If a person has a fungus on his feet, then the question of how to treat it comes to the fore for him. Among the many forms of this infection, the fungus that affects the feet is one of the most common. The cause of it is the pathogenic fungal microflora of the Trichophyton species, which, with increased sweating, can affect both the skin of the legs and the nail plates on the fingers. The birthplace of the microorganism is Southeast Asia, where nature itself has created ideal conditions for its development: a hot and humid climate plus a dense population. In recent years, it has spread to Europe and America. Currently, more than 20% of the world's population suffers from skin fungus.
Ways of infection
The most common ways of infection with fungal spores are contact. Most often this happens in the conditions of joint residence or work of a sick and healthy person.
Among the common ways of transmission of the fungus of the skin of the feet and nails are:
- common household items that have direct contact with the skin and toenails (bedding, socks, shoes, pedicure supplies);
- public baths and showers - as a rule, they are used by people working in dusty and dirty types of production (mines, factories), as well as athletes, conscripts who often have to sweat;
- sunbeds, deck chairs and mats on the beaches.
To prevent the fungus, it is necessary to strictly observe the rules of personal hygiene, trying to avoid situations in which infection is possible.
The likelihood of infection increases with sweating feet, if it is not possible to wash them in a timely manner, change socks and shoes, and treat them with antiseptic agents. Therefore, outbreaks of the disease most often occur in field conditions, when during long transitions from sweating of the legs, favorable conditions are created for the reproduction of the fungus.
In addition to sweaty feet, a weak immune status increases the risk of infection. Currently, due to the deterioration of the environmental situation around the world and the growth of diseases such as diabetes, this factor comes out on top among the causes of the spread of this pathology.
Symptoms and diagnosis
Signs of foot fungus are widely known.
Among them:
- irritation, redness, severe itching and skin rashes;
- exfoliation of scales from its surface;
- cracks, diaper rash in the interdigital region;
- nail deformity.
Such a pathology on the legs causes a lot of problems and causes the victims not only physical, but also moral discomfort:
- the foot becomes inflamed and swollen;
- an unpleasant odor emanates from the affected skin, even if there is no sweating of the legs;
- nails change their color, exfoliate and crumble.
But the symptoms reach this degree of development gradually, if you do not fight the disease. Therefore, at its first signs, you should not look for an effective remedy for foot fungus on your own, but contact a dermatologist - it is he who will have to decide which anti-fungal agents should be used in order to defeat the pathogen as quickly as possible. With the current level of development of pharmacology and compliance with the recommendations of specialists, it is possible to cure the fungus on the legs quickly enough.
Coming to the dermatologist's office with such complaints, patients first of all undergo a diagnostic procedure. Clarification of the diagnosis is necessary, since it directly depends on how to treat foot fungus.
To determine the type of fungal spores, the following methods are used:
- Irradiation with a special lamp makes the area of the lesion especially visual, since the skin in this place under its rays stands out against the general background, becoming purple-red.
- Bacterial inoculation based on skin scrapings allows, by placing samples in a nutrient medium, to multiply them for the purpose of external observation and clarification of the type of pathogen that caused the development of the disease.
- The PCR technique is the most modern method to date, helping to make a diagnosis with almost one hundred percent certainty, since it is based on fungal DNA analysis.
After receiving the results of the research, choosing the most effective remedy against the fungus, the doctor offers the patient certain medications and specifies the scheme for their use. To choose the most effective remedy for the fungus, he takes into account factors such as age, health status, concomitant diseases.
Pharmacological arsenal
And yet, choosing a super-effective and inexpensive remedy for a fungus that develops on the legs, among a fairly significant number of items, is not an easy task. It can be not only an external medicine, but also an oral preparation - if the external forms were powerless. And yet, as a rule, treatment begins with them.
