It's no secret that modern people are at risk of getting infected with onychomycosis every day. The toenail and toenail fungus is very insidious and can be caught anywhere. But many do not know how to recognize it and how to remove it. The infection occurs by getting a fragment of the patient's skin or nail plate. Since you will notice the first signs of toenail fungus only after a long time, identifying the source itself is not an easy task. In this situation, self-medication is not recommended, it is better to immediately discuss the symptoms and treatment with a dermatologist, otherwise irreversible processes may begin.
One of the most common infectious diseases is fungus under the nails and on the fingers, the development of which is caused by epidermophytes (microorganisms). It can be recognized by the presence of obsessive itching sensations, as well as the deformation of the nail. It acquires a yellowish tint and characteristic spots with scales on the surface.
Some people are frightened at the very thought of this disease. At the first demonstrations, they dig up a lot of literature and, panicked, run to the hospital for explanations. After all, they worry about:
- How to get rid of nail fungus?
- Why is nail fungus dangerous?
- Will it be necessary to remove my nail in case of yeast infection?
- What to do if nail mold appears?
In this article, we will try to answer the questions asked. Treatment of nail onychomycosis is long term and requires a competent and responsible approach.
Frivolity and irregular use of pharmaceutical preparations will lead to a lack of proper results. Therefore, drug treatment of the fungus should be carried out strictly according to the course prescribed by the specialist.
The treatment regimen for nail fungus detected on your feet should include topical treatment of the affected areas and taking medication by mouth (by swallowing).
The main routes and causes of infection
Close communication with a fungus wearer or contact with their shoes is a direct route to infection and subsequent treatment of nail fungus, which always comes with questions: how to beat nail fungus and what are themost effective remedies for nail fungus. In addition, a similar nuisance can occur in crowded places, which is extremely convenient for successful life and the spread of pests, here the fungus appears very quickly. These include various sports complexes, swimming pools, saunas. But most often, colonization of the fungus on the feet occurs in lovers of tight and closed shoe models, as well as in people with excessive sweating. Doctors say that most types of fungi prefer moist conditions with a neutral, slightly alkaline environment.
In some cases, nail fungus appears after the next visit to the beauty salon where you performed the pedicure procedure. This can happen due to the careless attitude of salon masters to their duties, from which they do not follow the elementary rules of processing the tool used.
The appearance of fungus under the nails in childhood is an uncommon phenomenon; adult men and women are more sensitive to it. This fact is explained by a decrease in the body's defenses and a deviation of the skin's pH from the norm due to increasing age. The reasons why nail fungus appears on the feet may be different. But most often the fungus of the toenails manifests itself against the background of the following deviations:
- Problems in the work of the gastrointestinal tract;
- Thyroid disorders;
- Endocrinological diseases;
- Adrenal dysfunction.
People who are addicted to tobacco products and alcoholic beverages are also at risk of becoming owners of nail fungus. How to identify toenail fungus? It is very simple. Signs of toenail fungus are a change in color to brown, white, yellowish, or other shades. Its color will be influenced by a specific pathogen, it can be a yeast, a mold or a dermatophyte.
The nail plate will become brittle and start to crumble, and then it will keratinize. After a while you will see for yourself how nail fungus manifests itself. Growths will appear, as they are neglected, they will increase in size and interfere with therapy. Unfortunately, at the first stage, many do not even know about the presence of the disease, the symptoms of the fungus on the toenails are not expressed. But later, it quickly destroys the nail plaque, and neglected nail fungus already requires complex treatment.
Preventive measures for onychomycosis infection
You should know that all fungi are extracellular parasites, which are distinguished by their special vitality. Their spores can withstand extremely low and high temperatures (-60 ° C - + 100 ° C), many of them are not afraid to use chemicals when carrying out home disinfection measures. As mentioned above, foot infections (the most common toenail fungus) can occur anywhere, but the easiest way to get them from limbs is to have them come from family members. with onychomycosis who have nail fungus. Transmission of dermatophytes occurs through sharing household items, but there are many other ways to get the fungus as well.
The prevention of toenail fungus involves a number of simple conditions:
- Only use your own shoes;
- If the shoes are wet, they should be dried and put back on only afterwards;
- Remove porous textured floor mats from the bathroom;
- Change socks regularly for clean socks;
- After bathing, dry your feet, paying special attention to the area between the toes;
- Use therapeutic and prophylactic antifungal drugs for the treatment of nails after water procedures;
- Use personal hygiene products (scissors, files);
- Avoid conditions of increased sweating and dryness, which lead to untimely treatment of various injuries to the feet (cracks, abrasions, calluses);
- Increase the body's defenses.
As for public places, to avoid catching the fungus on the nail, try wearing flip-flops on the beaches, and closed-toe shoes in swimming pools.
