied incorrectly and irregularly.
5. Before applying the product, you must thoroughly wash your feet with soap and soda solution and dry them well. Nails need to be cut short, and the affected area should be slightly brushed with a nail file so that the surface becomes rough.
6. In order for the remedy for the fungus to work better, it is recommended to soften the skin and nails in a bath with potassium permanganate or with salicylic petroleum jelly and pumice. After this, it is advisable to remove rough skin and affected nails whenever possible.
7. After the disappearance of mycosis, antifungal agents should not be used for prophylactic purposes, as forms of microorganisms resistant to any drugs may appear.
Outdoor facilities
1. Nail polish "Loceryl" is used if the fungus has not yet had time to spread to the entire nail. Many patients like it because it needs to be applied once every 7 days. It penetrates the nail plate, therefore, effectively affects the fungus.
2. "Mikospor" (or its synonym "Bifonazole") is available in the form of a solution, ointment or cream. It is used in the complex treatment of fungal infections of the nails.
3. "Batrafen" has a wide spectrum of action against most microorganisms. You can apply it in the form of ointment or nail polish. Many patients consider this to be the best cure for foot fungus.
4. "Kanizon" - a fairly effective drug in the form of ointments.
5. One of the most popular antifungal agents is Exoderil cream, sometimes found in the form of a solution.
Systemic drugs
If the disease affects a very large surface or local drugs are ineffective, tablets should be used. And only a doctor can advise which ones. The medicine for fungi often has side effects and not everyone can use it. What is most often prescribed?
- “Itraconazole”, analogues: “Irunin”, “Orungal” or “Rumikoz”.
- “Terbinafine”, “Lamisil” or “Fungoterbin”. These drugs are very effective against nail fungus, but toxic to the liver.
- "Fluconazole", which is more common in our pharmacies under the name "Flucostat" or "Diflucan." These are its more expensive counterparts, but not much more effective in action.
- Ketoconazole, Nizoral.
- "Clotrimazole", more common in the form of a cream, but consumed orally.
These fungal medicines come in the form of tablets or capsules. It is simple to use them, but they are quite toxic, and you can not drink such drugs without a doctor’s prescription. The course of treatment is usually intermittent, with weekly interruptions to give the liver a rest. Some of these drugs also have the form of an ointment, cream, solution or shampoo, which facilitates the choice of complex treatment methods.
Contraindications and side effects
In no case should you use any medicine for the fungus without consulting a doctor, especially those who have any health problems. Contraindications for taking all such drugs include:
- pregnancy and lactation;
- diseases of the liver and kidneys;
- age under 5 years.
All antifungal drugs can have side effects. Especially a lot of them in pills. Most often, they have a negative effect on the liver, but some of them can cause allergic reactions, even anaphylactic shock. The most harmless side effects of such drugs are nausea, diarrhea, and headaches.
Folk remedies
- One of the most famous tips is to use apple cider vinegar. The cotton pads moistened in this product are applied to the affected areas for several hours.
- Well softens the affected nail and prevents the spread of the fungus medusomycete. It is better known as kombucha. By tying it to a piece, which is best strongly peroxide, to the nail for the night, you can overcome the fungus for some time.
- Mycosis is very quickly cured with tar soap. It is necessary to soap the affected area well and sprinkle with salt. Bandage all this and leave for several hours, preferably at night.
- A long-known remedy for foot fungus is fresh onion juice. It is necessary to crush the onion, glue the gruel to the nail.
- Pounded garlic mixed with alcohol in equal parts also helps. But such a solution must be diluted in half with water.
- A little-known, but effective remedy for the fungus on the legs is a strong grain coffee. It is necessary to make baths in his warm solution for the night.
The best cure for fungus
Drugs for mycosis must be selected strictly individually. And it’s not even that they are toxic and have contraindications. What helped one may not affect the other. But there are drugs that are popular with most doctors and patients. One of them is Lamisil cream.
It has been used for a long time to combat fungus, but it is still believed that this is the best medicine for toenail fungus. The drug is popular because of its high efficiency, even though it is quite expensive - more than 1,500 rubles per course. "Lamisil" helps even in advanced cases, when more than two-thirds of the nail is affected. Usually it is enough to apply the cream for 2-3 weeks, while most other antifungal agents are used much longer. But the patient needs to remember that only a doctor can prescribe treatment. And the choice of funds from the fungus should be strictly individual.
Infection prevention
In order not to pick up the fungus, the simplest rules of personal hygiene should be observed: in the pool and on the beach, walk in slippers, don’t wear other people's shoes and regularly wash and dry your legs, especially between the toes. If the fungus has already begun to develop, then it is quite difficult to eliminate it. Along with therapeutic agents, it is necessary to constantly carry out preventive measures:
- in order to prevent re-infection, you need to walk constantly in socks, often changing them to clean;
- all old shoes must be disinfected with a solution of acetic acid;
- everything that the patient came into contact with must be processed: linen, personal items and even carpets.
It must be remembered that the fungus multiplies in a humid environment. It is necessary to ensure that the shoes are always clean and dry, and that no dirt accumulates in the bathroom. Only when these rules are observed, medications for nail fungus will never be required.
Treatment Reviews
All doctors agree that it is best to prevent the appearance of a fungus. His treatment is so complex and lengthy that there are a lot of reviews from patients that it did not help. Not everyone can constantly monitor themselves and follow the doctor’s recommendations. In addition, there are many opposing opinions about such expensive drugs as Lotseril or Lamisil. They helped one at once, while others regretted the wasted money.
The same can be said about any medicine for the fungus on the legs. Reviews of these funds are so contradictory that those who first encountered the disease are lost, not knowing what to believe. They can only be given one piece of advice: choose a good doctor and follow his recommendations. Only then will the treatment be successful.