An effective remedy for toenail fungus can be obtained only with the correct choice of the composition that affects the causative agent of the disease.Nail fungus (mycosis and onychomycosis) are destructive changes in the appearance and structure of the nail plate, sometimes spreading to the skin of the feet.The cause of this phenomenon is always more than 10 types of dermatophytes, yeast (Candida) and mold.To choose one of the fungal remedies available in the pharmacy, you need to know which pathogen caused the damage to the nails, and this can only be studied in the laboratory.
Self-treatment, including folk remedies, is a very long process, takes several months, but most often does not lead to cure, but to temporary elimination of visible symptoms from the surface of the nail.The fungus itself, the causative agent of the pathology, then grows again, affecting the nail plates and the skin around it.To reduce treatment time and obtain a lasting result, it is wiser to contact a mycologist, a specialist in the treatment of all types of nail fungus.After a laboratory examination of a particle from the affected nail, the doctor will determine the type of fungus and prescribe an antimycotic drug, the pharmacological action of which is aimed at combating the existing pathogen.
All offered drugs differ in their method of use and composition.Means to combat different types of fungi - antimycotics - are available in accessible and convenient dosage forms.The active ingredients can be presented in a composition for external use (varnish, ointment, cream, gel), or oral (tablets, capsules).Liquid types – solutions, sprays – are also widely available in the pharmaceutical market.
Often, a mycologist prescribes complex therapy using external drugs in the treatment program, the effect of which is enhanced by taking tablets and capsules.Also, the treatment program, depending on the area of fungal infection, may include a sterile medical pedicure procedure.A systematic and comprehensive approach is always indicated in cases of extensive nail damage.
Without exception, all drugs are divided into three categories, according to their spectrum of action:
- Azoles
Compounds that have a fungistatic effect (stop the growth of colonies) destroy the pathogen at a high concentration of active substance (fungicidal effect).Active against most fungi, including Candida.
Examples – Fluconazole, Miconazole, Itraconazole, Ketoconazole, Clotrimazole.
- Allylamines
Effective for lesions up to 50% of the surface of the nails, for the treatment of manifestations on the skin of the feet, can be used daily, act against mold, candida, dermatophytes.
Examples: terbinafine hydrochloride, naftifine,
- Morpholines
They neutralize all known types of nail fungus, quickly penetrate the nail plate, but act more slowly than other substances;treatment can last up to six months.
Examples - Amorolfine, Chlornitrophenol.
All drugs based on the listed compounds are available in dosage forms for local, oral and infusion use.
Antifungal preparations for external use
This category includes products that are applied directly to the affected nail itself or to the skin surrounding it - these are ointments, creams as well as varnishes that are practical for treating toenail fungus.All drugs have their advantages, but also their disadvantages, which most often manifest themselves in some discomfort associated with the use of formulations with a creamy consistency.The cost of products in the form of varnishes is higher than that of creams and ointments against fungus, but if there are different types in the pharmacy, the price of antifungals is not the main selection criterion.What matters is the spectrum of action of the drug and how quickly the nail fungus is eliminated.
The slow drying and absorption of creams and ointments is not as convenient as polishes, provided that most of the time daily is spent in shoes and the feet sweat, which can slow down the healing process.On the contrary, varnishes dry quite quickly on the surface of the nail plate, without causing any discomfort during the day.
Creamy remedies for fungus
It cannot be said with certainty that gels, ointments and creams against various types of fungi do not work as effectively as varnishes - the effectiveness of drugs depends on the degree of damage and the patient's discipline in treating the disease.However, many creamy products do not contain excipients that facilitate rapid penetration of the composition deep into the hard horny nail plates.
Benefits of creams, ointments, gels against fungus:
- Does not irritate the skin of the feet.
- Destroy the pathology on the nails themselves and on the skin around them.
- Convenient to use sets (with nail file, scraper).
- Broad spectrum of action, active against all types of pathogens.
- All categories are represented: azoles, allylamines and morpholines.
