"Get nail fungus, a contagious two", this familiar advertisement also says the voice of many people with nail fungus. Nail fungus is not only ugly, it is also contagious, and it will recur after treatment. So how can we completely eradicate nail fungus? See the analysis below.
What is Nail Fungus?
Nail fungus, medically known as onychomycosis, refers to finger (toe) nail infections caused by fungi that include dermatophytes (onychomycosis), yeasts, and non-cutaneous ringworm mold. Yeast onychomycosis affects more nails than toenails, and some studies have identified it as the most common cause of nail fungal disease. The most common cause of saccharomyces mycosis is Candida albicans.
Recognized risk factors include advanced age, swimming, tinea pedis, psoriasis, diabetes, immunodeficiency, genetic predisposition, and onychomycosis in family members living together. The onset of candida albicans is usually associated with frequent exposure of hands to humid environments (e.g., bartenders, domestic workers, etc.).
Do folk remedies work?
Many people seek cures on the Internet, and there are also many ways to treat nail fungus, such as "pedicures" and "special products". For example, there is a so-called special effects recipe: "about half a kilogram of garlic, mashed, soaked in old vinegar, the bottle containing old vinegar is preferably a wide-mouth bottle, specifically according to their own needs to choose the amount and utensils." Soak the hands or feet of nail fungus in a bottle for 15 minutes every night, and the effect will be basically visible for half a month, and it will heal after a few months. "It seems simple, but it often doesn't really work and is prone to relapse.
As for the pedicure shop on the side of the road, it does not have a professional medical level, not only is it not repaired well, but it will induce paronychia, contact dermatitis, etc., and the special effect products on the Internet are also likely to have safety hazards. So what should I do with nail fungus?
How to cure nail fungus?
If you want to cure nail fungus, the most important thing is to go to the hospital for formal treatment. The key to curing nail fungus is the following:
(1) Remove hyperkeratotic finger (toe) nail fragments
Thick, malnourished nails may make it difficult to trim and can cause pain when moving. Removal of hyperkeratotic finger (toe) nail fragments may help alleviate these symptoms, and only by pruning can topical medications be able to successfully contact the fungus to exert its effects.
Topical urea is a keratinector that we have found to be helpful in the treatment of keratinization in patients who have abandoned antifungal therapy, as well as an adjunct to patients undergoing treatment. For patients with very thick nails and malnutrition, we use the following night therapy:
●Apply a thick layer of petroleum jelly to the periungal skin
●Apply a thick layer of 40% urea cream or ointment to the finger (toe) nails
● Wrap the fingernails with bandages or tape overnight
●Wash urea for external use with soap and water in the morning
● Repeat the above steps every night until the nails of the fingers (toes) become soft and easy to cut off or remove
Repeating topical urea without encapsulation as needed also helps maintain improvement. For patients who are not very severe in finger (toe) nail thickening, unsealing is usually sufficient to alleviate excessive keratosis of the fingernails.
(2) Suitable antifungal drugs plus an adequate course of treatment
There are currently two methods of treatment for nail fungus: drug therapy and physical therapy. Drug therapy is divided into oral and topical, using antifungal drugs, which work through topical application and blood circulation to the site of arrival. Often the treatment time will be longer, and it is necessary to pay attention to the adverse reactions of the drug. If paronychia or subpyroidal abscess is triggered, the nail needs to be removed under the evaluation and procedure of a professional doctor. Treatment is painful, but it must be adhered to in order to be effective.
Oral terbinafine — Terbinafine is a first-line oral agent for the treatment of mild to moderate dermatophyllacea. It is administered in the same manner as terbinafine, which is used to treat more serious lesions. Itraconazole may also be used systemicly in patients who do not tolerate terbinafine or terbinafine therapy.
Topical pharmacotherapy — First-line topical treatments include efluconazole, amerofen, tavarboro, and ciclopirone. There are no high-quality head-to-head comparison trials, so the available data are not sufficient to determine the relative efficacy of these drugs.
Topical treatment is limited to specialized drugs for nail diseases. Topical antifungal drugs developed for fungal skin infections are generally ineffective against onychomycosis because of difficulty penetrating the deck.
Note that the choice of the above drugs requires a specialist to choose a different dosing regimen depending on the severity of nail fungus.
(3) Pay attention to hygiene
Fungi actually exist in every corner of nature, and patients infected with nail fungus often have some other high-risk diets, such as poor resistance, poor hygiene, sweaty feet, and broken toenails. Therefore, if you want to avoid nail fungus or no recurrence after treatment, you must control these risk factors, such as paying attention to hygiene, keeping your feet dry and tidy, toe injuries to be dealt with in time, balanced nutrition, and diabetics to control blood sugar and so on.
epilogue
Nail fungus is not an incurable disease, remember the above 3 tricks, and the key is timely, effective, standardized treatment and good daily hygiene habits, do not listen to rumors, because nail fungus is actually a lesion caused by fungal invasion of the deck and (or) nail bed by skin ringworm, yeast and non-skin ringworm mold. So the sooner you treat, the better, don't be ashamed to show it to people, don't go to the hospital in time for treatment, because the fungus may spread to other parts of the body or spread to relatives and friends during your delay in treatment.
bibliography:
[1] LI Jing'e,LI Bing,GUO Xiaoling. Prevention and care of onychomycosis[J]. China Aesthetic Medicine,2008,05:754.]
[2] FENG Jiao,ZENG Meihua,CHEN Jun,WU Fan,LV Guixia,REN Fang,SANG Hong. Research progress on the etiology of onychomycosis[J]. Chinese Journal of Mycology,2013,02:120-123.]
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About author:Pharmacist Fang Jian Today's headlines health truth officer
In 2003, he obtained the qualification certificate of practicing physicians, in 2006 he obtained a master's degree in pharmacology from Sun Yat-sen University, and in 2012, he obtained the certificate of clinical pharmacist training of the Ministry of Health. He is now the deputy chief pharmacist of the top three hospitals and the clinical pharmacist of neurology.
Social appointment: Member of the Rational Drug Use Committee of the Guangdong Pharmacological Society; Member of the Science Popularization Committee of the Guangdong Pharmaceutical Society.
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