Foot skin disease is a very common pathology. Pathogens cause disease and spread from person to person. Patients often do not know how skin fungus on the legs is treated and whether it can be removed at home with folk remedies. There are many ways to get rid of the signs of fungal disease with the help of special medicines and old recipes.
What is skin fungus on legs
Infectious diseases that affect the skin are called fungi. The most common type is foot mycosis. Fungal spores can live in ordinary shoes for a long time, adapting to any living conditions. The most common infection is nail platinum in the legs and feet. Skin damage is not life-threatening but can lead to the development of cosmetic defects. If foot mycosis is not treated at the initial stage, then other microorganisms in the form of mold or candida can develop later.
symptoms of disease
Treatment of skin fungus on the legs should start as soon as the first symptoms appear, otherwise the disease can last for a long time. Fungal diseases are characterized by peeling skin. This is because the microbes penetrate deep into the layers of the skin, destroying them. Spots on the nails (onychomycosis), small bubbles (in the form of abrasions) between the toes, fluid-filled and bursting, and calluses on the soles of the feet (the appearance of hyperkeratosis). The proliferation of fungi in any layer of the epidermis is accompanied by an unpleasant odor and the following symptoms:
- burning, itching, accompanied by dry skin;
- powder exfoliation;
- darkened, thickened, or peeled nails;
- Erosion processes develop in reddened areas.
Treat foot fungus
Before using antifungal agents, it is necessary to consult a doctor, since the pathology should be treated according to the type of pathogen and the duration of the course of the disease. In advanced forms, foot mycosis is difficult to treat. How to get rid of athlete's foot:
- Localization of the disease by early local treatment: ointment, cream, solution, compress, bath, disinfection of shoes;
- Later systemic therapy: the use of drugs.
Systemic drugs are used in a variety of ways:
- classic. Take the tablet daily throughout the course.
- short. You can stop taking the medicine until healthy nails grow back.
- intermittent. Treatment, which takes place in several sessions, is at the same time interval as the sessions.
- Pulse therapy. Taking the pills is combined with breaks that exceed the duration of the course.
In advanced stages of the disease, the use of antifungal drugs is necessary. Systemic antifungal drugs are selected on an individual basis because of contraindications to these drugs. When the first unpleasant symptoms appear, it is necessary to scrape the nails of onychomycosis and visit a dermatologist to make a correct diagnosis and prescribe medication for external and / or internal effects of the body. The most effective include:
antifungal cream
Many people have a problem: skin fungus on the legs - what can be treated if the infection only manifests in the upper layers of the skin. A variety of antifungal creams with different modes of action and ingredients are readily available in pharmacies today. The following topical preparations can quickly treat flexion of the foot at an early stage:
- Zinc ointment. It has good water absorption and astringency. It works well against skin irritations and fungal diseases. Apply it to the lesion and its surrounding area 1-2 times a day. The duration of treatment is 2-3 weeks.
- Sulfuric acid ointment. Excellent remedy for foot mycosis. Within a week of daily use, you can be free from this disease. Sulfuric acid ointment has one downside - it smells bad. This fact must be taken into account when purchasing.
Treating fungus on the legs at home can also be done with antifungal ointments, which differ from ointments only in the substances that make up their composition.
To speed up the healing process, in addition to the main therapy, it is necessary to treat the fungus with the help of a special antifungal varnish. They are different from similarly acting drugs with a special texture. The antifungal varnish is liquid and applied directly to the nail platinum. The agent can easily enter the microcracks, maximizing the impact on the fungus. This is practical because ointments and creams have a thick consistency, so they are easily removed with the slightest impact.
After administration of the drug, the causative agent of the fungal disease died after 8 hours. You can use the remedy under a decorative varnish 1-2 times a week - this will not reduce its effectiveness. The duration of treatment is until the onychomycosis has completely disappeared. List of the most popular antifungal varnishes:
For mycosis of the legs, you should bathe with baking soda every day, preferably at bedtime. This process takes at least 15 minutes. Baking soda is a substance that negatively affects the life activities of fungal infections, so it is part of many remedies that help with athlete's foot. To treat the fungus, warm water at a temperature of 40 C-45 C is required. Soda water diluted by 2 tablespoons. Spoon of 2 liters of water.
