Nail fungus is a common disease that begins with the appearance of a white or yellow spot on the tip of the nail. The fungus affects the nails on both the arms and legs. As the infection penetrates deeper, the nail plate discolors, thickens and begins to crumble from the edges. A disease can cover several nails, but usually not all.
If you do not suffer from symptoms of a fungal infection and do not experience discomfort, onychomycosis (the correct medical name for this ailment) can not be treated. If pain is present, and there are signs of thickening of the plates, you should pay close attention to onychomycosis of the nails. Home treatment is completely safe. Low-cost drugs that are sold in pharmacies without a prescription will help you. The only negative is that even with effective treatment, the fungus can return.
If the infection has spread to the areas between the toes and the skin of the feet, the disease is called dermatophytosis of the feet (mycosis).
Symptoms
Onychomycosis - what is it and how to determine the presence of this disease in yourself? First, find out if you have characteristic symptoms. Typically, an ailment is diagnosed in cases where one or more nails:
- thickened;
- became fragile, began to crumble, acquired uneven edges;
- deformed;
- faded, lost their luster;
- darkened.
Infected nails can be separated from the nail bed - this symptom of the disease is called onycholysis. This condition is characterized by painful sensations at the fingertips and a slight unpleasant odor.
Try to eliminate nail onychomycosis on your own. Home treatment is effective for most patients. If it does not help, it is better to consult a doctor. You should immediately see a specialist for those patients who are diagnosed with diabetes.
Causes
A special fungus parasitizes on the skin - dermatophyte, which causes onychomycosis. What it is? A fungus is a microscopic organism whose survival does not depend on sunlight. Some microorganisms of this type benefit a person, but most lead to diseases and infections.
Fungi:
- live in a warm, humid environment, including pools and showers;
- able to penetrate the skin through microscopic cuts invisible to the naked eye, as well as a result of a small separation of the plate from the nail bed;
- can cause health problems if your hands are often warm and damp.
Arms and legs
Onychomycosis of the toenails is more common than infection of the nails on the hands, because:
- toenails are often found in a dark, warm, moist environment (in shoes), which provides ideal conditions for the reproduction of the fungus;
- less blood flows to the toes than to the fingers, making the immune system difficult to recognize and destroy the infection in time.
Risk factors
You may be threatened with nail onychomycosis if you:
- Treat the older age groups. Over the years, blood flow becomes less intense, while nails are forced to coexist with potentially dangerous fungi for many years. In addition, the nails of older people grow more slowly.
- Suffer from profuse sweating.
- Treat the male gender, especially if there are cases of fungal infections in the family history.
- Work in high humidity or occupy a position involving frequent hand washing.
- Wear socks and shoes that do not allow air to pass to the skin and do not absorb sweat.
- Live with a carrier of a fungal infection.
- Walk barefoot in public places with high humidity (pools, gyms, showers).
- You suffer from dermatophytosis of the feet.
- Slightly damaged a nail or suffer from a skin disease (e.g., psoriasis).
- You have diabetes or circulatory disorders, or if you have been diagnosed with a weakened immune system or (in children) Down syndrome.
Complications
There are a number of complications that onychomycosis can cause. What it is? Usually these are other serious infections provoked by a severe case of infection with a fungus. How to determine the severity of the disease? If your fingers hurt, your nails are deformed, you should consult a doctor, otherwise such symptoms may remain for life. Other infections affect the body if the immune system is weakened by drugs, diabetes, or other ailments.
In diabetes, there is a risk of circulatory disorders and innervation of the legs. The danger of contracting a bacterial skin infection also becomes great. If you have diabetes, and you suspect that changes in the appearance of the nails are caused by the fungus, consult a specialist as soon as possible.
Diagnostics
First of all, the doctor examines the affected nails. Perhaps he will take a sample of the plaque from under the nails and send the material for laboratory analysis to determine the specific type of fungal infection.
Other ailments, such as psoriasis, often have the same external symptoms as nail onychomycosis. Infection can also be triggered by microorganisms such as yeast and bacteria. Knowing the exact cause of the disease will finally determine the optimal course of therapy.