- Low drug prices.
Azoles
Imidazole derivatives – Clotrimazole, Econazole, Ketoconazole, Miconazole, Ketoconazole.
Triazole derivatives:
- fluconazoles;
- itraconazoles.
Allylamines
Types of products based on the active ingredient terbinafine
Naftifine and its derivatives.
Amorpholines
Toenail fungus remedies containing the active ingredient amorolfine are resistant to a wide range of pathogens, including candida.
Other drugs - Sertaconazole, Clotrimazole, salicylic, sulfuric, zinc ointment.
Varnish for fungus on nails
They are used in the early stages of mycoses, when the nail is only affected on 2/3 of the total surface.If the fungus has already penetrated deep into the nail tissue, you will first need to remove the upper layers and only then use the medicine.After cutting the areas concerned, you will have to repeat the operation, according to the information specified in the description.
Benefits of antifungal varnishes:
- Durability – the applied coating lasts up to several days.
- Comfort of use - the products do not stain clothes and dry quickly.
- High activity components - quickly penetrate into the surface of the affected nail through microcracks.
- Wide spectrum of action - used against different types of pathogens, has a fungistatic and fungicidal effect.
- Convenience - the set contains the varnish itself, as well as additional tools necessary for use: files, sponges.
- Large selection of different products.
Sprays and solutions for the treatment and disinfection of fungi
With properties similar to creamy preparations and varnishes, manufacturers of antifungal products offer a wide range of sprays and solutions.Their use is judicious from the early stages of the development of the pathology.The liquid form of antifungal agents allows the composition to penetrate the most difficult to reach places, filling micropores, cracks, folds of the skin, and also has an antimicrobial and antiseptic effect and acts as a drug with fungistatic functionality.In addition, sprays and solutions dry out the skin of the legs and the horny nail plate, creating an unfavorable environment for the pathogen.
Any product presented in liquid form, solution or spray, depending on its belonging to the group of active substances, acts against nail fungus, as well as in the form of disease prevention, disinfection of personal hygiene items, clothing and shoes.In addition, liquid forms are convenient to use to treat the skin of the feet.
Miconazole, fluconazole, terbinafine hydrochloride, bifonazole, clotrimazole.
Tablets against nail fungus
Systemic mycoses with deep lesions, when the toenail fungus spreads to the entire surface and depth of the stratum corneum, as well as epidermycosis and candidiasis often require complex therapy, with the simultaneous use of tablets and topical preparations.To treat fungal nail infections, in addition to antimycotics, antibiotics are used, as well as iodine preparations and ammonium salts.
Antimycotics – Itraconazole, Fluconazole, Terbinafine.
Antibiotics - Griseofulvin, Levorin, Natamycin, drugs from the nystatin group, any drugs based on amphotericin.
Preparations for the treatment of fungus for pregnant and lactating women
The choice of remedies for fungus at any stage of pregnancy is the exclusive prerogative of the attending physician.An independent approach to determining the type of fungus and treating lesions may turn out to be incorrect, which will at least delay time and allow colonies to penetrate deep into the nail, and in some cases cause an adverse reaction.The sooner you can detect pathology on your feet and on the horny plates of your nails and contact a mycologist, the better and safer the treatment and its results will be.
It is better to choose a drug for external use, and in situations where the disease has already reached the systemic stage, with deep penetration of fungi into the nail structure, it is worth discussing the procedure for its complete removal by surgery.
There are no safe and guaranteed synthetic substances that destroy fungi without any risk of harming the healthy progress of the pregnancy and the fetus.Even the relative safety of traditional methods can cause an allergic reaction to a natural component, or a burn of the skin around the nail (when using vinegar, iodine, etc.)
Undecylenic acid + zinc undecylenate is a combination medication, prescribed in the presence of strict indications, signs of hypersensitivity may occur.
Bifonazole - except for the first trimester, in the second and third according to strict indications there is a risk of allergic reactions.