Before surgery, you should wash your feet thoroughly with laundry soap and exfoliate your cuticles with pumice stone or sandpaper. You'll also need to work on the nail plate, trim off the free edge of the nail, and use a nail file to remove as much white patches as possible from under it. After surgery, the legs should be wiped carefully with a towel without rinsing, and treated with an antifungal agent prescribed by a dermatologist.
folk remedies
The most effective folk remedy for foot fungus is vinegar. It creates an acidic environment that prevents the spread of yeast. Due to exposure to vinegar in the home, pathogens quickly lose their nutrient source and die. It is best to apply immediately after bathing. To do this, dip a cotton pad in a 9% acetic acid solution and apply it to the fungus-affected area for 15 minutes.
Another effective folk remedy against candida is topical hydrogen peroxide. First of all, it is recommended to take a bath with soda water, then soak a piece of absorbent cotton with 3% hydrogen peroxide, apply it to the affected skin, and put a clean socks on it. It is necessary to keep the application at 60 minutes 2 times/day until full recovery.
prevention
To spot a problem in time, you should know what the fungus looks like. To do this, it's best to ask the question ahead of time by looking at photos on the internet. Then you need to follow the advice of your dermatologist, what you need to do in order not to get foot fungus:
- Wash your feet thoroughly after going to the beach, swimming pool and other public places;
- Sweaty feet and there is a risk of mold infection, so you need to stop wearing socks and closed shoes for long periods of time;
- It is not necessary to give personal hygiene products, clothing or shoes to others in order not to be infected by pathogenic flora;
- You should take care of your toes regularly: get pedicures, trim overgrown nails.
How to Treat Skin Fungus on Legs
Learn how to treat fungus on the skin of your legs, as this is an infectious disease that can spread to your nails. Not only is this fungus ugly, it's a health hazard. This condition cannot begin and urgent treatment is needed.
What is recommended to treat fungus on the skin of the legs
For the treatment of trichophytosis, the skin needs to be wiped with iodine. For severe inflammation, it is recommended to make a lotion.
In addition to this, the use of vitamins, especially ascorbic acid, is required.
It is best to opt for vitamins during treatment as the body needs support.
Corticosteroid cream, hydrocortisone is required if the skin is affected by Candida.
symptoms of this pathology
Most of the time, fungus on the skin occurs in older people after the age of 50. But we can't forget that this disease is contagious, so the younger generation will also get it if they don't follow certain rules.
Some signs of skin fungus include:
For lesions, the first signs can be seen in the area between the fingers. It is from there that the fungus grows throughout the leg. Usually it also covers the nails. Often, foot fungus affects both feet. If the shape is sharp, then there will be bubbles, then it will fester, and there will be wounds.
Redness is observed on the skin, it becomes very dense. Also, there is an unpleasant foot odor, not only after wearing shoes. The legs seem to start burning and the pain increases when walking. The skin may be flaky with intense dryness.
Fungi spread in the following ways. Small areas of skin redness and swelling. Over time, it starts to peel and spreads over the affected area.
In the initial stages, a person cares about almost nothing but appearance. Then there are already painful feelings. Fungus spreads very quickly.
complex treatment of disease
The treatment of skin fungus on the legs requires not only applying for funds directly to the affected area, but also taking medicines inside.
When choosing a drug, you first need to consult your doctor. When treatment begins, it is best to rule out other drugs. During treatment, the doctor should examine the patient's condition and perform regular skin scrapes to determine the progress of the treatment.
The entire course of treatment lasts at least three months. First, the first stage of treatment, which lasts one week. After that, take a two-week break before resuming treatment.
This is necessary to avoid recurrence. They occur frequently, especially if the immune system is not boosted. When it weakens, the first signs of fungus appear immediately on the skin.
It is necessary to combine treatment. It is recommended to use the ointment in the morning and the medicine in it in the evening. You can use the cream and solution several times a day.
Apply product in a rubbing motion. If there is no significant improvement after two weeks, a more potent drug is prescribed. Be careful with any action, as it is easy to damage such skin.
Proven Fungal Pills
Strong medicines are prescribed for all types of fungi. Take only once with a meal. It penetrates the body quickly and starts fighting the infection right away.
The most important thing when taking pills is not to increase the dose yourself. This will help avoid overdose and side effects. Tablets are best used in combination with ointment or gel. A single pill rarely achieves the desired effect.
Drops and Solutions
Drops are very effective in fighting fungus. First, they destroy infected cells and then protect unaffected cells. In addition to eliminating the cause of the infection, the drops also eliminate inflammation and itching.
Drops are best used as an additional element of therapy. Fungus is a serious disease that cannot be cured with a single drug. Drops work best during the initial stages of less extensive fungal development.
Choosing the Best Folk Remedies
Sometimes medicines don't improve the condition.
