It is no secret that modern people are at risk of contracting onychomycosis every day. Toenail fungus and toenails are very insidious and can be caught anywhere. But many have no idea how to recognize it and how to withdraw it. Infection occurs by obtaining a fragment of the skin or nail plate from the patient. 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.
Fungus under the nails and on the fingers is one of the most common infectious diseases, the development of which is provoked by epidermophytes (microorganisms). It can be recognized by the presence of obsessive itching, as well as deformity of the toenail. Acquires a yellowish tinge and characteristic spots with scales on the surface.
Some people are scared just at the thought of this disease. At the first signs, they dug up a lot of literature and fled to the hospital in panic for explanations. After all, they worry about:
- How to get rid of toenail fungus?
- Why are toenail fungus dangerous?
- Will I have to remove my toenail in case of fungus?
- What to do if nail mold appears on the nails?
In this article we will try to answer the questions. The treatment of nail onychomycosis is long-term and requires a competent, responsible approach.
Recklessness and irregular use of pharmaceuticals will lead to a lack of appropriate results. Therefore, drug treatment of the fungus should be carried out strictly in accordance with the course prescribed by the specialist.
The treatment regimen for fungus on your toenails should include topical treatment of the affected areas and oral medication (by ingestion).
The main ways and causes of infection
Close communication with a mycosis carrier or contact with his shoes is a direct path to infection and subsequent treatment of toenail fungus, which is always accompanied by questions: how to beat toenail fungus and what are the most effective means oftreatment of toenail fungus. Also, such trouble can occur in crowded places, which are extremely convenient for the successful life and spread of parasites, here the fungus appears very quickly. They include various sports complexes, swimming pools, saunas. But most often the colonization of the fungus on the feet occurs in lovers of tight, closed models of shoes, as well as in people suffering from excessive sweating. Doctors say that most types of mushrooms prefer humid conditions with a neutral and slightly alkaline environment.
In some cases, toenail fungus appears after the next visit to the beauty salon where you performed the pedicure procedure. This can happen due to the negligent attitude of the masters of the salons to their duties, from which they do not follow the basic rules for processing the tool used.
The appearance of fungus under the nails in childhood is rare; older men and women are more susceptible to it. This fact is explained by a decrease in the body's defenses and the deviation of skin pH from normal due to increasing age. The reasons why nail fungus appears on the feet can be different. But most often mycosis of the toenails occurs against the background of the following deviations:
- Problems in the work of the gastrointestinal tract;
- Thyroid disorders;
- Endocrinological diseases;
- Adrenal dysfunction.
People addicted to tobacco and alcohol are also at risk of becoming nail fungus owners. How to identify toenail fungus? It's very simple. Signs of toenail fungus are a change in color to brown, white, yellowish or other shades. Its color will be affected by a specific pathogen, it can be yeast, mold or dermatophyte.
The nail plate will become brittle and begin to crumble, after which it becomes keratinized. After a while you will see for yourself how the toenail fungus manifests itself. Growths will occur as they are ignored, increase in size and interfere with therapy. Unfortunately, in the first stage many do not even know about the presence of the disease, the symptoms of toenail fungus are not pronounced. But then it quickly destroys the nail plate and the neglected mycosis of your toenails now requires complex treatment.
Preventive measures for onychomycosis infection
You should know that all kinds of fungi are extracellular parasites that are characterized 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 disinfection measures at home. As mentioned above, foot infections (the most common toenail fungus) can occur anywhere, but the easiest way to get it on the limbs is from family members with onychomycosis who have nail fungus. on the legs. Transmission of dermatophytes is done by sharing household items, but there are many other ways to get the fungus.
Prevention of toenail fungus involves a number of simple conditions:
- Use only your own shoes;
- If the shoes get wet, they must be dried and only then put on again;
- Remove the porous textures from the porous texture from the bathroom;
- Change your socks regularly for clean ones;
- After bathing, wipe your feet dry, while paying special attention to the area between the toes;
- Use therapeutic and prophylactic antifungal drugs to treat toenails after water treatments;
- Use personal hygiene products (scissors, files);
- Avoid conditions of increased sweating and dryness, which leads to untimely treatment of various injuries to the legs (cracks, abrasions, calluses);
- Increase the body's defenses.
