Skin diseases of the feet are a very common pathology. Pathogenic bacteria cause disease and are transmitted from person to person. Often, a sick person does not know how to treat skin fungus on the legs and whether it can be eliminated with folk remedies at home. There are many ways to get rid of the symptoms of mycosis with the help of special drugs and old recipes.
What is a fungus of the skin on the legs
An infectious disease that affects the skin is called a fungus. The most common type is mycosis of the feet. Fungal spores can live in ordinary shoes for a long time and adapt to any living conditions. The most common infections are nail plate of the feet and legs. Skin lesions are not life-threatening, but contribute to the development of cosmetic defects. If mycosis of the foot is not treated at the initial stage, other microbes in the form of mold bacteria or Candida fungi join it later.
Symptoms of the disease
Treatment of skin fungus on the legs should begin immediately after the first symptoms appear, otherwise the disease will continue for a long time. Mycosis is characterized by peeling of the skin. This is due to the fact that the microbe penetrates into the deep layers of the skin and destroys them. Spots form on the nails (onychomycosis), small blisters form between the toes (intertriginous form), which are filled with fluid and burst, and the heel grows with calluses (hyperkeratotic appearance). The growth of fungi in any layer of the epidermis is accompanied by an unpleasant odor and the following symptoms:
- burning, itching accompanied by dry skin;
- floury exfoliation;
- darkens, thickens, erodes nails;
- erosive processes develop in areas of redness.
Treatment of foot fungus
Before using an antifungal agent, it is necessary to consult a doctor, because the pathology must be treated according to the type of pathogen and the duration of the disease. It is difficult to treat mycosis of the feet in advanced forms. How to get rid of foot fungus:
- localization of the disease with local therapy at an early stage: ointments, creams, solutions, compresses, baths, disinfection of shoes;
- systemic therapy at a later stage: the use of drugs.
Systemic drugs are used in several ways:
- Classic. Tablets are taken every day during the course.
- Short. You can stop taking the medicine before a healthy nail grows.
- intermediate. Therapy carried out in several courses with intervals equal to the course.
- Pulse therapy. Taking pills is combined with intervals that exceed the duration of the course.
In the advanced stage of the disease, the use of antifungal drugs is necessary. Systemic antimycotics are selected individually, because these drugs have contraindications. When the first unpleasant symptoms appear, it is necessary to scrape the nail plate for onychomycosis and visit a dermatologist to make a correct diagnosis and prescribe drugs for external and / or internal effects on the body. The most effective ones include:
Antifungal ointments
Many people have a question: skin fungus on the legs - what can be treated if the infection has manifested itself only in the upper layers of the skin. Today, it is easy to find various antifungal ointments that differ in their mode of action and composition in pharmacies. The following topical preparations quickly treat clubfoot in the early stages:
- Zinc ointment. It has a good absorbent and astringent effect. It fights well with skin irritation and mycosis. It is applied 1-2 times a day to the damaged area and its surroundings. The duration of therapy is 2-3 weeks.
- Sulfur ointment. It is an excellent tool for treating foot mycosis. You can get rid of the disease within a week of daily use. Sulfur ointment has one drawback - it has an unpleasant smell. This fact should be taken into account when buying.
At home, the treatment of fungus on the legs can be carried out with antifungal creams, which differ from ointments only in the ingredients that make up the composition.
To speed up the healing process, in addition to the main therapy, it is necessary to treat the fungus with the help of special antifungal varnishes. They differ from drugs with similar action in a special texture. Antifungal varnishes are liquid and are applied directly to the nail plate. The agent easily enters the micro-cracks, has a maximum effect on the fungus. This is practical because ointments and creams have a thick consistency, so they are easily removed at the slightest impact.
Mycosis pathogens die after 8 hours after applying the drug. You can use the remedy under decorative varnishes 1-2 times a week - this does not reduce their effectiveness. The treatment period is until the complete disappearance of onychomycosis. List of the most popular antifungal varnishes:
With mycosis of the legs, baths with baking soda should be done daily, preferably before going to bed. The procedure should take at least 15 minutes. Baking soda is a substance that has a negative effect on the vital activity of a fungal infection, so it is part of many remedies that help toenail fungus. Warm water at a comfortable temperature of 40 C-45 C is necessary to treat the fungus. Soda is diluted at the rate of 2 tbsp. spoons for 2 liters of water.
Before the procedure, wash your feet thoroughly with laundry soap and remove the keratinized layer with a pumice stone or sandpaper. It is necessary to process the nail plates, cut off the free edge of the nail and remove the white plate under it as much as possible with a nail file. After the procedure, the feet should be carefully wiped with a towel, without rinsing, and then treated with an antifungal agent prescribed by a dermatologist.