Onychomycosis: treatment (drugs)
If home treatment and the usual pharmacy antifungal agents have not coped with the infection, you should visit a doctor and start a new course of therapy. Onychomycosis drugs are divided into the following groups:
- Antifungal agents for oral administration. According to the results of scientific research, it turned out that the most effective medicines for the fungus are Terbinafine and Itraconazole. They contribute to the growth of a healthy nail and the gradual replacement of the infected area with a normal nail plate. Drugs of this type are taken in a course lasting from six to twelve weeks, but the final result will become apparent only when a healthy nail grows completely. The final disposal of the infection often takes four months, and even longer, since with the spread of the disease it becomes more difficult to defeat onychomycosis.
Treatment at home, even with drugs recommended by doctors, is less effective if the patient is over 65 years old, so older people are recommended to combine this group of medicines with ointments for topical use. It should also be borne in mind that funds for oral administration can cause side effects - from skin rashes to liver problems. It may be necessary to take blood tests periodically in order to monitor the body's response to medication. You will not be prescribed such drugs if you have been diagnosed with liver disease or heart failure with congestion, and also if you need to take specific medications regularly.
- Antifungal nail polish . If you have onychomycosis, drugs to fight the infection may include a special nail polish - Cyclopirox. It is applied to the nail plates and the surrounding skin once a day. After a week of application, you need to erase the accumulated layers of varnish with alcohol and start applying again. You may have to use the product every day for a year.
- Medicinal cream for nails. The doctor may prescribe an antifungal cream (ointment), which must be rubbed into infected nails after prior steaming. You can increase the effectiveness of the drug by thinning the nail plates - so the cream gets through the nail faster to the fungus. To make nails thinner, you can use an OTC drug - any lotion with a high urea content. Sometimes they use special tools for this purpose.
Other treatments
For a patient who is diagnosed with nail onychomycosis, treatment (drugs, folk remedies) is simply necessary. But what if non-invasive techniques just don't help?
In severe nail damage with a fungal infection, the doctor will suggest removing the nail. A new healthy nail usually grows at the site of removal, but this process can take more than a year. Sometimes surgery is combined with the use of Cyclopirox, which helps to cure the nail bed.
There are other types of therapy that can cure onychomycosis. What it is? This exposure to laser and light for medical purposes. The effect of these procedures has not yet been fully studied, but they do contribute to improving the condition of patients with onychomycosis and practically do not require the use of additional drugs.
What can you do yourself
If you find that you have nail onychomycosis, treatment (drugs and procedures) can be carried out with relative safety at home, without going to clinics and medical centers.
Try the following:
- Use antifungal creams and ointments for nails sold in pharmacies without a prescription. As a rule, there are always several products from various manufacturers. If you notice that white spots appeared on the surface of the nail, scrape them off, hold the nails in water, dry and apply a medicinal cream or lotion on them. If dermatophytosis of the feet complicates your onychomycosis of the nails, the preparations should be selected comprehensively: cream for the nail plates, powder or spray for the skin of the legs. Remember to keep your feet dry and clean.
- Remember the rule of regular manicure and pedicure. Polish, cut, adjust and reduce the thickness of the nails. These simple procedures will help relieve pain. Nail care immediately before applying the antifungal agent contributes to a deeper penetration of the drug.
Useful hint
Before grinding thick layers, you can carry out a simple procedure for softening nails. Before going to bed, apply urea cream on infected nails and apply a bandage. In the morning, wash the product with soap and water. Repeat every day until the nails soften. The skin of the fingers should be treated with petroleum jelly.
Folk remedies
The following alternative medicine are especially effective in combating fungus:
- Pseudomonas extract. In one of the scientific studies, the effectiveness of the extract of Pseudomonas was equated with the effectiveness of Cyclopirox. The substance is applied to the affected nails once every three days during the first month and twice a week during the second month of treatment.
- Tea tree oil. It is applied to the nails twice a day, but the effectiveness of the oil has not yet been scientifically proven. Nevertheless, many recommend it as an optimal alternative treatment for onychomycosis.