Nail fungus (onychomycosis) is diagnosed on average in 10-15% of the world's population, and among people over 60 years of age, the incidence reaches 30-50%. Men suffer 1. 3 times more than women, which is probably due to an insufficiently responsible attitude to the problem. It is difficult to get rid of onychomycosis, but it is possible, and the main task of the doctor and the patient is to choose the right remedy for nail fungus. We talked about what drugs are and how they work.
Is fungal therapy necessary?
Many people, especially older men, neglect the treatment of the fungus, believing that this problem is only aesthetic and, apart from a cosmetic defect, does not bring any consequences. This is a pretty dangerous misconception. We explain why.
First, the fungus is extremely contagious. If you do not pay attention to treatment, the infection spreads rapidly. The causative agents of onychomycosis are easily transmitted through household items, and the patient is at risk of infecting the whole family.
Second (and most importantly), the problem of nail fungus is not just cosmetic. A neglected disease significantly reduces the quality of life: pain appears, difficulties arise with the selection of shoes, and all sorts of household inconveniences. The surface of the nail, affected by the fungus, can collapse over time. But it's still half the problem. Without timely and proper treatment, onychomycosis damages the entire body. The risk of allergies increases (due to the development of hypersensitivity to fungi and their metabolic products), infectious complications (for example, erysipelas) often join. Against the background of onychomycosis, any skin disease is more serious. Not to mention that chronic infection weakens the immune system.
So the answer is unequivocal: it is necessary to treat nail fungus and as soon as possible. The further the process progresses, the more difficult it is to get rid of the disease. Therefore, the ideal is to start treatment at the first sign of injury. Another issue is how to treat. The variety of drugs is so great that it is easy to get confused. But you need to know how they work to understand which remedy helps to get rid of nail fungus. We will talk about this.
Choosing a remedy for nail fungus.
On the net you can find many recommendations for the fight against fungi. Traditional medicine advises to get rid of it with the help of soda, ammonia, propolis, kerosene, celandine juice and essential oils. There are recipes for nail fungus remedies with vinegar, iodine, hydrogen peroxide. By resorting to seemingly harmless home methods, the patient only exacerbates the problem. Not a single traditional medicine destroys the pathogens of onychomycosis, and the lesion progresses, covering an increasing area of the nail plate. In the end, the patient ends up in the dermatologist's office with an advanced fungus that is very difficult to treat.
So tip number one: no self-treatment! If signs of the disease are found, it is necessary to contact a dermatologist who will prescribe an effective drug for nail fungus. Self-medication is unacceptable, if only because onychomycosis is caused by different types of pathogens, and in each case it is important to choose the correct active ingredient. And in order not to doubt the recommendations of a specialist, it is worth knowing how the drugs used to treat this disease work and how they differ.
Means for the treatment of nail fungus can be classified according to the form of release and the active ingredient. Of the other selection criteria, the price category and ease of use are important.
release form
External preparations against nail fungus are produced in the form of a varnish, spray, cream (ointment) and solution.
antifungalvarnishes, as a rule, women prefer, because with the help of such products it is possible to combine treatment with cosmetic care. Before processing, it is necessary to grind the surface of the nail plate with a file. After applying the medical varnish, you can use decorative. This is the main advantage of this dosage form.
However, varnishes are not universal. First of all, they are effective only with a small area of damage. If the fungus has spread to more than a third of the nail plate, the remedy will not help. Secondly, the drug in the form of a varnish can only cope with superficial mycosis. This is because it cannot penetrate the lower layers of the nail. With a deep injury, when the nail plate thickens, the antifungal agent in the form of nail polish will not work; a stronger medicine is needed.
cream and spray- similar forms: both have an oil base. They are ideal for the treatment of skin mycoses that, by the way, often accompany nail fungus. The tool easily penetrates into the lower layers of the epidermis, destroying the pathogen. But the nail has a denser structure, and the oil-based preparation does not reach all sites of infection. Cream or spray is best used as an auxiliary part of the treatment of onychomycosis, with concomitant fungal infections of the skin of the feet.
Solution- the optimal form of antifungal agent for nails. The drug based on water and alcohol penetrates deep into the nail plate, filling the voids and channels through which the pathogen spreads. Therefore, the fungicidal and fungistatic effect of the liquid nail fungus remedy is stronger than in other forms.
active substance
Antifungal preparations are mainly substances of synthetic origin (rarely natural), of diverse chemical structure. Depending on this, the spectrum of its activity differs, that is, the action against certain pathogens. Since onychomycosis can be caused by different types of pathogenic fungi, the correct choice of active ingredient is very important.
