Fungus (mycosis) is a common skin disease caused by parasitic fungi. One of the most common types, especially in adults, is foot fungus. It is very easy to get infected with them - scales constantly come off the skin affected by the fungus, in which there are a lot of pathogens. How to get rid of foot fungus? Traditional medicine does not always cope with this unpleasant ailment, so a significant part of people turn to the piggy bank of folk remedies for foot fungus.
What you need to know about fungus
In wet conditions, foot fungus multiplies well. Therefore, the most common places of infection are swimming pools, saunas and showers. Excessive sweating of the feet and wet shoes are prone to the development of foot fungus. If there is a sick person in the family, then there is a high probability of infection in healthy family members. Therefore, you cannot use other people's towels, shoes, combs, clothes, etc.
The causative agents of the fungus tolerate a dry environment and low temperatures well - under these conditions they do not die, but only stop their growth and development. In the flakes of the skin affected by the disease, fungi remain viable for a very long time. These scales can be in clothes, shoes, carpets for years. Then getting on the skin of a healthy person, pathogenic fungi again begin to grow and multiply, causing the disease.
The fungus spreads rapidly in a slightly alkaline and neutral environment (6-6. 5 RN). Healthy skin has a slightly acidic environment - pH - 5. 5. This protects us from fungal diseases. But sweaty feet and uncomfortable synthetic shoes break this protection. Therefore, when treating fungus with folk remedies, vinegar is often used.
To disinfect the patient's clothes and linen, boiling is recommended - fungi die when boiled in 3-4 minutes. A 1% formalin solution is used to treat footwear, and a chloramine solution is used to disinfect household items. This must be done, because after the fungus is completely healed, you can get it again through your own shoes and clothes.
Infection symptoms
Symptoms of a foot fungus may include the following:
- One or more cracks between the toes
- Peeling of the skin;
- Itching, burning;
- Thickening of the skin, the appearance of scales;
- Redness of the skin;
- Bubbles with clear liquid.
These symptoms can be present simultaneously or separately.
A treasure trove of folk recipes
If the fungus is severe, with ulcers and erosions, then before using folk remedies for the treatment of foot fungus, it is necessary to make a foot bath with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. During this procedure, try to separate as many scales as possible from the skin. If the skin of the feet, affected by the fungus, is thickened and horny, it is advisable to remove all scales before treatment. This is easily done with salicylic petroleum jelly applied 2 times a day. To make the process go faster, you can make compresses with this tool. Once the scales are removed, the fungus treatments will act directly on the affected skin area.
Herbal remedies
Celandine
Celandine has long been considered one of the most effective herbal remedies in the fight against fungus.
4 tbsp. l. herbs need to be poured into 1. 5 liters of hot water and boiled for 3 minutes. Soak your feet in the broth cooled to an acceptable temperature for 30 minutes. At night, make compresses from this broth, adding a little vinegar to it. The course of treatment is 15-20 days in a row.
If for some reason celandine is unpleasant to you, it is allowed to replace it with wormwood.
Burdock leaves
Take a burdock leaf, beat off from the bottom with a hammer or roll it with a rolling pin so that the juice comes out. Wrap the leg with a burdock, secure with a bandage and put on a sock. Change the compress 2 times a day. The course is 3 weeks. It is recommended to use this remedy at night.
Rowan leaves
Knead fresh rowan leaves, attach to the affected skin area and secure with a bandage, or even better - first with a burdock leaf, and then with a bandage. It is advisable to keep the bandage around the clock, changing it once a day.
Birch tar
Steam your feet in soapy water, remove excess skin with a pumice stone, wipe well and spread with birch tar the skin between the fingers, nails, cracks. After an hour and a half, wipe the tar, but do not wash your feet. Walk like this for two days. Then repeat the procedure. It is enough to apply this folk remedy 3-4 times for the fungus to pass. But don't forget to disinfect your shoes.
Calendula
Pour 1 glass of calendula flowers with 1 glass of boiling water, leave for 30 minutes, then strain. With this infusion, lubricate the feet affected by the fungus at night.
Garlic recipes
- Mix the garlic gruel and butter in a 1: 1 ratio. From the resulting mixture, make compresses at night. Course - until complete recovery.
