If a person has a fungus on his feet, the question of how to treat it arises for him. Of the many forms of this infection, the fungus that affects the feet is one of the most common. The cause is the pathogenic fungal microflora of the Trichophyton species, which, together with increased sweating, can affect both the skin of the legs and the nail plates of the fingers. The cradle of the microorganism is Southeast Asia, where nature itself has created ideal conditions for its development: a hot and humid climate and 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.
Routes of infection
The most common means of infection with fungal spores is through contact. Most often this occurs in the conditions of common residence or work of a sick and healthy person.
Among the common modes of transmission of the fungus of the skin of the feet and nails are:
- common household items in direct contact with skin and nails (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;
- deckchairs, deckchairs 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 of the 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 of sweating of the legs, favorable conditions are created for the reproduction of the fungus.
In addition to sweaty feet, a low immune status increases the risk of infection. Currently, due to the deterioration of the environmental situation in the world and the growth of diseases such as diabetes, this factor ranks first among the causes of the spread of this pathology.
Symptoms and Diagnosis
The signs of foot fungus are widely known.
Among them:
- irritation, redness, severe itching and 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 trouble and causes 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 from the legs;
- the nails change 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 search for an effective remedy for foot fungus on your own, but contact a dermatologist - it is he who will have to decide which antifungal agents should be used to defeat the pathogenlike As fast 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 quite quickly.
Coming to the dermatologist's office with such complaints, patients first 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, turning purple-red.
- Bacterial seeding from skin scrapings allows, by placing samples in a nutrient medium, to multiply them for 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 establish a diagnosis with almost one hundred percent certainty, since it is based on the analysis of fungal DNA.
After receiving the results of the research, choosing the most effective remedy for the fungus, the doctor offers the patient certain drugs and specifies the scheme of use. To choose the most effective remedy for the fungus, it takes into account such factors as age, state of health, concomitant diseases.
Pharmacological arsenal
And yet, choosing a super effective and inexpensive remedy for a fungus growing on the legs from a fairly large number of items is not an easy task. It can be not only an external drug, 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 for fungus on the legs, capable of quickly destroying fungal spores. Cream, ointment and spray from the fungus are applied directly to the skin of the legs, previously washed and dried, while ointment and cream forms should be lightly rubbed into the affected area. In people who have "caught" a fungal infection of the foot, the skin often takes on a rough and thickened appearance, particularly characteristic of the soles of the feet and heels. The remedy for the fungus cannot penetrate through such a "shield". Therefore, before starting treatment, the skin should be steamed in a hot soapy solution to soften the stratum corneum and remove it with a pumice stone and a special 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, which are applied to the nail plate.
Before application, it must be treated: irregularities are polished, the affected areas are removed as much as possible to promote the penetration of drugs 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 at the appropriate level.
In the most severe and advanced cases, mycosis of the foot is not only amenable to external agents, since the harmful waste products of pathogens enter the bloodstream, beginning 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 powerful remedies for foot fungus without the direct indication of a specialist, since the consequences of uncontrolled consumption can lead to very serious consequences. One of them is the development of immunity of fungal spores to these drugs and their components.
Folk remedies
What better helps with foot fungus - pharmacology or folk pharmacy? Only a doctor is able to answer the question of how to cure a foot fungus, but it will not be superfluous to consult with him about home remedies.
The most reliable ways to help get rid of 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% aromatic fragrance-free brown laundry soap, take a tablespoon of shavings and mix it with a tablespoon of soda. Pour the mixture into water heated to 40 degrees, soak your feet in a solution of soap and soda for half an hour. While spraying, lather the skin between the fingers, and rub the feet with a brush to improve the penetration of the components of the solution into the upper layers of the epidermis. At the end of the procedure, which should be done 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 shape of the nails. 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 in the same place. Soak your feet in a solution of water and vinegar (there should be enough liquid to completely cover the feet) for 10 to 15 minutes. Then, without rinsing, dry your feet and put on clean socks. Repeat these fungus foot soaks 3-4 times a week.
- Another good remedy for foot fungus is iodine. An alcohol solution of iodine should be applied with a cotton swab to the foci, after washing the feet and treating the nails. When using iodine solution for foot fungus, it is important to be careful not to burn yourself, 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 for foot fungus. The juice of the plant should be lubricated with sore nails with a cotton swab.
- Mushroom celandine - 3 table. spoons of grass pour 1 liter of water, boil, cool to an acceptable temperature (40-46 degrees) and soar in the solution for the feet.
- Burdock - for the treatment of fungus on the feet, you need to wrap them with a well-beaten leaf of burdock, 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 with just one application has not yet been invented. Therefore, when using pharmaceutical and traditional drugs against fungi, it is imperative to consult a doctor and follow his recommendations. The best remedy for foot fungus is the one your doctor has prescribed for you.