The main active ingredient of the drugs is terbinafine - a proven remedy against fungus on the legs, capable of quickly destroying fungal spores. Both the cream, and the ointment, and the spray from the fungus are applied directly to the skin of the legs, previously washed and dried, while the ointment and cream forms should be slightly rubbed into the affected area. In people who have "caught" mycosis of the foot, the skin often takes on a rough-dense, thickened appearance, which is especially characteristic of the soles and heels. The remedy for the fungus cannot penetrate through such a "shield", therefore, before starting treatment, the skin must be steamed in a hot soapy solution to soften the stratum corneum and remove it with a pumice stone and a special grinding file.
With increased dryness of the epidermis, the base of the antifungal agent should be as oily as possible. This requirement is met by ointments, which should be used in this case. In the area of the interdigital zone, where the skin is thinner and more delicate, a fungal spray or suspension is effective.
To combat foot fungus, or rather, toenails, special therapeutic varnishes are also used, applied to the nail plate.
Before application, it must be processed: irregularities are polished, the affected areas are removed as far as possible to help the penetration of medicines into the nail tissue.
Sometimes you have to resort to the help of a surgeon who completely removes the affected nail plate.
If this is not done, even the most effective remedy for fungus on the legs will not be able to have a healing effect of the proper level.
In the most serious and advanced cases, mycosis of the foot is not amenable to external agents alone, since the harmful waste products of pathogens penetrate the bloodstream, starting to poison a person from the inside. Then the attending physician prescribes antifungal antibiotics for oral administration, which have a systemic inhibitory effect on pathogenic microorganisms.
It is impossible to use such potent remedies for foot fungus without the direct indication of a specialist, since the consequences of uncontrolled intake can have very serious consequences. One of them is the development of immunity of fungal spores to these drugs and their components.
Folk remedies
What helps best with foot fungus - pharmacology or folk pharmacy? Only a doctor is capable of answering how to cure a foot fungus, but it will not be superfluous to consult with him about home remedies.
The most reliable means to help remove the fungus on the legs have long been well known:
- Laundry soap from the fungus on the legs. With a fungus, foot baths with this component are useful, especially effective for excessive sweating of the feet. After grating 70% brown laundry soap without any aromatic fragrances, pick up a tablespoon of shavings and mix it with a tablespoon of soda. Pour the mixture into water heated to 40 degrees, dip your feet in a soap and soda solution for half an hour. As steaming, lather the skin between the fingers, and rub the feet with a brush to improve the penetration of the solution components into the upper layers of the epidermis. At the end of the procedure, which must be carried out every other day, wash your feet with clean water and apply the external medicine recommended by the doctor to the skin.
- Table vinegar is also a good folk remedy for fungus on the feet, especially against the nail form. Carefully treat the nails, being careful not to injure them, as this contributes to the deepening of the infection. After pouring hot water into a bowl, the temperature of which should be about 50 degrees, pour a glass of 9% vinegar into the same place. Dip your feet in a vinegar-water solution (there should be enough liquid to completely cover the feet) for 10-15 minutes. Then, without rinsing, dry your feet and put on clean socks. Repeat such foot baths for fungus 3-4 times a week.
- Another good remedy for foot fungus is iodine. An alcoholic solution of iodine should be applied with a cotton swab to the foci, after washing the feet and treating the nails. When using an iodine solution against foot fungus, it is important to be careful not to burn, especially in the area between the toes.
- Propolis from the fungus is used in the form of applications applied to the nail and the skin around it, after steaming it in a hot soapy solution.
Herbal recipes for fungus on the skin:
- Euphorbia is an effective remedy against foot fungus. The juice of the plant should be lubricated with sore nails with a cotton swab.
- Celandine from the fungus - 3 table. spoons of grass pour 1 liter of water, boil, cool to an acceptable temperature (40-46 degrees) and soar in the foot solution.
- Burdock - for the treatment of foot fungus, you need to wrap them with a well-beaten burdock leaf, put on clean socks and go to bed with such a compress.
- Tea tree oil from the fungus on the legs is effective only in the early stages of the disease.
Unfortunately, a remedy that can get rid of foot fungus in one application has not yet been invented. Therefore, when using both pharmaceutical and folk medicines for fungi, it is imperative to consult a doctor and follow his recommendations. The best remedy for foot fungus is the one that the doctor prescribed.