The fungus is an infectious disease and most often affects the nails or skin of the legs. You can get infected very easily, the danger lies almost everywhere. Since the fungus is essentially an infection, it lives mainly in public places. To exclude the possibility of infection, it is important to know how the pathology is transmitted to humans.
How infection occurs
The disease always originates due to a humid environment. The main reason will be the constant sweating of the legs.Statistics show that a large accumulation of parasites is observed in public places, such as saunas, baths, swimming pools, and so on.It is impossible to destroy the causative agent of infection by drying shoes or feet.
Asking the question of how infectious the fungus is, it can be argued that the pathology passes quite easily from person to person. It is almost impossible to insure against such diseases. Many pathogens are found in public places where people walk barefoot. This means that if a healthy person steps with his bare foot on the surface where the infected person previously stood, in the presence of provoking factors, the disease will immediately begin to progress.
The fungus has a high resistance to various destructive factors, so it remains on surfaces for a long time. On the beaches, the fungus is much less common, since salt water destroys the pathogen, however, the risk of infection still remains. Remember to always wear only your indoor slippers, socks and shoes.
The first signs of nail fungus and its symptoms
Mycosis of the feet is always in the developmental stage, so the first signs of toenail fungus can be seen even in the early stages, if you are attentive to the state of your body.Different stages of the fungus differ in their characteristics. If the first stages of the disease can still be skipped due to inattention to oneself, then the latter will clearly make themselves felt. Consider the symptoms that appear in the early stages:
- small dots appear on a healthy nail, which differ in their shade from the rest of the plate;
- over time, such points begin to grow and turn into white spots and stripes;
- later the spots become large, and the nail plate loses its luster;
- the plate acquires a yellow tint, sometimes it changes to blue or green.
How to determine the pathology at home
If the nail changes its color, becomes loose, this does not necessarily mean that it was the fungus that struck it.How does toenail fungus start? To determine a fungal infection at home, iodine and potassium permanganate are used.
- Potassium permanganate.This procedure is quite simple and does not require much free time. Pour warm water into a bowl and add potassium permanganate to make the solution weak. Lower your legs into the pelvis and wait 10 minutes. At this time, healthy nail plates will turn brown, and those affected by the fungus will remain unchanged.
- Iodine.Unfortunately, this tool does not determine that there is a fungus pathogen on the legs. But iodine will indicate the exclusion of other types of fungi, including pityriasis versicolor. If redness, peeling, etc. are visible around the nail, treat this place with iodine. Healthy tissue will not darken much, but the affected tissue will acquire a rather dark shade.
Treatment
The treatment of foot fungus begins with its diagnosis. First, the dermatologist conducts a visual examination, and then prescribes laboratory tests.Do not forget that it is impossible to stop treatment after the first improvements, because the fungi are very resistant, so the disease develops again.
Local therapy
Creams, ointments, lotions, sprays, medicinal varnishes are used as local preparations. Such drugs relieve symptoms well and destroy superficial foci. Means are actively used in childhood, during pregnancy, as they are absolutely safe. Local therapy is especially effective in the early stages of pathology.
Medicines
Taking medication adds to the effectiveness of topical fungus treatment. Tablets penetrate the bloodstream and kill the fungus from the inside of the body.But this method has a number of significant drawbacks.Firstly, drugs have a number of contraindications, and secondly, they have side effects. It is not possible to take such medicines in all cases. However, funds are the only solution that will help in advanced cases. To increase the effectiveness of treatment, local remedies, drugs and traditional medicine are simultaneously used.
laser treatment
Laser therapy is becoming more and more popular.The technique has realized itself recently, and its effectiveness has already been proven.Laser therapy has the following benefits:
- The treatment is safe, the beam treats only the affected tissue. After the event, only healthy tissues remain.
- The procedure is painless and is well tolerated by patients.
- Improvement is noticeable after the first session.
- About 4 procedures are enough to achieve a positive result.
The use of a laser frees the patient from taking harmful drugs and a long course of treatment.
Surgery
In some cases, complete removal of the affected nail is required.Surgery is performed to completely stop the further spread of the infection. This procedure can increase the effectiveness of the use of local funds. Nail removal can be carried out using special formulations. It is important for a specialist to be careful. So that such a substance does not get on the skin, otherwise it will cause a chemical burn.
Keratolytic patches may help in removing the nail plate. Such a tool will soften the nail well, for easy removal. Plasters are used with greater popularity, as they have a dense texture. So the doctor reduces the likelihood of substances getting on the skin. The patch softens the nail in 2 days, other products last 4 days.
Therapy of the neglected form
With the advanced stage of toenail fungus, you should not despair, it is enough to follow the following rules:
- Determine and remove the cause of the infection.
- Constantly disinfect shoes or even change all pairs. Buy anti-fungal shoe sprays.
- Update socks.
- Pass all the necessary tests and follow the prescribed treatment regimen by a dermatologist.
- Observe all dietary restrictions.
Therapy at this stage should be carried out in a complex mode. In addition to local remedies, they connect effective medicines that act on the fungus from the inside, and also use traditional medicine. With the latter, you need to be careful and take into account the existing allergic reactions to one or another component.
Varieties of forms of mycosis
Foot fungus is divided into several types, which depend on the pathogen. Among these types it is worth noting:
- Rubromycosis.Symptoms of this type are peeling of the skin, its dryness, excessive sweating, cracked and broken nails.
- Epidermophytosis.The fungus destroys the nail by destroying the keratin in it. This type of fungus is very difficult to cure, it is resistant to low temperatures, antiseptics, drying and other manipulations. For a long time, the fungus is capable of reproduction. Signs of this form are reddening of the skin, severe itching, its peeling, the base of the nail exfoliates.
- Candidiasis.The disease is caused by several types of fungus. The nail plates on the 3rd and 4th fingers are affected. The initial stage is characterized by mild inflammation. After that, edema is connected, a change in shape and thickness leads to the fact that the cuticle begins to be torn off. After such processes, the fungus enters the bed itself and spreads over the entire area of \u200b\u200bthe nail. In this case, the development of onycholysis begins.
Disease prevention
Doctors and scientists say that there are about one and a half million species of mushrooms in the world. Only half of them have been studied, while the selection of treatment for them is quite complicated.The ideal solution would be only laser therapy, which will favorably affect any type of fungus.
To prevent infection with this unpleasant disease, it is important to follow the rules of prevention. Measures to prevent pathology are quite difficult, but do not require financial costs. There are 2 main ways to protect yourself from toe fungus:
- personal hygiene and caution in public places;
- prevention with the help of special medicines.
If you like to visit common places such as baths, saunas or swimming pools, be sure to thoroughly wash your feet when you get home.Additionally, dry your feet, as the fungus is very tenacious, and especially it loves a humid environment. Buy socks only made of cotton fabric. This material absorbs moisture well, which is released when the feet begin to sweat. When feet in closed shoes sweat a lot, ventilate them periodically if possible.
If you go to the store to buy shoes, take your own footprint or sock from home, do not try on shoes on a bare foot or use public footprints. Get regular foot care like pedicures and other treatments. Do not use shared hygiene items. You must bring your own foot towel. Well, if someone in your house has become infected with a foot fungus, avoid contact with it in every possible way, allocate individual household items to the patient.