Each disease requires a responsible approach, including the fungus on the feet - home treatment must also follow certain rules.
For information
Much depends on the area and intensity of skin and nail damage, whether there are any other side diseases, even the age of the patient is taken into account. In any case, all funds are divided into 3 main groups. If you want to treat foot fungus at home, you can use topical preparations - these are special ointments, patches and other similar products that are sold in any pharmacy. You can also drink drugs for internal use. And, finally, it is possible to treat foot fungus exclusively with folk remedies - of course, with a reasonable approach. Moreover, some experts believe that the most effective therapy is complex, that is, it is necessary to treat the disease with means from different groups.
First you need to make sure that you are dealing with mycosis (this is the scientific name of the disease). It has pronounced symptoms, such as itching and inflammation of the skin. There is a fungus of the membrane type, when exfoliating scales appear on the skin - usually they are localized between the 4th toe and the little finger. Sometimes this can be accompanied by a bacterial infection that exacerbates the described symptoms. The presence of an infection can be indicated by the appearance of blisters filled with fluid on the skin. This is how vesicular mycosis manifests itself. But the moccasin-like fungus is manifested not so much by itching as by painful sensations in the foot, which is accompanied by roughening of the skin and its cracking.
Medications
If you are sure of this diagnosis, you can treat the fungus at home with topical products. But remember that they are effective only in the initial stages of this disease. In advanced cases, you will have to drink and drugs for internal use.
As a rule, if the fungus has affected only the skin, then you need to use some kind of topical cream; pharmacies offer a wide selection of such products. The course of treatment in this case is from 2 to 6 weeks, depending on the dosage and intensity of use. If this is not only a foot fungus, then the disease has also affected keratolytic-type patches, which will help remove the affected areas of the nail.
As for the means for internal use, these are quite radical means.
It is better to use them all the same as directed and under the supervision of a doctor. The course of application will be quite long until not only the symptomatic manifestations, but also the harmful organisms themselves completely disappear. As a rule, in such cases, pulse therapy is used, when the drug for the fungus is taken at certain intervals, for example, they drink this medicine for a week, then withstand a three-week break, then a new weekly course of therapy follows. Although it is believed that other medicines can be taken at this time, it is better not to do this.
Folk remedies
Of course, not a single doctor will advise you to treat the fungus on your own, if only because you first need to make the correct diagnosis. However, if you are sure that this is just such a disease, foot fungus at home can also be treated with folk remedies. Which one is considered the most effective?
Treatment of fungus on the legs is often advised to carry out with the help of washing powder. Such a tool contains many alkalis that kill these microorganisms. You can cure the fungus as follows: for at least 2 weeks, soak your feet in hot water, in which 100 g of this detergent was previously diluted. In about 2 weeks, the symptoms of the disease will disappear. But in order to be sure of the result, it is best to continue for another 2-3 days. The disadvantage of this tool is a possible allergic reaction to the washing powder. In order for alkalis to act on a fungal infection, other means can be used, for example, ordinary baking soda diluted with water.
Hydrogen peroxide is used to treat foot fungus. It is especially effective when the disease has also affected the nail plates. When using this method, you first need to steam the skin and nails in a soda solution, for which 1 tsp is taken. baking soda and diluted with hot water. When the nails are steamed enough, you can use hydrogen peroxide - cotton pads are impregnated with this composition and applied to the affected areas. In order to prevent the peroxide from evaporating too quickly (and also to create a compress effect), the foot is wrapped in plastic wrap or wrapped in a plastic bag for about an hour. Fungus on the feet is treated with this method for several weeks, depending on the degree of damage to the skin and nails. Ideally, compresses should be done 2 times a day, morning and evening.
Foot fungus at home can also be treated with ammonia (it is sold in pharmacies). It is not used in its pure form, but as an aqueous solution (1 tablespoon of alcohol per 1 tablespoon of boiled water). In this solution, you need to dip a cotton cloth and make a compress, which is kept on the leg throughout the night. Boric acid is considered an effective remedy. You can buy it in powder form at the pharmacy. They are used as a powder. 10 sessions are enough to forget about the infection.
Another popular remedy is garlic. Its cloves need to be cut in half, dip in table salt and rub the affected areas. Garlic can also be used for compresses. The most common onion works in the same way. From herbs, you can advise chamomile, mint, sage. Dry herbs are mixed and put into socks to be worn throughout the day. In summer, it is even better to use fresh plants, including chamomile flowers, rather than dried herbs.
At the initial stage, you can fight the fungus with the help of ordinary medical alcohol. It is enough to insert cotton swabs between the fingers for 2 weeks and leave them overnight.
Prevention
It is possible to get rid of foot fungus, but in order for the treatment to be effective, it is necessary to disinfect those objects that the sick person has come into contact with. At home, this, of course, is a shower, a bath, the patient's personal belongings - from shoes and underwear to nail care tools. For processing, washing powder or a solution of chloramine is usually used. Shoes are best treated with a solution of acetic acid (40%). Particular attention should be paid to the insoles and side sections of shoes or boots. After applying acetic acid, shoes should be aired. As for linen, it must be boiled in a soapy soda solution and ironed with a hot iron.
In the future, you will have to pay special attention to hygiene issues - if you go to the sauna or the gym, use antifungal ointments and varnishes. You also need to dry your shoes very carefully, especially sports shoes.