A fungus on the legs, the treatment at home of which can be delayed in time, appears in every fifth person. In most cases, this pathology does not threaten the life of the patient, but causes a lot of discomfort. If the rules of personal hygiene are not followed, the fungus red trichophyton infects the foot. Often, candida settles to the colonies of this microorganism. As a result of the reproduction of pathogenic microflora, toxic toxins are produced, which are carried by the bloodstream throughout the body. They disrupt metabolism and increase the sensitivity of the body to external negative factors.
It is necessary to understand in more detail how to treat a fungus on the legs at home in order to quickly get rid of this problem.
How to distinguish a fungus from other diseases?
Before starting treatment, it is important to make sure that the feet are really affected by the fungus, and not by another infection. As a rule, infection with this microorganism is accompanied by dryness and peeling of the feet. In some cases, the skin may turn red, and scales will appear between the folds. If a person suffers from excessive sweating, diaper rash may occur. Often they are accompanied by itchy vesicles and corns.
Particular attention should be paid to the color and shape of the nails. Fungal spores tend to penetrate deeply under the nail plate. First, yellow stripes appear on the nails, over time, the latter begin to crack and lose color. Then voids or a crumbling mixture form under the nail. All this is usually accompanied by an unpleasant odor.
If a person has found these signs in himself, treatment should be started immediately. At this stage, the infection is much easier to cure. One course of antifungal therapy will be enough to get rid of this problem.
If the fungus is ignored, then it can develop into mycosis. It is able to interfere with movement, sometimes due to the pathology that has arisen in a person, body temperature may rise. In some cases, a neglected fungus can provoke the development of psoriasis or eczema.
Treatment of nail fungus at home should still begin only after consulting a specialist. The dermatologist will tell you which baths and ointments should be used to remove the pathology.
Since the treatment of fungus on the feet with home remedies involves the use of products of animal and vegetable origin, it is imperative to pass all tests that will eliminate the risk of an allergic reaction.
Methods for treating nail fungus at home
Treatment of foot fungus at home should begin with disinfection. At the same time, it is necessary to disinfect not only the affected areas of the skin, but also all items for the care of the feet, shoes, clothes and the bathroom. The lack of regular disinfection nullifies the effectiveness of treatment, contributes to the infection of other family members with this disease.
To disinfect the skin, you can use Australian tea tree oil. It perfectly removes the inflammatory processes provoked by the fungus, moisturizes and softens dry skin. Tea tree oil should be rubbed into the damaged areas 2 times a day for 1-2 months. The constant use of this natural component will help to forget forever not only about the fungus, but also about cracks and corns.
It is recommended to boil clothes with the addition of detergents. For 5 liters of boiling water, you need to take 1 tsp. soda and ¼ bar of laundry soap. If possible, it is advisable to get rid of old socks altogether.
Shoes should be treated regularly with 40% acetic acid. With a cotton swab dipped in the substance, it is necessary to wipe the entire inner area of \u200b\u200bthe shoe well. Then the used disks should be thrown away, and the new ones should be soaked again in acetic acid, put in a boot or shoe and tied with a plastic bag. It is advisable to do this at night so that by morning the entire infection has been destroyed. It is better to wash the insoles periodically. This will help get rid of the pathogenic microflora that lives in the shoes.
There is no less fungus in the bathroom than on shoes and clothes. Tiles and all interior items must be cleaned regularly with chlorinated water. You can add some washing powder to it. Make sure all surfaces are dry and free of moisture. It is recommended to constantly ventilate the bathroom to prevent the growth of fungus.
Scissors, brushes and other cosmetic items used to treat nails and feet must be placed in alcohol. If the metal composition allows, then you can disinfect them with fire.
All methods of treating nail fungus will be in vain if you do not adhere to the rules of personal hygiene and do not disinfect.
Foot baths
Home remedies for toenail fungus can be applied topically (rubbed into the skin) or taken in baths. This is the most common way to treat this disease. It will not only help to disinfect the skin and nail plate, but also relieve fatigue and swelling. It is best to do foot baths at night. Immediately after this procedure, you need to wrap the limbs with a clean towel and go to bed. There will be no sense from the baths if, for example, immediately after them, a person puts on shoes and goes to work.
It is required to consider several proven recipes for foot water treatments that will get rid of the fungus. The most common way is a bath with salt and soda. To prepare it, you need to mix these components in hot water in equal proportions and place the limbs in a basin for 30 minutes. As the water cools, add hot water. After such a bath, the feet should be rinsed with a cool, clean liquid.
