Nail fungus is one of the most common dermatological diseases. A fungal infection affects the nail plate, nail bed and surrounding skin. Although the hands can also be affected by the infection, mycosis is most often found on the toes. An invisible pathogen is transmitted on the feet through wet surfaces or through the air in bathrooms, saunas, swimming pools, gyms and other places with high humidity.
Although nail fungus is statistically more common in older men in poor health, anyone can get it. Children often bring the disease from camps or sports clubs. Sometimes you can get infected at home from relatives. To prevent serious complications, it is important to recognize the infection in time and start treatment.
Types of toenail fungus
There are thousands of fungi that can parasitize a person or exist in peace with him. Only some of them cause onychomycosis or otherwise damage the nail plate.
If you are not sure what is causing the change in the structure of the nail, make an appointment with a doctor. According to the external signs, the condition of the skin and the results of laboratory tests, a specialist will be able to determine the pathogen.
The destruction of plaque begins when it is infected with one of the following fungi:
- Dermatophytes. Common pests associated with chronic skin, hair and nail diseases. The pathological process develops against the background of weak immunity. If your immune defenses are in order, the infection will be limited to short-term, almost invisible skin. You can get spores in a moist environment that contributes to the rapid reproduction of the fungus Trichophyton menagrophytes. This dermatophyte occurs mainly on the big toes. Already in the early stages, the skin around the fingers suffers. In a sauna or wet bath in your home, you can also become infected with other dermatophytes. Trichophyton rubrum is first observed only at the bottom of the plate, but gradually it captures the entire surface at the root. Infection is accompanied by stratification.
- yeast fungus. Infect the skin of the hands or feet, quickly develop protection against drug treatment. Fungi like Candida can stay on your skin or mucous membranes for years after infection. Signs of the disease appear only when your immune system weakens - for example, in autumn or early spring. The focus of infection develops in the roots. The nail quickly changes color, becomes dull. Without systemic treatment, the disease does not go away, but rarely goes into the acute phase. With the strengthening of immunity, the lesion may disappear temporarily.
- mold. Moldy fungi, of which scientists count more than 40 species, are often responsible for severe systemic lesions. Fungal organisms are so actively distributed that laboratory research does not always give clear results about the nature of the disease. As a result, the fungus is not diagnosed in time, or treated for a long time with various drugs according to the brute-force method. If you do not manage to find a drug for six months, there is a risk of developing serious complications.
signs
In the early stages of infection, it is impossible to recognize the fungus itself. The condition of the nail plate will change only when the living cells of the fungus acquire a critical mass. Colonization of nails and skin is faster if you have weakened natural defenses:
- deteriorating health - weakened immunity due to insufficient or unbalanced food, viral attacks or cold weather;
- the body does not have the resources to resist the disease;
- nutrition in the nail bed is disturbed.
In the absence of all these factors, the disease will still start, but it will continue unnoticed by you and others.
If the fungus managed to penetrate the body's defense systems and gain a foothold in the skin or nail plate, onychomycosis will gradually begin to develop. Affected areas will darken, air voids will appear between the layers. If left untreated, the tile will begin to delaminate.
Gradually, the entire nail surface can crack, become covered with a cloudy layer and turn black. You can remove a black nail with a special plaster or other means, but this will not protect you from the return of the fungus. While there was a slow darkening of the nail plate, the spores penetrated into the deeper layers of the skin. Without medical treatment, new nails will grow back diseased, deformed or discolored.
There are several types of infection. They can be recognized by the main features shown in the table.
