Fungus under the nail is a very common disease that is infectious. The fungus is able to affect not only the nails on the legs and arms, but also spreads to the feet and other parts of the skin. In the field of dermatology, diseases caused by parasitic fungi are called mycoses. The fungus under the toenail is called onychomycosis. This is one of the most common types of fungal diseases. Statistics show that 7% of the population of the most diverse age category has fungus under the toenail.
General description and causes of infection
Fungal diseases of the nails are highly contagious, and their main pathogens are mold, yeast-like fungi or dermatophytes, which are very resistant to high temperature and can be on an open surface for a long time. Regardless of which particular varieties of pathogenic fungi caused the development of the disease, it is necessary to treat the fungus under the nail and on the feet in a complex way in the early stages of its development.
If there is no treatment therapy or treatment is chosen incorrectly, then this will not only ruin the aesthetic appearance of the nail plate on the legs, but can provoke a partial or complete destruction of the entire nail. In addition, fungal pathogens release certain toxic substances into the human body that enter the bloodstream. Thus, they are spread throughout the body, due to which the functioning of internal systems and organs is disrupted, and also provokes the development of many unpleasant diseases. That is why the fungus under the nail does not need to be perceived as some kind of aesthetic problem. This disease must be fought, armed with the necessary drugs and means.
Infection pathways
As a rule, it is possible to get a fungal infection by contact-household means. A fungus may appear under the nails on the hands and feet after visiting the public pool, baths, saunas. Also, the infection can be transmitted to a healthy person if he uses other people's personal care products:
- Bast.
- Slippers.
- Towel.
- Nail scissors and more.
In addition, quite often the spores of the main pathogens of the fungus are located on the rugs, floor, paths, and litter of the shoes. They are very resistant to high temperature conditions, which accelerates the vital activity and reproduction of fungi. With high humidity, fungi can multiply quickly and become a dangerous source of infection for any person. Mycosis can also form as a result of injured soft tissue of the nail, during nail extension in the salon, or even during normal manicure, if the master used non-sterilized tools. In such cases, many do not even notice the nail fungus under the varnish.
The infection can be transmitted from a sick person to a healthy one absolutely anywhere, including transportation, a gym or a fitness club. Despite the fact that there is such a high probability of infection, fungi do not affect every person. Quite often, even with direct contact with a sick person or in contact with his things, infection does not occur.
Symptoms of the fungus
First of all, external symptoms appear if a fungus appears under the nails. The photo shows exactly how the signs of a fungal infection look. In addition, itching appears between the fingers, as well as near the nail plate. In parallel with this, the nail begins to delaminate, it is torn away from the place of growth. The color structure of the nail plate also changes: it turns red and a burning sensation appears. All this suggests that in no case should you postpone the treatment of the fungus under the nails and you should consult a dermatologist.
Diagnostic Methods
Diagnosis of the fungus can be done independently at home. For this, it is necessary to carefully consider the entire interdigital space, as well as the nails themselves: if there is redness, burning, itching, a change in the shade and transparency of the nail plate - these are true signs of the development of the disease. Therefore, you need to know what the fungus looks like under the nail. To confirm the diagnosis, it is necessary for some time to hold your nails in a manganese solution. In this case, the healthy part of the nail plate should turn purple, and the affected areas remain light.
When contacting a specialist, a dermatologist should examine the nail fungus under a microscope to identify the main cause of the disease and the focus of infection. After that, the diagnosis is made, and the necessary drugs for treatment are prescribed.
Treatment features
Like many other diseases, nail fungus must be treated immediately, without delaying a trip to a specialist for later. The sooner the course of the disease is determined, the faster this disease can be overcome. With more advanced stages, an expensive and lengthy treatment will be required. If the nail fungus has already shown itself in a chronic form, the course of therapy is from 1 year or more. Therefore, do not ignore the appearance of the first symptoms. The main forms of therapy should be systemic and local drugs.