Note
In order to reliably establish the type of pathogen, it is necessary to conduct a microbiological study of a tissue fragment. But you can usually determine the type of fungus by the external characteristics of the affected nail. The most common causative agent of onychomycosis is Trichophyton Rubrum. Less commonly, the disease is caused by other types of dermatophytes, yeast-like fungi, and molds.
In terms of chemical structure, there are several groups of antifungal drugs:
Polyena. These include substances such as nystatin, levorin, amphotericin. When taken orally, they are active against many types of fungi, but topical application of these agents is effective only for candidiasis. Therefore, polyenes are not usually prescribed for the treatment of onychomycosis.
azoles. For external use, drugs based on Clotrimazole, Econazole, Miconazole, Oxiconazole, Isoconazole, Bifonazole are used. Its action is predominantly fungistatic; in other words, these drugs stop the growth of the fungus. The fungicidal effect (destruction of the pathogen) is possible when high concentrations of the substance are reached in the tissues. Azoles are active against the yeast-like fungi Candida and dermatomycetes, which cause skin lesions. With onychomycosis, these drugs are not very effective.
allylamines. This is the main group of antifungal agents prescribed for the treatment of mycoses of the skin and nails. For topical use, products based on terbinafine and naftifine are suitable. The first is also prescribed orally at an advanced stage of the disease. Naftifine is an effective treatment for onychomycosis. It exhibits fungicidal activity against dermatophytes (including Trichophyton Rubrum), yeasts and molds, in a word, the main possible causative agents of fungal nail infections. In addition, naftifine acts on many bacteria.
Of the other substances not included in these groups, amorolfine and ciclopirox are used to treat onychomycosis. Both drugs are applied topically, primarily as part of antifungal varnishes.
Easy to use
Getting rid of the fungus is a long process. For several months, nail treatment will become a daily procedure; otherwise, a positive result will not be achieved. Given the duration of treatment, it is important to choose a tool that is convenient to use. In the case of varnish, keep in mind that the surface of the nail must be sanded before each use. Therefore, it is good that there are disposable files in the kit. In the case of a solution, it is preferable to choose a product packaged in a bottle sealed with a dropper cap. The elongated dropper tip is more convenient for spot application of the solution where it can penetrate deep into the nail plate. This form is optimal in dosage: it is easy to measure and apply the required amount of the drug, which makes consumption more economical.
Packaging and course cost
Treatment of the fungus should continue until the full growth of a healthy nail plate. With onychomycosis of the hands, this process lasts about four months. Toenails grow more slowly than toenails and can take up to a year to heal. Therefore, the purchase of an antifungal agent is not a one-time expense, but a regular expense item, and of course I want to reduce it as much as possible. However, the desire to save should not prevail: the main selection criterion is efficiency. A reasonable decision is to focus on the active substance. Sometimes this makes it possible to choose an analog of a widely advertised drug that has the same efficacy, but is more profitable in price.
Onychomycosis not only reduces the quality of life, but also threatens serious complications. Therefore, when the first signs of infection are detected, it is necessary to see a doctor as soon as possible and start treatment.Remedies for toenail and fingernail fungus with clinically proven efficacy.
nail fungus solution
To combat nail fungus, you can use the drug in the form of a solution. The active ingredient of the drug is naftifine, a substance from the group of allylamines, which is active against most types of pathogenic fungi. Destroys dermatophytes (Trichophyton, Epidermophyton, Microsporum), Candida yeast fungi, Aspergilla mold and other types of nail and skin pathogenic fungi. The drug in the form of a solution penetrates into the thickness of the nail plate, moves along the path of the spread of the fungus, creating stable concentrations of the drug in the zone of accumulation of infection.
The action of the drug is fungicidal, that is, it not only stops the development of the fungus, but also destroys it.
In addition, naftifine has antibacterial activity. Fungal diseases of the nails and skin are often complicated by bacterial infections, and the use of the drug can solve both problems at the same time.
An additional effect of naftifine is anti-inflammatory. Helps reduce the redness, swelling, and itching that often accompanies a yeast infection.
Indications for the use of the solution include fungal infections of not only the nail plate, but also smooth skin, skin folds and interdigital lesions, as well as candidiasis, pityriasis versicolor, inflammatory dermatomycosis. The same range of indications for other products in the line - cream and spray.