A fungus on the legs, the treatment of which at home 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 observed, the red trichophyton fungus infects the foot. Often, candida settles in 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 the metabolism and increase the body's susceptibility 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 indeed 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 appear between the folds. If a person suffers from excessive sweating, diaper rash can occur. Often they are accompanied by itchy blisters and corns.
Particular attention should be paid to the color and shape of the nails. Fungal spores tend to penetrate deep 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 smell.
If a person has found these signs on their own, treatment should be started immediately. At this point, the infection is much easier to cure. Antifungal treatment will be enough to eliminate this problem.
If the fungus is ignored, it can turn into mycosis. He 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 cause the development of psoriasis or eczema.
Treatment of nail fungus at home should always begin only after consulting a specialist. The dermatologist will tell you what baths and ointments should be used to eliminate the pathology.
Since the treatment of fungus on the feet with home remedies involves the use of animal and vegetable products, it is imperative to pass all the tests that will eliminate the risk of an allergic reaction.
Methods of 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 foot care, shoes, clothes and the bathroom. The lack of regular disinfection negates 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 eliminates the inflammatory processes caused by the fungus, moisturizes and softens dry skin. Tea tree oil should be rubbed into damaged areas 2 times a day for 1-2 months. Constant use of this natural component will help to forget forever not only fungus, but also 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 tbsp. soda and ¼ of laundry soap. If possible, it is advisable to completely get rid of old socks.
Shoes should be treated regularly with 40% acetic acid. With a cotton swab dipped in the substance, it is necessary to thoroughly wipe the entire inner area of the shoe. Then used discs should be discarded, and new ones should be soaked in acetic acid again, put in a boot or shoe and tied with a plastic bag. It is advisable to do this at night so that by morning all the infection has been destroyed. It is best to wash the soles periodically. This will help get rid of pathogenic microflora that lives in shoes.
There are no fewer fungi in the bathroom than on shoes and clothes. Tiles and all interior items should be cleaned regularly with chlorinated water. You can add 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 should be placed in alcohol. If the composition of the metal allows it, you can disinfect them with fire.
All methods of treating nail fungus will be in vain if you do not observe the rules of personal hygiene and do not disinfect.
Foot baths
Home remedies for nail fungus can be applied topically (rubbed into the skin) or taken in baths. This is the most common way to treat this disease. This will not only help 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 lie down. Baths will be meaningless if, for example, immediately after them a person puts on shoes and goes to work.
It is necessary 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;
- 1st. I. crushed laundry soap;
- 1st. I. a soda;
- 2 tbsp. I. mustard.
All these components should 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 with a clean towel. This procedure can be done daily until the symptoms of a fungal infection disappear completely.
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. I. apple cider vinegar.
A milkweed bath is an effective home remedy for nail fungus. To prepare it, you need to grind 100 g of 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 hover your legs in this way 2-3 times a week, and after 1-2 months there will be no traces of the fungus.
Lotions and compresses
Home remedies for toe fungus can be rubbed regularly on the damaged skin. Often, onion juice or horsetail herb infusion is used for this purpose. This procedure is painless, it is recommended to wipe the skin with medication 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 should be poured with 100 mg of alcohol and left to infuse 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. I. ammonia. This mixture should be thoroughly soaked in gauze and applied to the affected area of the foot. Then the leg should 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 alcoholic tincture of propolis has also proven itself as an excellent antifungal. She should 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 peel 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 should be prepared just before application to the skin, do not store it for a long time. The resulting gruel 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 cup extinguished 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 should be added last. It is necessary to impregnate a cotton ball with this therapeutic solution and apply it to the nail plate affected by the fungus. You can stick it with glue. It is desirable to apply such a dressing every 10 hours for 1 month.
At night, it is recommended to make lotions based on novocaine. Just moisten a cotton swab in the preparation and apply in the evening on a sensitive point. You can use such lotions no more than 2 times a week until the symptoms of the disease completely disappear.
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 surgical intervention, it is recommended to prepare an ointment based on 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 should be cooled and smeared with sore spots until the symptoms of the disease disappear.
Acetic ointment will help defeat the fungus. To prepare it, you need to mix:
- 70% acetic acid;
- dimethyl phthalate;
- glycerol;
- olive oil.
When preparing the ointment, you must observe the proportions 2: 1: 1: 1. The components do not need to be heat treated, it is enough to mix them thoroughly. On the affected areas, vinegar ointment should be applied using a cotton swab, kept for about 8 hours, and then carefully removed with laundry soap. It is recommended to apply the drug to 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. I. the water.
All components must be mixed well. This ointment should be treated with nails and affected skin 3 times a day.