If the nail plate is affected by fungus, this will obviously not decorate the toenails.But every five people will experience this disease at least once in their lives.Nails become discolored, thickened, and chipped.Symptoms of a fungal infection may disappear without prompt treatment.
When the immune system is weakened, fungus on the nails can spread to the skin of the feet.In some cases, the fungus can spread through the blood and cause damage to internal organs.Fungal infections are a common cause of allergies and the exacerbation of many diseases, such as bronchial asthma.Sick people are dangerous to others, especially children.
Treating a fungal nail infection is not an easy task.Patients require perseverance and accuracy.Although this disease may not appear serious on the surface, it is important to recognize foot fungus promptly and ensure it is treated.
Causes of fungal nail infection
Fungi that cause nail diseases are normal inhabitants of the environment.But under certain conditions, fungal mycelium can begin to develop in human skin or nails.Onychomycosis is a type of nail fungus that is several times more likely to occur on the feet than on the hands.This is because feet are more susceptible to injury and come into contact with contaminated surfaces more.Nail fungus appears on the toes and hands in the same way.
You can get fungal infections in public areas where people walk barefoot.These are beaches, swimming pools, baths, saunas, gyms, showers.Skin grafts containing fungal spores detach from the patient's legs.The spores are very resilient and can survive for years.Fungi are particularly fond of moist environments and wooden surfaces.
When it comes into contact with the skin of a healthy person, the spores become activated and begin to multiply.The feet are usually affected first.The infection can then spread to the toenails and hands.The sick person in turn becomes a source of infection for family members, especially children.
In a family, one parent and children are more likely to develop the disease than both spouses.The reason for this lies in genetic predisposition.
Signs and types of disease
Toenail disease is not difficult to recognize; its symptoms are obvious.The disease is divided into three forms based on the appearance of the affected nails: normotrophic, hypertrophic, and atrophic.
| Lesion form | signs of disease |
|---|---|
| Nutrition is normal. | Nails retain their color and strength.Symptoms of the disease are limited to spots on the nail surface. |
| Thick. | Nails thicken, become opaque, and become loose.Over time, it changes shape and looks like a "bird's claw."This phenomenon is called Grphosis. |
| shrink. | Destroy toenails.Nails become dull, crumbled, and the nail bed is exposed.Over time, the deck can completely collapse. |
At the site where the infection penetrates the nail, distal lateral onychomycosis, proximal onychomycosis, panonychia, and superficial onychomycosis can be distinguished.Distal-lateral onychomycosis is the most common.This is an option when the infection enters the nail from the free end and affects the free edge of the nail as well as the nail folding into the right and left sides of the nail bed.In the proximal version, the growing part of the nail opposite the free edge is affected.In the superficial version, the fungus affects the entire surface of the nail plate from the outside.It looks like fine white powder spread over the surface of the nail.Total variation is the result of any form when the fungus spreads and the entire nail is completely affected.
The first signs of this disease appear on the feet, as this is where the infection occurs.The skin on your feet may peel, become red between the toes, and may become itchy.The first sign of damaged nails: spots on the nail plate.These spots may be white, yellow, or bluish-black, which is typical of mold.Later, the fungus penetrates deeper and the affected nail looks dull, thickened, or crumbled.The adjacent nail plate is affected.
To accurately determine the cause of the disease, a microscopic examination of nail scrapings is required.Some laboratories have the opportunity to inoculate this material onto nutrient media to grow and study fungal cultures.
How does treatment work?
Treatment of fungal infections should begin as soon as the first symptoms of the disease are noticed.At the same time, treatment cannot be started until the cause of the disease is confirmed to be fungal.You shouldn’t be subjecting your body to expensive and harmful treatments like this!
Treatment of fungal infections includes many measures:
- Remove the affected nail;
- taking antifungal medications;
- Treat nail beds with topical medications;
- Additional treatments: laser irradiation, physiotherapy, vascular preparations.
When the nail plate becomes thicker and the medication is unable to penetrate the subungual layer, nail removal treatment is needed.You can use a special patch to remove the affected nail.The patient can perform this removal independently.Special bumps are applied to the nail plate, fixed with a plaster and removed after two days.The nail plate can be removed by scraping off layer by layer.
However, surgical removal of the nail has proven to be more effective.The surgeon removes the nail under local anesthesia.The deck can usually be removed using clamps.Removing the nails can significantly improve the effectiveness of the treatment.
Treatment with antifungal drugs lasts 3-6 months.For topical treatment of the subungual area, pharmacies have various types of preparations, including varnishes, sprays and lotions.It is best to choose a drug that has the same active ingredient as the one the patient takes orally.Physical therapy and vascular medications complement treatment.All of these measures increase the blood supply to the feet and increase the delivery of medication to the site of the fungal infection.
Even if all symptoms disappear, control examinations are required 2 and 4 months after completion of treatment to determine if there has been a recurrence.
The reasons why treatment doesn't work can vary.Perhaps the fungus is not sensitive to the drugs used to treat it.Sometimes a person does not fully follow medical advice.Reinfection is possible.
Onychomycosis of children's feet
The risk of infection in children is mainly related to fungal infections in adults in the family.Children often become infected in swimming pools.Children's immune defenses have not yet developed, so children are at higher risk of infection than adults.At the same time, the regeneration process proceeds more quickly in children.Therefore, the nail grows back faster than the fungus can spread on the nail, and the child may not develop the disease.
In children, the symptoms of the disease are no different from those in adults, and the principles of treatment are the same.As in adults, the first symptoms of the disease appear on the skin of the feet: itching, peeling, dampness in the spaces between the toes.Only then will the infection spread to the toenails.
Treatment for children is gentle.For children, only topical treatments are available, not tablets that are safe for young children.
To prevent other family members from being infected by the sick child, special measures must be taken.Shoes and toys should be treated with antiseptic, and bedding should be ironed with a hot iron.
Fungus in a breastfeeding woman's body can be dangerous to the baby.But treatment in this case can only be topical, since antifungal drugs penetrate into the milk during breastfeeding.This is harmful to children.Women can complete the entire course of treatment while weaning their baby.
Prevent foot fungal infections
Fungal reinfections are often caused by a lack of disease prevention.Preventing onychomycosis includes the following measures.
- Wear comfortable shoes made of natural materials, especially during hot seasons.
- Change socks, stockings, and tights every day.They should be washed daily and, if possible, ironed.
- In the swimming pool and sauna, be sure to wear slippers and do not walk barefoot.
- Never walk in someone else’s shoes – this is especially important with children.
- All pedicure tools and pedicure towels must be separate.
If there is an onychomycosis patient in the family, targeted measures should be taken to prevent infection in other family members.For this, the patient must use topical antifungals: varnish, cream, spray.They help prevent the spread of spores as a cause of infection.
The patient's shoes and insoles need to be treated.Each pair of shoes must be wiped down inside and out with disinfectant.Can be 25% formaldehyde or 40% plain acetic acid solution.There is a specialized spray that can be used to treat shoes against fungus.After you've polished your shoes, insert a tampon inside and wrap the shoes in a plastic bag for a day.Each pair of shoes then needs to be wiped down with ammonia and ventilated.
Patients should choose socks and tights made of natural materials.Each time you clean it, you need to boil it with soap and soda for 20 minutes.A soap-soda solution is prepared as follows: dilute 50 g of detergent in 10 liters of water and add 200 g of soda.
Prevention prevents family members from getting sick and the patient himself from getting infected again.