In this case, you can resort to proven folk methods:
- coffee. Not only can this drink be used internally, it can also be used as a bath tincture. Strong insoluble coffee should be poured with hot water and feet should be soaked in this remedy. Coffee will relieve pain and inflammation, and remove overgrown layers of skin. It will also perfectly help restore the condition of the epidermis after recovery.
- wine vinegar. This tool is an excellent antiseptic and a tool against bacteria. You can use the following method at night. Clean wool socks must be soaked in vinegar for half an hour, squeezed, then put on your feet and covered with a blanket. By doing this procedure at night, you can notice visible results in the morning.
- juice. Fungal-infected skin can be wiped with gauze dipped in lemon or onion juice. These remedies may cause a burning sensation at first, but that goes away after a few minutes. Therefore, the number of bacteria is reduced and the fungus does not develop. You can try another treatment with ready-made tomato juice. You need to choose juice that only has no salt so it doesn't pinch the skin.
- Herbal Soup. Boil calendula, verbena and oak bark in water. In this decoction, you can keep it on your feet or use it as a lotion. The ingredients are easily found in pharmacies, and the effectiveness of such a collection would be on par with expensive drugs. Can be used every morning and night.
- Rye Flour. After a foot bath, it can be useful to rub rye flour into the affected area. It absorbs all bacteria and eliminates skin diseases. Mainly rub a small amount.
- preservative. A mixture of baking soda and laundry soap will act as a household antiseptic. All of these must be dissolved in warm water. Pour the resulting mixture into a basin and leave the legs there to wash for half an hour.
Alternative treatments are useful because they have no side effects and all ingredients are natural.
What to do if your nails fall off
Nail problems with fungus indicate that the disease is in a neglected state. The nails turn black, start to fall out, thin, and then move away from the skin.
There are several types of this state:
Onychomycosis can be recognized by the fact that the nails fall off, kaylonchinia - the nails fall off in the middle.
Onychomycosis is when the nails fall off only at the base. This is the most difficult situation because inflammation ensues.
It's important to make sure the nail doesn't fester, because then it could be lost completely. When a person's nail falls off, he doesn't notice it at first. Pain and inflammation occur only with infection.
The following symptoms indicate that nail loss is from fungus:
- Formation of voids under the nails;
- the nails are yellow;
- Intense itching occurs, but brittle nails should not be torn;
- Painful manifestations occur only in advanced cases of the disease.
When such problems arise, it is important to treat the affected nail frequently with an antiseptic, as it is open to different microorganisms.
You need to follow the scheme below. Cut off the edges while peeling off the tip with sterile scissors. The cut site is treated with an antiseptic. Afterwards, prepare to take a sea salt bath and hold your feet for ten minutes. Lubricate the cut site with a healing agent.
You should stop painting your nails and covering up the problem, it will only make it worse. It is also important not to wear tight shoes. You need to make sure your nails aren't too long, because then the shoes will compress them and may eventually break.
On the feet, the fungus spreads so quickly that it can move from one nail to another within a few days.
prevent disease
Avoiding the problem of fungal infections is not difficult. You need to follow some rules, then health will be in order.
The first rule to remember is that you can't wear someone else's shoes. After all, someone can get a fungal infection. He tends to wear shoes.
You can even try on shoes at the store wearing only socks. Wash your feet with soap and water every day, especially at night, after wearing shoes for a long time. You should always choose shoes based on the weather.
It's impossible to wear warm shoes in too hot weather, because feet start to sweat, and in humid conditions, fungal development grows significantly. It is important to choose only socks made of natural materials and not wear them more than once, as they can become full of bacteria when worn.
You can find foot sanitizers at any drugstore, and if you need to wear your shoes all day, you need to use these sprays. When visiting the swimming pool, it is best to change your shoes and do not walk barefoot on the tiles. Follow this advice in the sauna as well.
At the first symptoms of the fungus, treatment should begin. The disease will not go away on its own. Not a secondary effect should be to boost the immune system.
The skin on the feet needs care. When corns appear, get rid of them immediately. If your feet sweat too much, you need to use a special foot deodorant. Any cracks and open sores on the legs should be treated immediately and disinfected continuously.
When getting a pedicure, it's important to make sure all tools are sterilized, especially if it's done in a salon. If someone in the home gets fungus, the floors and showers must be washed thoroughly. You just need to put on your slippers and dry yourself with a separate towel.
Fungus on the skin of the feet is a disease that is best avoided. It differs in that it requires a lot of treatment time, and a long recovery after that.
People infected with the fungus are at high risk of re-infection with the fungus after becoming ill. To protect yourself from this situation, you not only need to get it right, but you also need to take precautions.