- Mix in 1 tbsp. l. garlic juice and 90% alcohol, add 2 tbsp. l. water. Lubricate sore spots every evening at night. The course is 2-3 weeks.
Onion
Put 300 g of onion gruel in two plastic bags. Place the feet in bags so that the skin does not come into contact with the onion. Tie the bags around the ankles. The result is a "steam-air chamber". Course - 5 sessions.
Potato sprouts
Pour half a glass of chopped potato sprouts with alcohol, insist and apply compresses from this gruel to the affected skin overnight.
Lemon
- Thinly cut the lemon into several slices, then chop them in half and attach to the damaged area. Cover with a bandage and cling film on top. Keep for 20 minutes.
- A simple rubbing with lemon can also help with your trouble. But do not forget that you do not need to wash your feet after such a procedure.
Aloe
Pour 2 tablespoons of chopped aloe leaves with a liter of boiling water. When the infusion has reached room temperature, strain and use as a base for a foot bath. The recommended duration of the procedure is 10 minutes.
If desired, sage and calendula can be added to the solution - in the same proportions as the aloe.
Other means
Apple vinegar
- Submerge well-washed feet in water with apple cider vinegar. Choose the concentration at your discretion - the stronger, the faster the treatment will go, but only so that you can endure.
- Vinegar will also be useful in combination with carrot juice. Mix 1 tbsp. l. two liquids and lubricate the affected skin with a swab moistened with this composition.
- Wash the chicken egg, dry it, put it in a glass and pour in 100 g of vinegar essence. Insist in a dark place for 5-7 days until the shell dissolves, discard the remaining film. Add 100 g softened butter, beat. You will get an emulsion in the form of mayonnaise. Every evening, steam your legs and apply the ointment to the affected area of the skin in the form of a compress, wrapping it with plastic on top. When the nail is soft, trim it. Course - until complete recovery.
Soda
Dilute the soda with water and make a gruel. Rub the affected skin with this gruel. After 15 minutes, rinse with water, wipe your feet and dust with starch.
Salicylic ointment
To quickly soften and remove fungal skin areas, you can use a 35% salicylic ointment from the pharmacy. Spread it on your feet in the morning, and put a plastic bag on each one, then socks, wear it all until the evening. Repeat the procedure in the evening. And do this for a week. After three days of treatment, the skin on the legs will begin to whiten and peel off in patches, the young skin underneath will be healthy and fresh, without any signs of fungus.
Ammonia
Add 1 tbsp to a glass of water. l. ammonia. Soak a piece of cloth in this solution and wrap the foot, put on a plastic bag and a sock on top. Do before bed. Course - 5-10 procedures.
Hydrogen peroxide
Mix equal parts warm water and hydrogen peroxide and soak a previously trimmed and cleaned nail in the solution for 20 minutes.
It is not recommended to lower the entire foot, as this is fraught with skin irritation.
After the right time has passed, dry the nail thoroughly. After the procedure, refrain from wearing both socks and closed shoes for as long as possible.
It is recommended to repeat the baths every day until the desired result is achieved.
Propolis
Dip a 20% propolis tincture (you can buy it at the pharmacy) into a cotton pad, apply it to the infected area and fix it tightly with a bandage. It is recommended to wear a bandage within 24 hours, then change to a new one.
Clay BF
Wash your feet and grease the affected areas with BF-88 glue. Do this once a day for a week. The fungus will disappear completely.
Copper sulfate
Dissolve a teaspoon of copper sulfate in a liter of boiled water, stir thoroughly and place your feet there for 10 minutes.
Never use a metal container, as copper sulphate is very corrosive.
Tar soap
Pour two tablespoons of grated soap with two liters of boiling water and bring until completely dissolved. When the solution has cooled, place your feet in it for 10-15 minutes. When finished, wipe your feet with a towel until dry.
Alternative treatment with hot water
Open a hot water tap in the bathroom - the kind that your hands can barely tolerate. Standing in the bathroom, for a moment bring your foot under the stream of water. We repeat this 5-7 times. After that, spreading your toes apart, let it dry. Immediately spray 6% vinegar between the fingers and let dry again.
Among all the recipes we have listed, you will surely find something suitable for yourself and say goodbye to such an unpleasant disease as foot fungus.