Potassium permanganate and mustard baths are also popular. To prepare them, you need to take:
- 0. 5 tsppotassium permanganate;
- 1 st. l. crushed laundry soap;
- 1 st. l. soda;
- 2 tbsp. l. mustard.
All these components must be mixed in 5 liters of warm water. It is necessary to lower the legs in a basin with the composition for 20 minutes, then rinse them with warm liquid and wipe them dry with a clean towel. This procedure can be done daily until the symptoms of a fungal infection completely disappear.
Every day you can soak your feet in a bath of sea salt (100 g per 5 liters of water). For greater effect, you can add 4 tbsp. l. apple cider vinegar.
An effective home remedy for nail fungus is a milkweed bath. To prepare it, you need to grind 100 g of the leaves and stems of this plant, pour the resulting dry mixture into 3 liters of hot water. In such a mixture, the legs should be kept for about 30 minutes, constantly maintaining the temperature of the liquid. You should not do this procedure daily, it is enough to soar your legs in this way 2-3 times a week, and after 1-2 months there will be no trace of the fungus.
Lotions and compresses
Home remedies for toe fungus can be rubbed into damaged skin regularly. Often, onion juice or horsetail herb infusion is used for this purpose. This procedure is painless, it is recommended to wipe the skin with medicinal products 3-4 times a day, in order to forget about the fungus forever in a month.
You can prepare a special alcohol tincture from lilac flowers. 10 mg of raw materials must be poured with 100 mg of alcohol and let it brew for 10 days. With this solution, you need to lubricate the damaged areas of the skin and nails for a week.
It is good to make compresses from alcohol tinctures. The easiest way is to stir in 1 glass of warm water 1 tbsp. l. ammonia. This mixture should be thoroughly soaked with gauze and put it on the affected area of the foot. Then the leg needs to be wrapped in polyethylene and wrapped in a towel. Instead of the latter, you can use ordinary warm socks. Such a compress should be done at night, 2-3 times a week until complete recovery.
An alcohol tincture of propolis has also proven itself as an excellent antifungal agent. She needs to wipe the affected nail daily for 2 months. The result will become noticeable after the first 2 weeks: the diseased nail plate will gradually begin to come off, and a healthy nail will appear in its place.
Garlic is often used in the fight against fungus. It must be finely grated and mixed with melted butter in equal proportions. This mass must be prepared immediately before application to the skin, do not store it for a long time. The resulting slurry should be applied to sore spots every day for 2 weeks.
You can prepare a therapeutic mixture of peroxide. For this you need:
- 0. 5 cups of slaked soda;
- 4 glasses of hot water;
- ¼ cup hydrogen peroxide (3%);
- 0. 5 cup magnesium sulfate;
- ¼ cup of vinegar.
All components, except vinegar, must be mixed well. Vinegar needs to be added last. It is necessary to impregnate a cotton pad with this therapeutic solution and apply it to the nail plate affected by the fungus. You can glue it on with adhesive. It is desirable to apply such a bandage every 10 hours for 1 month.
At night, it is recommended to make lotions from novocaine. It is enough just to moisten a cotton swab in the preparation and apply at night on a sore spot. You can use such lotions no more than 2 times a week until the symptoms of the disease disappear completely.
Antifungal ointments
If a person has started the disease and does not know how to cure the fungus of the skin of the legs at home, in order to avoid surgery, it is recommended to prepare an ointment from tar. It is necessary to mix in equal proportions a pure substance, powdered yellow sulfur and burnt blue vitriol. The finished mass must be boiled. Then it must be cooled and smeared with sore spots until the symptoms of the disease disappear.
Acetic ointment will help to overcome the fungus. To prepare it, you need to mix:
- 70% acetic acid;
- dimethyl phtholate;
- glycerol;
- olive oil.
During the preparation of the ointment, you must adhere to the proportions 2: 1: 1: 1. The components do not need to be heat treated, just mix them well. On the affected areas, vinegar ointment must be applied with a cotton swab, kept for about 8 hours, then carefully removed with laundry soap. It is recommended to apply the drug on sore spots at night.
It will be possible to cure the fungus with the help of celandine ointment. For its preparation you will need:
- 5 drops of celandine juice;
- 2 drops of oregano juice;
- 2 drops of calendula tincture.
- 4 tbsp. l. water.
All components must be mixed well. This ointment should be treated with nails and affected skin 3 times a day.