Annoying diseases like nail fungus (or onychomycosis) are considered one of the most common worldwide. According to statistics, every ten inhabitants of our planet suffer from foot fungus! People of different races, both genders and all ages are vulnerable to the disease-from preschool children to the elderly.
Many of us believe that foot fungus can only appear in people who neglect personal hygiene, forget to monitor the skin condition of their feet, etc.
In fact, toenail fungus can appear even in clean people, because the infection is very easy to "catch" in public places - on the beach, in the sauna, swimming pool, in the gym, etc. Toenail fungus is a disease, although Not fatal, but very dangerous. In the early stages, it manifests itself in the form of harmless symptoms, but later it can lead to serious consequences such as destruction and deformation of the nail, which will never take its previous form. In addition, onychomycosis is highly contagious, so someone who has discovered the fungus can easily infect all members of the household.
Toenail fungus: the first sign
It is quite difficult to identify the pathology in the first stage, but it is possible if you look closely at the condition of the nail and the skin around it.
The main signs of fungus that can be identified are:
- nail plate thickening;
- the appearance of grooves, lines and spots on it;
- loss of luster and elasticity of toenails;
- the nails are cut into the skin of the feet, which has not been observed before;
- the skin around the nail plate begins to itch and causes discomfort to the person; sometimes the itching starts between the fingers (these signs are characteristic of children and adolescents, as their skin is thinner and softer than that of adults).
After that, with the development of the fungus, other signs and symptoms appear:
- distortion of the structure of the toenails - they become brittle, scaly, brittle edges appear;
- discoloration - instead of the usual and healthy transparent white color, the plate acquires an unnatural color, such as purple, yellow or black;
- nails change shape, become flat or convex, tubercles are formed on them.
But peeling nails is a symptom of an advanced stage of the disease. The nails separate from the skin, forming so -called pockets where pathogenic bacteria accumulate and actively multiply. Often this manifests itself after contact with warm water - when you bathe, shower, swim in the pool, steam bath. After the feet are dry, the plate can again stick to the skin.
Sometimes the same symptoms can occur in someone who does not have the fungus. Nails can turn black, flake off, and then fall off completely due to mechanical damage. The death process begins a week or two after you injure your toes or just wear tight and inappropriate shoes.
As a rule, after six months, a new and healthy nail plate grows. To determine if it is a fungus or just the result of an injury, a qualified dermatologist or surgeon can.
These symptoms are also accompanied by an unpleasant odor, which is created by pathogenic bacteria. Someone with toenail fungus stinks in socks and shoes, and regular hygiene procedures cannot eliminate these symptoms. In this situation, complex treatment is required, otherwise a person may lose the nail plate.
Treatment of onychomycosis
One can recognize the first symptoms of the disease itself. But even if you are sure that you have symptoms of nail fungus, you should seek the advice of a qualified doctor, otherwise the treatment may not bring the desired result. The specialist will help identify the disease, determine its stage and recommend the necessary treatment.
First of all, it is necessary to eliminate the causes that caused the disease to begin:
- humid and warm environment. Wear socks, tights and shoes made only of natural materials. After each visit to the street, dry your shoes, change socks, do not let your feet remain damp for a long time;
- do not wear other people's shoes, when visiting public places - swimming pools, saunas, beaches - use personal replacement shoes, which after each use are disinfected with chlorine or alcohol;
- weakened immunity. Often the disease occurs against the background of weakened immunity, lack of useful nutrients in the body, frequent colds. After consulting your doctor, you should take a complex of vitamins and minerals that will strengthen the immune system and, thus, help in treatment.
Traditional treatment
Local treatment of onychomycosis in the early stages consists of using antifungal creams and ointments. These funds are usually sold together with a special waterproof patch.
Using a dispenser, the drug is applied to the affected nail plate, fixed with a plaster and left for 24 hours. Patches cannot be removed during this period.
After a day, the patch should be removed, lower the foot into a warm soap-soda solution and remove dead tissue with a pedicure nail file.
After the affected area on the nail plate on the foot is removed, the product must be applied on the nail bed. The duration of such treatment is until healthy plate growth.
In the first stage of the disease, only with the onset of the first symptoms, special antifungal varnishes can be used. Apply this varnish once or twice a week throughout the year.
However, if such therapy does not help and the fungus is already at a different stage, a more effective medication is needed. In this case, general action antimycotics are required. They can also be combined with antifungal varnish. The course of treatment with systemic drugs is prescribed by the doctor individually, depending on the degree of onychomycosis that the patient has.
Such funds have some limitations - kidney and liver disease, pregnancy, lactation period. You should also not combine it with oral contraceptives.
Despite the fact that toenail fungus is a disease that is not harmful to human life, in the absence of necessary therapy, it can cause allergic reactions, reduce immunity and the occurrence of various skin diseases. That is why the treatment of this disease should not be delayed until later, you must immediately seek help from a specialist.