Folk treatment
The most effective folk remedy for athlete's foot is vinegar. It creates an acidic environment that prevents the spread of yeast bacteria. As a result of exposure to vinegar at home, the pathogen quickly loses access to food sources and dies. It is better to apply applications immediately after baths. To do this, a cotton pad is moistened in a 9% vinegar solution and applied to the area affected by the fungus for 15 minutes.
Another effective folk remedy against Candida fungus is the external use of hydrogen peroxide. First, it is recommended to take a bath with a soda solution, then soak a piece of cotton wool with a 3% peroxide solution and apply it to the affected area of the skin, putting clean socks on top. It is necessary to keep the application 2 times a day for 60 minutes until complete recovery.
Prevention
To recognize the problem in time, you need to know what the fungus looks like. For this, it is better to ask this question in advance by looking at photos on the Internet. Then you should follow the recommendations of dermatologists, what to do to avoid getting foot fungus:
- after visiting the beach, pool and other public places, you should wash your feet well;
- with sweaty feet, the risk of contracting mold fungi develops, so you should stop wearing socks and closed shoes for a long time;
- in order not to be infected with pathogenic microflora, it is not necessary to give personal hygiene products, clothes or shoes to others;
- you should take care of your toes regularly: do a pedicure, cut overgrown nails.
How to treat skin fungus on legs
Learn how to treat toenail fungus, as it is a contagious disease that can spread to the nails. Fungus not only looks ugly, but also harms health. This situation cannot be initiated, urgent measures should be taken for treatment.
What is recommended to treat the fungus of the skin on the legs
To treat trichophytosis fungi, it is necessary to wipe the skin with iodine. It is advisable to make lotions with severe inflammation.
In addition to all this, it is desirable to use vitamins, especially ascorbic acid.
It is better to choose vitamins for the duration of treatment, because the body needs support.
If the skin is affected by Candida fungus, then corticosteroid creams, hydrocortisone are needed.
Symptoms of this pathology
Most often, the fungus on the skin appears in elderly people after 50 years of age. But we must not forget that the disease is contagious, therefore, if certain rules are not followed, the younger generation can also get this disease.
Some symptoms of skin fungus include:
With a lesion, the first signs appear in the area between the fingers. From there, the fungus grows along the entire leg. It often involves the nails as well. Usually athlete's foot affects both feet. If the form is sharp, then bubbles appear, then they swell, and wounds appear.
Redness is observed on the skin, it is very intense. In addition, not only after wearing shoes, the feet have an unpleasant smell. Legs start to burn, pain increases when walking. The skin may be swollen, there is severe dryness.
The fungus spreads in the following way. Redness appears in a small area of the skin. Over time, it begins to peel and the affected area spreads.
At the initial stage, a person is practically not worried about anything, only his appearance. Then there are already painful feelings. The fungus spreads quite quickly.
Complex treatment of the disease
Treatment of skin fungus on the legs should be carried out not only by applying the product directly to the affected areas, but also by taking medicine inside.
To choose a medicine, you should first consult a doctor. When starting treatment, it is desirable to exclude other drugs. During treatment, the doctor should check the patient's condition and make regular skin scrapings to determine how the treatment is progressing.
The full course of treatment lasts at least three months. First, the first stage of treatment lasts one week. After that, there is a two-week break, after which the treatment is continued.
This is necessary to prevent relapses. They are frequent, especially when the immune system is not strong. When weakened, the first signs of fungus appear immediately on the skin.
It is necessary to combine the treatment. It is recommended to use the ointment in the morning, and to take the medicine inside in the evening. You can use both creams and solutions several times a day.
Apply the product with rubbing movements. If there is no noticeable improvement after two weeks, stronger drugs are prescribed. Any movement should be careful, because it is very easy to damage such skin.
Proven pills for fungus
A strong drug is prescribed for all types of fungi. Take the tablet once and only after a meal. It quickly penetrates the body and immediately starts fighting against infection.
The main thing when taking pills is not to increase the amount yourself. This will help prevent overdose and side effects. Tablets are best combined with ointment or gel. A single pill rarely achieves the desired effect.
Drops and solutions
Drops are very effective in the fight against fungus. They first destroy infected cells and then protect unaffected cells. In addition to eliminating the cause of infection, drops relieve inflammation and itching.
Drops are best used as an additional element of treatment. Fungus is a serious disease that cannot be treated with a remedy. Drops will work best in the early stages, when the growth of the fungus is not very extensive.
Choosing the best folk remedy
Sometimes medication does not improve the condition.