Systemic drugs
Speaking about how to treat the fungus under the nails, first of all, we should mention the systemic drugs, which include medications and capsules. The active substances of these drugs well eliminate the problem of the development of the fungus, not only inside the human body, but also outside. The use of this type of therapy is also allowed in combination with the use of various creams, ointments, solutions and pastes.
It is never possible to buy antifungal drugs on your own, as this can cause a secondary development of the infection, after which unpleasant consequences can occur. It should also be remembered that the use of antibiotics is not recommended to be combined with the use of antifungal agents. First of all, a dermatologist visually examines the symptoms of the fungus, and if necessary prescribes drugs that contain terbinafine, ketoconazole, intraconazole, fluconazole.
Local preparations
Based on many studies, scientists have found that systemic drugs can not always fully cure a fungus. To fully undergo a course of therapy and destroy all existing pathogenic bacteria under the nail, it is necessary to apply the following types of local antifungal drugs:
- Creams.
- Ointments.
- Solution intended for external use.
- Gels.
- Powders that are used to create a suspension.
Thanks to such drugs, it is possible to comprehensively combat the fungus, preventing it from multiplying and spreading to other healthy parts of the body.
If we talk about ointments and creams, then the most effective are Lotseril and Batrafen. These drugs are able to overcome the fungus at absolutely any stage of its development, getting into the nail plate in a very short period of time.
In addition to these funds, antiseptic drugs can also be prescribed by a specialist. Often they contain a large amount of urea, iodine or acid.
All topical preparations are used only externally, and before that, the nail must be cut and trimmed in the affected areas of the development of the fungus. After this, a solution is prepared in which the nails will be steamed. To prepare it, you need to mix two tablespoons of plain soda with 100 grams of tar, laundry or children's soap. Thanks to this, the nails and skin become softer, and the effect of the funds will be very extensive and effective. Steaming nails is necessary for 20 minutes. After that, any tool is applied to the nail plates. In some cases, it is also allowed to apply ointment or cream near the nail.
Folk remedies
In addition to drug therapy, there are also alternative methods of treating fungus under the nails. Such funds include:
- Decoction of the Golden Mustache.
- Chopped garlic cloves.
- Honey.
- Propolis.
- Juice squeezed from celandine.
- Apple vinegar.
- Tea mushroom.
From any of the above components, you can breed baths, make ointments, make various pastes that are applied to the nail plates or laid under the nails. Any of the treatment methods is effective, since it affects the destruction of the fungus and destroys it to the last microorganism. However, before choosing a popular method of treatment, it is necessary to determine the stage of development of the fungus under the nail. And in order to completely destroy the infection, you can use additional systemic methods of therapy.
Surgical treatment
There is also a surgical method for treating the fungus, but its effectiveness is not so high, since the focus of infection remains in the human body. Therefore, it is likely that after some time the fungus will manifest itself again.
Preventative Compliance
In order to never encounter a fungus on the nails, on the feet, hands, it is necessary to observe simple preventive precautions to help deal with the factors of the occurrence of bacteria. Such preventive standards include the following recommendations:
- To trim in time, to wash well nails, legs, feet, giving enough time to places between fingers.
- All items that were purchased for body wear should only be made from breathable and natural fabrics.
- Do not let your nails, legs and hands be wet for a long time.
- When purchasing shoes, you need to pay attention to softness, quality, it is best to buy products made of genuine leather or good leatherette.
- Even if there are no inflammatory processes under the nails, periodically it is necessary to use antifungal drugs for prevention.
- When visiting public places where a large concentration of fungus is concentrated, for example, baths, pools, saunas, beaches, gyms, you need to have shoes with you, it is advisable to choose rubber ones.
Conclusion
Nail fungus is a serious disease that is quite difficult to treat. To completely overcome this ailment, it is necessary to have patience and try to eliminate the main causes of its development. Only in this case, the disease can leave a person forever. In addition, in order to avoid the development of the fungus, it is necessary to observe preventive standards.