When someone who lives with you in the same apartment has started treating the emerging nail fungus on their feet, in order to prevent the infection from spreading, be sure to clean the bathroom after that. To combat the spores, you can use, for example, chloramine in equal proportions with the detergent. After application, the mixture is left for 30 minutes, then removed.
There are many reasons for the appearance of the fungus, and you need to get rid of it by all means. The treatment of toenail fungus also includes special treatment of the patient's laundry, including socks. They can be boiled for about twenty minutes in a 2% solution of soda and soap, then ironed. It is recommended to regularly treat the pedicure scissors with alcohol.
The main symptoms of onychomycosis on the legs
How to recognize toenail fungus? In this situation, at the initial stage of infection, a person faces excessive dryness and characteristic peeling of the feet, which may be accompanied by severe itching and discoloration of the skin to reddish. In practice, the symptoms of nail fungus differ in a wide variety, typical of each specific case.
The development of the disease may begin with an inconspicuous peeling in the folds between the fingers. If there is a lot of sweating, a diaper rash appears. Sometimes small, very itchy blisters are added to the above. The color and shape of the nails change. Parasitic spores tend to penetrate deeper, while forming a yellowish spot with streaks on the nail. You can also recognize toenail fungus by brittle and cracked nail plates, a vacuum forms under them.
It is very important to treat onychomycosis of the nails, because with an especially severe course of the disease, the body temperature can rise, and any movement is also difficult.
If you have nail fungus that itches, cracks, and dries, start treatment immediately.
Get help from a dermatologist, he knows what a fungus is and how to accurately determine nail fungus, and will also tell you the best all-round treatment. Sometimes at the very beginning it is enough to use various antifungal sprays, powders or gels for the feet, however, when you observe the fungus under the nail, it is already bad.
Not everyone knows that the concomitant diseases of yeast infection are eczema and psoriasis, which are even more difficult to eliminate. Therefore, if you still doubt the value and the possibility of curing nail fungus, remember these two terrible ailments, the consequences of which are more serious.
Treatment of onychomycosis
Today, experts will tell you how to cure nail fungus quickly and how to treat it correctly at home. For this there are various modern drugs. They should be consumed according to the dosage and regularly. Recently, the pulse therapy method has proved to be excellent for the treatment of nail fungus. Treatment of the disease takes place in a short time with the use of antifungal agents in shock doses, while side effects are minimized. It is characterized by fairly long breaks between lessons. Pulse therapy is used for critical conditions, when you no longer know how or how to get rid of nail fungus.
In addition, a dermatologist will give advice on how to treat onychomycosis with the help of various films, varnish coatings or special ointments, based on fungicidal agents. He will prescribe competent treatment, even if the nail fungus has already passed from the big toe to others. But, unfortunately, drugs do not always solve the problem, and the question of how to treat nail fungus remains. Indeed, to achieve the desired effect and make the treatment of the nails fast, it is necessary to first identify the type of pathogen and the extent of its spread. The test results obtained are guaranteed to tell you how to treat nail fungus. And only after that you should start buying expensive drugs.
Sometimes it happens that you have to remove the nail surgically. Don't worry, the removed nail plate will grow back after a while. And this procedure is absolutely painless.
Antifungal agents
To destroy the fungal pathogen, you need to use special tablets and topical agents, gels and varnishes, drugs to remove the affected nail plate. The most suitable medication will be recommended by a specialist.
Folk recipes
For lovers of traditional medicine, there are also a large number of effective methods and recipes that have been proven over the years. If you're still thinking about how to treat toenail fungus, try a few.
Celandine treatment
Celandine is a common plant with a rich set of medicinal properties. In addition to useful substances, it also contains toxic substances. They are necessary for the treatment of parasitic infections because they quickly kill harmful microorganisms. You can use herbal remedies in different ways:
- Fresh juice. After picking celandine, it is necessary to immediately treat the affected skin and nail plates with juice. Let it dry for about five minutes and repeat the procedure. This should be done at least three times.
- Butter. Celandine oil treatment is carried out by applying it to the infected areas 1-2 times a day until a state of complete remission. Do not be surprised if the surface of the nail turns reddish - this is completely normal.
- Processing fee. We need: oregano juice, celandine juice and calendula tincture (2: 5: 2). All this is mixed with a small amount of boiled water and applied to the nail plates 3-4 times a day.
Now you know how to recognize nail fungus and how an insidious infection begins. We really hope that our article will be useful for you and help you quickly cope with this disease. Remember that the faster we treat the identified disease, the more effective the expected result. In addition, the correct approach to the treatment process will save you a lot of precious time and "won't steal a pretty penny".
To be in a good health!