In such cases, you can resort to proven folk methods:
- Coffee. This drink is useful not only for internal use, but also as a tincture for the bath. Strong insoluble coffee should be poured with boiling water and feet should be soaked in this remedy. Coffee will relieve pain and inflammation, and remove excess layers of skin. It will also perfectly help after recovery to restore the condition of the epidermis.
- Wine vinegar. This tool is an excellent antiseptic and a tool in the fight against bacteria. At night, you can use the following method. Clean woolen socks should be kept in vinegar for half an hour, squeezed well, then put on your feet and covered with a blanket. By performing this procedure at night, you can see the visible effect in the morning.
- Juices. Skin affected by the fungus can be wiped with gauze soaked in lemon or onion juice. These remedies may cause a burning sensation at first, but this will pass after a few minutes. Thanks to this, the number of bacteria decreases, the fungus will not develop. You can try another treatment with ready-made tomato juice. It is necessary to choose juice only without salt so that it does not squeeze the skin.
- Herbal decoction. Boil calendula, verbena and oak bark in water. You can keep your feet in this decoction or use it as a lotion. The components are easy to find in the pharmacy, the effectiveness of such a collection will be on the same level as expensive drugs. It can be used every day morning and evening.
- Rye flour. After foot baths, it will be useful to rub rye flour on the affected areas. It has the ability to absorb all bacteria and cleanse the skin of disease. The main thing is to rub a small amount.
- Antiseptics. A mixture of baking soda and laundry soap will become a household antiseptic. All this should be dissolved in hot water. Pour the resulting mixture into a basin and leave the feet there to clean for half an hour.
Alternative treatments are useful because they have no side effects and all the ingredients are natural.
What to do if the nail comes out
Problems with a nail with a fungus indicate a neglected state of the disease. The nail darkens, begins to wear, thins and then pulls away from the skin.
This state is divided into several types:
Onychosis can be determined by erosion along the nail, kylonchinia - the nail is eroded in the middle.
Onychomodes is peeling of the nail only at the base. This is the most difficult case, because then inflammation occurs.
It is important to ensure that the nail does not fester, because then it can be completely lost. When a person's nail comes out, he does not feel it at first. Only with an infection, pain and inflammation appear.
The following symptoms will indicate that nail exfoliation is caused by a fungus:
- a gap appears under the nail;
- the nail acquires a yellow color;
- severe itching appears, but you should not tear the fragile nail;
- Manifestation of pain occurs only in advanced cases of the disease.
When such a problem occurs, it is important to constantly treat the affected nail with an antiseptic, as it is open to various microbes.
You should follow the scheme below. Trim the edge while peeling the tip with sterile scissors. The cut area is treated with an antiseptic. After that, prepare a bath with sea salt and keep your feet for ten minutes. Lubricate the cut with a healing agent.
You should stop painting the nails and masking the problem, this will only aggravate the situation. It is also very important not to wear tight shoes. You need to make sure that the nails are not too long, because then the shoes will squeeze them and eventually they can break.
On the feet, the spread of the fungus is quite fast, so it will pass from one nail to another within a few days.
Preventing the onset of the disease
It is not difficult to prevent the problem of infection with a fungus. You need to follow some rules, then health will be in order.
The first rule to remember is that you cannot wear someone else's shoes. After all, someone can get infected with a fungus. Tends to stay in the shoe.
You can even try on shoes in the store with only socks. Every day after wearing shoes for a long time, especially in the evening, you should wash your feet with soap and water. You should always choose shoes suitable for the weather.
In very hot weather, it is impossible to wear warm shoes, because the foot begins to sweat, and the development of fungi increases significantly in a moist environment. It is important to choose socks only from natural materials, not to wear them more than once, because after wearing them they are filled with bacteria.
At any drugstore, you can find disinfectant foot sprays that you should use if you have to wear shoes all day. When visiting the pool, it is better to change shoes and not walk barefoot on the tiles. This recommendation is also followed in the sauna.
It is necessary to start treatment at the first signs of fungus. This disease does not go away by itself. A secondary action should not be an increase in the immune system.
You need to take care of the skin of your feet. When corns appear, get rid of them immediately. If your feet suffer from excessive sweating, you should use special foot deodorants. Any cracks and open wounds on the feet should be treated immediately and disinfected constantly.
When doing a pedicure, especially if you do it in a salon, it is important to make sure that all tools are disinfected. If someone in the family has fungus, it is necessary to wash the floors thoroughly and take a shower. You only need to wear slippers and dry yourself with a personal towel.
Fungus of the skin of the feet is a disease that is better not to encounter. It differs in that it requires a lot of time for treatment, as well as long recovery after treatment.
A person who gets sick with a fungus has a high risk of re-infection with it after the disease. To protect yourself from this, you should not only be treated properly, but also take preventive measures afterwards.