view |
Symptoms |
|---|---|
Subungual form |
In the distal-lateral phase, skin irritation almost never occurs. Changes can be determined only by the appearance of the nail plate. An early symptom of onychomycosis is gray or yellow streaks at the bottom of the nail plate. If this part of the nail becomes brittle or falls off, and the darkening returns even after cutting off the infected part, you should see a doctor. An invisible sign is slow nail growth with good nutrition. |
mold with white surface |
A small white spot appears on the nail, which does not cause concern. The skin is usually not cracked, red or itchy. Cosmetic defects in the nails appear and disappear without treatment. Other small defects are formed at the site of the lesion: small dips in the plate, tuberosities. Symptoms of the disease often appear after a long stay in a humid environment. |
Proximal subungual shape |
The first symptom is a thickening of the base of the nail fold. Since the affected areas are small, the first stage of the disease often goes unnoticed. The color of the hole changes - from white-transparent to cloudy yellow, then white. Affected nails grow very slowly, but do not split or peel. A few months after the color of the well changes, the plaque begins to peel off quickly. |
Total destruction (an advanced form of a fungal disease of any kind). |
The color of the plate changes significantly, the nails turn yellow. The nail looks uncomfortable, collapses along the entire length. After exfoliated tissue, skin is visible in places where it is normally closed. The skin around infected fingers becomes inflamed and red. Scabies and possible itching. |
How to treat toenail fungus
The sooner it is possible to recognize the disease, the easier it will be to cure onychomycosis. This disease does not appear in a day. You will be able to notice unpleasant marks on the skin and nail plate long before the destruction of the nail if you inspect your toes every time after the shower. Are there signs of infection? Then you should go to the doctor as soon as possible.
- The dermatologist will perform a laboratory examination of the material from the nail plate, evaluate the stage of the lesion and choose the drugs. Depending on the type of infection, the doctor may prescribe a single or systemic treatment. In the latter case, you will need to continue to take courses of pills or apply creams to the skin for another six months after healing. This will ensure that there are no relapses.
- The cosmetologist can cover the affected plaques with medical spray, take a cream for the inflamed skin or perform nail removal. Cosmetic treatment does not eliminate the cause of the infection, but makes conservative treatment more effective. Biomaterial damaged by fungi is sticky. By removing the exfoliated tissue, the esthetician removes the largest focus of the infection.
Many types of onychomycosis appear slightly - as a white coating, brittleness or slow growth of nails. For these types of lesions, local treatment is appropriate. The doctor will prescribe local preparations - ointments, creams, gels - that will not transfer the ingredients into the bloodstream. Such treatment does not have unpleasant consequences in the form of an allergic reaction on the skin or weakening of the body. The drug acts on the focus of the infection, so healing occurs faster.
Systemic treatment of mycosis is required in the following cases:
- large deformations appear along the entire length;
- cracks or wrinkles appear;
- the process has spread to several nails, the skin on the fingers is sticky;
- damaged nail root, infectious;
- large black or yellow areas appear;
- the plate is layered on the base;
- a fungus is found on the skin;
- quick fixes don't help.
Systemic therapy begins with diagnosis. It is important to quickly recognize the reasons for starting targeted treatment. Along with taking medication, you will need to take measures to improve your health. Your doctor may recommend staying at home for the first week to prevent an acute infection.
For complex therapy, two types of drugs are chosen:
- To relieve symptoms. Onychomycosis and other forms of athlete's foot often cause skin irritation and itching. This depletes the already weakened body of power.
- Drugs with cumulative effect. Funds of this type do not start working immediately. The drug must enter the bloodstream through the skin or stomach and accumulate on the nail plate in sufficient quantities. After a few weeks, the fungus will die on its own.
Effective antifungal
You can cure nail and skin fungus without leaving home. But if you choose the wrong medicine, under the right conditions, the infection will catch your fingers again. You should treat yourself only if you are sitting at home due to illness or are temporarily unable to visit a dermatologist for other reasons. In this case, it is worth trying drugs that are suitable for use at home:
- Cream for external use from the group of imidazoles. It treats onychomycosis, early forms of mycosis and most fungal infections known to science. Suitable for the treatment of nail plate and skin. One of the most popular first tools: quickly kills fungal colonies, prevents relapses. It can be used at home without medical supervision: the drug has almost no contraindications.
- Antifungal agent for external use, belonging to the group of allylamines. Treats the consequences of onychomycosis and other forms of mycosis, is safe for the skin, suitable for the treatment of children and pregnant women. This is a fast-acting cream: complex forms of the disease are treated within two weeks. If after a few months deformations or white plaque are formed again, the course should be repeated.