The opinion that fungal nail infections are not dangerous to human health is quite widespread among people.Onychomycosis (fungal infection of the nails) accompanies many people for a significant part of their lives, often remaining unnoticed due to the absence of acute symptoms.But that doesn't make treatment any less important for these patients.Also, everyone should imagine what the nails affected by the fungus look like in order to independently diagnose the pathology.
Infection by fungal microorganisms
Fungal infection can occur in situations completely familiar to humans.In most cases, everyone doesn't even realize how they expose themselves to the risk of infection.The causes of toenail infections mainly include the following:
- Wearing someone else's shoes, especially on feet without socks or tights.
- Visit saunas, baths and swimming pools without individual slippers (slate).
- I seek the services of a pedicurist in salons that have questionable quality of work.
- Use someone else's files and scissors to process your nails.
- Using other people's wipes and towels.
In addition to the direct causes of onychomycosis, there are factors that contribute to facilitating the infection:
- Constantly wear old socks, stockings, tights.
- Wear closed shoes in hot weather, which predispose the feet to sweating (and this is conducive to the proliferation of fungal microorganisms).
- Neglect to constantly wash your feet with soap, especially in summer after wearing open shoes.
- Buy shoes made from artificial materials.
- Fur around the toenails, cracks and calluses on the soles of the feet.
What do fungal toenails look like
Nail changes develop slowly, progress continuously without antifungal therapy, and can lead to complete detachment of the nail plate, which is known to be irreversible.At different stages of the progression of onychomycosis, all its clinical manifestations have varying degrees of severity.Changes in the nails are also individual, but in general a number of common signs can be identified:
- Changing the color of nails to brown, yellow, white, greenish and their shades, combinations with each other.
- The appearance of brittle nails, their separation.
- The edge of the nail plate crumbles more.
- The appearance of hangnails, cracks and peeling on the skin near the nail, in the spaces between the fingers.
- Increase or decrease in the thickness of the nail (however, in some cases the thickness remains unchanged).
Nail fungus treatment
It is recommended to begin all therapeutic measures aimed at eliminating onychomycosis on the leg when the first suspicious signs of the disease are identified.
What to treat, what kind of drugs and how they will be used determines the stage of development of the disease and the extent of damage to the nails.
In general, there are two options for taking antifungal drugs: local (topical) and general (systemic).Local products are gels, ointments, creams, solutions and sprays to be applied to the skin and nails.Systemic therapy consists of intravenous infusion of drugs and their intake orally (by mouth, that is, "through the mouth") in the form of tablets or capsules.
These options can be used not only in isolation, but also in combination with each other.Furthermore, mechanical removal of the infected tissue is envisaged, but only in case of advanced fungal damage.
Topical antifungal drugs
- Solutions for external use.They should be applied twice a day to the affected areas with a brush.Before application it is recommended to wash the areas with soapy water and dry.After applying the solution, cover the area with an aseptic dressing."
- Antifungal ointments and creams are applied in a thin layer to the affected area once or twice a day.
Mechanical removal
Most patients believe that when it comes to this type of treatment, the nail will definitely be removed completely.Fortunately, only in the advanced stages of the disease (the fungus has affected most of the tissues) is this resorted to.In other cases, they may use pedicure tools to remove part of the tissue, i.e. those affected by microorganisms.
Surgery to remove the nail plate under local anesthesia has existed for a long time.In it, the entire nail is removed immediately and is first separated from its bed with scissors, and then “pulled out” with wire cutters.But such an operation damages the nail matrix, that is, the basis of its regeneration, which leads to the improper growth of new tissues and their frequent growth into soft tissues.
Now there is an option to cure the fungus using laser removal of the infected nail plate.The laser does not touch healthy tissues and destroys only fungal cells located even in the deep layers of the nail, avoiding deformation of the plaque.
In addition, there is a method of hardware removal, in which the nail is removed layer by layer using devices with cutters of various sizes.The procedure is performed once a week or every two weeks.Repeat this process until the affected layers of the nail are completely removed.
Prevention of onychomycosis
Preventing infection with fungi pathogenic to humans is not so difficult for any patient.You just need to be more careful about your lifestyle and remember about such a disease as onychomycosis.Here is a list of basic measures to prevent foot fungus:
- Don't wear, much less wear, someone else's shoes.
- Use only your own socks and tights, remembering to wash them regularly.
- Get your own pedicure kit.
- Use the services of a pedicurist only in proven and "high-quality" places of service.
- Remember to bring and wear flip flops or slippers in public bathing areas.
Everyone should remember that onychomycosis is far from a harmless disease, which can even deprive you of the nail plate or be complicated by a serious condition called "fungal sepsis" (blood poisoning).
Today, all the effective treatment regimens for fungus on toenails have been developed;just consult a dermatologist in time and identify the presence of pathogenic microorganisms.