As for public places, to avoid getting toenail fungus, try wearing flip-flops on the beaches and indoor shoes in the pools.
When someone who lives with you in an apartment begins to treat the emerging fungus on their toenails to avoid the spread of infection, be sure to clean the bathroom after it. To fight spores, you can use, for example, chloramine in equal proportions with 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 in any way. Treatment of toenail mycosis also involves special treatment of the patient's underwear, including socks. They can be boiled for about twenty minutes in a 2% solution of baking soda and soap, then ironed. It is recommended to regularly treat pedicure scissors with alcohol.
The main symptoms of onychomycosis of the feet
How to recognize toenail fungus? In this situation, in the initial stage of the infection, a person faces excessive dryness and characteristic peeling of the feet, which can be accompanied by severe itching and discoloration of the skin to redness. In practice, the symptoms of nail fungus vary in great variety, specific to each case.
The development of the disease can begin with unobtrusive peeling in the folds between the fingers. If there is a lot of sweating, a diaper rash appears. Sometimes very itchy little blisters are added to the above. The color and shape of the toenails change. Parasitic spores tend to penetrate deeper, while forming a yellowish spot with streaks on the nail. You can also recognize nail fungus on brittle and cracked nail plates, a gap is formed under them.
It is very important to treat onychomycosis of the nails, because in a particularly severe course of the disease, the body temperature can rise and any movement is also difficult.
If you have toenail fungus that is itchy, cracked and dry, start treatment immediately.
Seek help from a dermatologist, he knows what a fungus is and how exactly to identify nail fungus, and will also tell you the best overall treatment. Sometimes it is enough to use various antifungal sprays, powders or gels for the feet at the very beginning, but when you observe the fungus under the nail, it is already serious.
Not everyone knows that the concomitant diseases of mycoses are eczema and psoriasis, which are even more difficult to eliminate. Therefore, if you still doubt whether it is worth it and whether it is possible to cure nail fungus, do not forget these two terrible diseases, the consequences of which are more severe.
Treatment of onychomycosis
Today, experts will tell you how to quickly cure toenail fungus and how to treat it properly at home. There are various modern medicines for this. They should be consumed in accordance with the dosage and regularly. Recently, the method of pulse therapy has proven to be excellent for the treatment of toenail fungus. The treatment of the disease is carried out for a short time with the use of antifungal drugs in shock doses, while the side effects are minimized. It is characterized by quite long breaks between courses. Pulse therapy is used in critical conditions when you no longer know how and how to get rid of nail fungus.
Also, a dermatologist will give advice on how to treat onychomycosis using various films, varnishes or special ointments based on fungicidal agents. He will prescribe competent treatment, even if the nail fungus has already moved from the big toe to others. But, unfortunately, drugs do not always solve the problem and the question of how to deal with toenail fungus remains relevant. In fact, in order to achieve the desired effect and make the nail treatment fast, it is necessary to first identify the type of pathogen and the extent of its spread. The test results are guaranteed to tell you how to treat toenail fungus. And only then should you start buying expensive drugs.
Sometimes it happens that you have to remove the nail surgically. Don't worry, the removed nail plate will grow after a while. And this procedure is absolutely painless.
Antifungals
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 appropriate medicine will be recommended by a specialist.
Folk recipes
For lovers of traditional medicine there are a large number of effective methods and recipes proven over the years. If you are still thinking about how to treat toenail fungus, try some of them.
Celery treatment
Celery is a common herb with a rich set of healing properties. In addition to useful substances, it also contains poisonous. They are needed to treat parasitic infections as they quickly eliminate harmful microorganisms. You can use medicinal herbs in different ways:
- Fresh juice. After plucking the celandine, it is necessary to immediately treat the affected skin and nail plates with juice. Allow to dry for about five minutes and repeat the procedure. This should be done at least three times.
- Butter. The treatment with celandine oil is performed by applying on the infected areas 1-2 times a day until a state of complete remission. Do not be surprised if the surface of the nails becomes reddish in color - this is absolutely normal.
- Treatment 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 to start an insidious infection. We really hope that our article will be useful to you and will help you quickly deal with this disease. Remember that the faster we treat the disease, the more effective the expected result. In addition, the right approach to the treatment process will save you a lot of valuable time and "not to fly a penny. "
Be healthy!