Many of us are faced with a disease as uncomfortable as nail fungus, or in other words onychomycosis. This is a fairly common disease that can affect the nail plate. The disease slowly migrates from the nail, which it destroys, into the depths of the finger. To diagnose such a disease, you need to contact a certified specialist who will conduct an examination and prescribe appropriate treatment. It is important not only to start treatment on time, but also to choose the right technique. These can be: creams and ointments, drops used to treat nail fungus, general drugs, including anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial ones.
Symptoms and treatment at different stages
Usually people don't think about or pay attention to the color of their nails. Until the infected area starts to hurt and attract attention. But how can you still tell the presence of fungus on toenails? There are several signs:
- In case the nail turns yellow or multicolored instead of pale pink for no reason.
- When the nail plate itself begins to break or peel off.
- When the nail becomes unnaturally thick or deformed, causing discomfort.
- In all cases where athlete's foot is present.
- Red edges of the skin around the nail, a constant desire to scratch the diseased piece of skin, a burning sensation at the site of the nail lesion.
To get rid of the fungus on the nails at the initial stage, local preparations are used - ointments or drops. They can also be used to prevent disease when symptoms first appear. For example: itching, burning, unreasonable reddening of the finger, peeling of the skin in the affected area, discoloration of the nail plate.
If the disease has advanced to an advanced stage, a quick cure is not possible in this situation. In addition, it will not be enough to use drugs exclusively on the affected area. Toenail fungus drops will help in this case, but their application is not enough. The course of treatment is complemented by the use of drugs inside.
In extreme cases, it is necessary to remove the nail in order to alleviate the patient's suffering. If you remove the infected area immediately, the treatment will be more effective and faster. A number of droplets are available to keep the plate intact.
Ingredients and types of drops
When choosing antifungal drops, you first need to pay attention to two properties that such a medicine should have:
- Fungistatic ability of the drug, thanks to which it is possible to limit the area of spread of the disease to another area.
- Fungicidal ability that helps the droplets destroy the fungus itself and any infected cells.
Fortunately, most of the popular drops have both properties and actively fight the disease. The main task of the doctor and the patient is to choose, from a large number of medicines, the one that will most effectively help protect the nails from fungus.
Among the multitude of drugs that their advertisements claim to help quickly and efficiently fight a disease called nail fungus, there are popular products and practically unknown drugs.
Drops for nail fungus are one of the most effective treatments. However, choosing from the wide range of modern medicines is not easy. It is necessary to focus on the main components of the drugs.
Application specificity and advantages
After the examination, the doctor will prescribe the necessary drugs. After buying drops, you need to prepare them before applying them to a sore finger. This is an important condition, non-observance of which can negatively affect treatment, starting with its ineffectiveness and going through to worsening the condition. First you need:
- Examine the finger and remove any debris that could prevent the medication from reaching the affected area.
- To perform the maximum independent or surgical removal of the affected part of the nail, which will contribute to more effective treatment. It is necessary to cut and file the diseased piece as much as possible.
- If possible, dampen the affected leg, as active ingredients penetrate the steamed nail more easily.
The type of medication in question has certain advantages:
- Application security. Drops can be used for years, which is necessary in advanced cases. In this case, side effects of the internal organs or dependence on the drug are not observed, they do not get into the bloodstream, so there is no negative reaction.
- Special composition. The drops are not as thick as ointments, and their composition includes two types of active ingredients. All of this helps the drops penetrate deeper and act in a broader spectrum in the case of a fungal infection of the nail bed.
- Price. Do not forget about such a trivial criterion that sometimes becomes a serious obstacle to the purchase of drops of medicine and the healing of ailments.
- Convenience. All drops are equipped with special dispensers that prevent spilling of the active ingredient, and the possibility of overdose is completely eliminated. It is quite convenient, practical and economical because they are applied selectively to the focus of the disease.
- Simplicity. Treating the affected area with drops is very simple. In addition, drops can be applied not only on the nail, but also under the nail plate as close as possible to the sore area without affecting healthy skin. This perfectly protects against a possible allergy to the drug.
- Efficiency. Anti-fungal drops are absorbed and work almost immediately after application. Do not get stuck on clothes or smear them. They penetrate much deeper than ointment and spray, they help cope with even the most advanced forms of the disease.
Given the features of the disease itself, you need to be prepared for long-term use of drugs against the fungus. Drops are better than other types of medication for many reasons.
Contraindications
Despite the fact that all drugs differ in an individual list of contraindications, there are still general recommendations that are the same for all types of drops:
- Individual intolerance to the active ingredients of the drug. That is, if you develop a strong allergy to drops, you must stop using it immediately.
- It is forbidden to apply drops and ointments from the fungus to an open wound or if the area of the skin in this place festers.
- Pregnancy. As with almost all other drugs, the use of drops of the fungus while carrying a baby is only allowed if the risk to the mother is too great.
- Children under 12 years. Each drug has its own threshold, but almost all of them are prohibited for use by children under the age of 12. Age can decrease depending on the type of active ingredient in the drops.
Apparently harmless drops also have contraindications. Each of the antifungal drugs should be used with extreme caution. Each drug has its own list of contraindications that you need to familiarize yourself with before purchasing and using the drug.