Fungal diseases

For the treatment of fungal diseases, there are drugs that are specifically directed against the pathogens. They are called antimycotics. Not all drugs work equally well against the individual pathogens. Some work specifically against yeasts (e.g. the active ingredient Nystatin), others capture more or less all types of skin fungus (e.g. the active ingredients group of the Imidazol antimycotics; examples: Clotrimazol, Miconazol, etc.).

Different forms of administration are available for superficial skin fungal diseases for all localisations (e.g. shampoos, solutions, creams, pastes, and ointments).

If disease focus points are deeper in the skin, if large areas of the skin are affected, or if there is a nail fungus disease, external treatment is often not sufficient. Here, treatment is internal, e.g. with the active ingredient Terbinafin (in particular with dermatophyte infections), or with the active ingredients Itraconazol and Fluconazol, which are particularly effective with yeast infections. Tablets and suspensions are available for fungal infections of the internal organs.

Treatment often takes weeks, and with nail mycoses months. To prevent a relapse or the infection flaring up again, treatment normally has to continue a few days to weeks beyond the visible signs indicating that the treatment has been a success. In particular, this also applies to athlete's foot infections.