Fungus is an infectious disease and most often affects the nails or the skin of the feet.You can get infected very easily;danger lies almost everywhere.Since the fungus is basically an infection, it lives mainly in public places.To eliminate the possibility of infection, it is important to know how the pathology is transmitted to people.
How does infection occur?
The disease always starts due to a wet environment.The main reason will be the constant sweating of the feet.Statistics show that a large concentration of parasites is observed in public places, such as saunas, baths, swimming pools, etc.It is impossible to destroy the pathogen by drying the shoes or feet.
When you ask how contagious the fungus is, it can be argued that the pathology passes from person to person quite easily.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 barefoot on the surface where an infected person previously stood, in the presence of provoking factors, the disease will immediately begin to progress.
Mushrooms are very resistant to various destructive factors, so they remain on the surface for a long time.On beaches, fungi are much less common, as the salt water destroys the pathogen, however, the risk of infection still remains.Remember to always wear only your slippers, socks and indoor shoes.
The first signs of nail fungus and its symptoms
Mycosis of the feet is always in a stage of development, so the first signs of toenail fungus can be noticed even in the early stages if you pay attention to the condition of your body.Different stages of fungi differ in their characteristics.If the first stages of the disease can still be missed due to inattention to oneself, then the latter will be clearly felt.Let's look at 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 lines;
- later the spots become large and the nail plate loses its shine;
- the plaque takes on a yellow tint, sometimes it changes to blue or green.
How to determine pathology at home
If the nail changes color and loosens, this does not necessarily mean that it is affected by a fungus.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.Place your feet in the basin and wait 10 minutes.During this time, healthy nail plates will turn brown, while those affected by the fungus will remain unchanged.
- Iodine.Unfortunately, this drug does not detect that there is a fungal pathogen in the foot.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 area with iodine.Healthy tissue will not darken much, but affected tissue will take on a fairly dark shade.
Treatment
Treatment of toenail fungus begins with its diagnosis.First, the dermatologist performs a visual examination, and then prescribes laboratory tests.Remember that in no case should you stop the treatment after the first improvements, because the fungus is very resistant, so the disease develops again.
Local therapy
Creams, ointments, lotions, sprays and medicinal varnishes are used as local preparations.Such drugs relieve symptoms well and destroy superficial lesions.The products are actively used in childhood and pregnancy, as they are absolutely safe.Local therapy is especially effective in the early stages of the pathology.
MEDICINES
Taking medications increases the effectiveness of local fungal treatment.The tablets penetrate the blood and kill the fungus from within the body.But this method has a number of significant disadvantages.Firstly, medicines have a number of contraindications, and secondly, they have side effects.It is not possible to take such medications in all cases.However, legal remedies are the only solution that will help in advanced cases.To increase the effectiveness of the treatment, local remedies, medications and traditional medicine are used simultaneously.
Laser treatment
The laser therapy procedure is gaining more and more popularity.The technique has been implemented recently, and its effectiveness has already been proven.Laser therapy has advantages:
- The treatment is safe;the beam only treats the affected tissue.After the event, only healthy tissue remains.
- The procedure is painless and patients tolerate it well.
- The improvement is visible after the first session.
- To achieve a positive result, about 4 procedures are enough.
Using 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.The operation is performed to completely stop the further spread of the infection.This procedure can increase the effectiveness of the use of local remedies.Nail removal can be done using special compounds.It is important for a specialist to be careful.So that such a substance does not get into the skin, otherwise it will cause a chemical burn.
Keratolytic plasters can help remove nail plate.This product will soften the nail well for easy removal.Mortars are used with greater popularity because they have a dense structure.In this way, the doctor reduces the possibility of introducing substances into the skin.The patch softens the nail in 2 days, other products last 4 days.
Therapy for advanced forms
If the toenail fungus is in an advanced stage, do not lose hope;just follow the rules below:
- Find out and remove the cause of the infection.
- Disinfect shoes regularly or change all pairs completely.Buy shoe spray with antifungal effect.
- Update your socks.
- Pass all the necessary tests and follow the treatment regimen prescribed by a dermatologist.
- Follow all dietary restrictions.
Therapy at this stage should be carried out comprehensively.In addition to local remedies, they include effective drugs that act on the fungus from the inside, and also use traditional medicine.With the latter, you should be careful and take into account any allergic reaction to one or another component.
Varieties of forms of mycosis
Toenail fungus is divided into several types, which depend on the pathogen.Among these types it is worth mentioning:
- Rubromycosis.Symptoms of this type are dry skin, excessive sweating, cracking and breaking of nails.
- Athlete's foot.The fungus destroys the nail, destroying the keratin in it.This type of mold is very difficult to cure;it is resistant to low temperatures, antiseptics, drying and other manipulations.Fungi can reproduce for a long time.The signs of this form are redness of the skin, severe itching, the skin and the base of the nail becomes wrinkled.
- Candidiasis.The disease is caused by several types of fungi.The nail plates on the third and fourth fingers are affected.The initial stage is characterized by mild inflammation.After that, swelling occurs, a change in shape and thickness leads to the fact that the cuticle begins to be rejected.After such processes, the fungus enters the bed and spreads throughout the nail area.In this case, the development of onycholysis begins.
Disease prevention
Doctors and scientists say that there are about one and a half million types of mushrooms in the world.Only half of them have been studied and the choice of treatment for them is quite complicated.The ideal solution is only laser therapy, which will have a beneficial effect on any type of mold.
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 foot fungus:
- maintaining personal hygiene and care in public places;
- prevention with the help of special medications.
If you like to visit common places like a spa, sauna or swimming pool, make sure to wash your feet thoroughly after arriving home.Additionally, dry your feet, as the fungus is very persistent and especially likes a humid environment.Buy socks made only from cotton fabric.This material absorbs moisture well, which is released when the feet start to sweat.When your feet sweat a lot in closed shoes, air them periodically if possible.
If you go to the store to buy shoes, take your own shoes or socks from home;you should not try on shoes on bare feet or use public shoes.Perform regular foot care such as pedicures and other treatments.Do not use shared hygiene items.You must have your own foot towel.Well, if someone in your home is infected with athlete's foot, avoid contact with them in any way possible and provide the patient with special household items.