A fungus formed on the heels is a very common problem. Such a disease is more common than others among those that occur on the skin of the heels. However, not all people understand how this disease can be dangerous. As soon as the first signs of the fungus appear, you need to urgently seek help from specialists.
Treatment for this disease should be started immediately. Experts advise to pay attention to the ointment "Lamisil", the instructions for use of which notes that the ointment quickly eliminates the problem of mycosis. This disease spreads very quickly, and its coverage area can be very large. First of all, you need to see a doctor in order for him to make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe the correct treatment.
Distribution reasons
There can be many reasons why a fungus attacks your skin. With treatment, they do not matter much. Wherever you become infected and in what way, the treatment methods will be the same. But for further prevention of the disease and in order to avoid a possible relapse of the disease, you need to know exactly how you were infected. Under the circumstances, it is necessary to draw conclusions and try to regularly carry out preventive measures. The main causes of infection with the fungus on the heels are:
- Visiting public institutions: pools, saunas, public baths.
- The use of personal hygiene items, tools for manicure and pedicure, which did not go properly. Such an infection can occur when visiting a beauty salon.
- Using an old grater for heels.
- Trying someone else's shoes. This situation is very common in stores. Do not even measure new shoes without traces or socks. Bacteria, which a person has, trying on shoes before you, can get on his bare leg.
- Long wearing shoes made of artificial materials, such as rubber. In shoes that do not breathe, fungal formations may appear.
- Non-observance of personal hygiene, washing and washing hands. Such procedures in the modern world are recommended to be carried out at least 3-5 times a day.
- Use other people's towels and other items that come in contact with your skin.
- Infection during surgery. In this case, there is no way to influence the situation, only if you carefully choose the clinic where the procedures will be performed. But this will not give a full guarantee of security.
- Physiological characteristics of a particular person. Rarely, but it happens that this disease is caused at the genetic level. In this case, it is difficult to deal with it, but you can conduct ongoing prevention.
- Professional features that make you communicate too closely with each other. Weakened immunity, which can not fight even with the smallest dose of infection.
- Cracks in the heels cause the fungus, which can not always be thoroughly washed, and pathogenic microflora develop in them.
- Other diseases that trigger the appearance of the fungus.
- Profuse sweating, the skin does not have time to cope with sweat dirt, and it penetrates inside.
- Obesity.
The fungus may also be allergic. An allergic reaction may develop to certain cosmetics or drugs, which include substances that are not intolerable to a particular person.
Symptomatology
The first signs by which the calcaneal fungus can be determined are obvious external manifestations. These include:
- Change in skin color in certain areas, can vary from mild redness to bright red spots.
- The formation of dense patches on a flat surface of the skin. These are not swelling, bumps, but seals.
- Cracked parts of the skin, at first glance, cracks in the fungus are similar to dry thin sections. At a later stage of the disease, fairly deep grooves on the skin can be detected.
- The appearance of edema of part or all of the foot.
- The formation of small but inflamed sores.
- The appearance of blisters with fluid inside.
- Partial flaking of the skin can also be an indicator of a developing fungal disease.
- Itching and acute burning on the reddened area of the skin.
- A stale smell that comes from the feet, no matter what the person is wearing shoes on.
Each individual symptom does not necessarily indicate the presence of a fungal disease, but a combination of several should alert, and you should immediately consult a doctor. The fungus only seems to be a harmless disease. Its spread has a very high speed, in a short time the zone of the disease can become very extensive, and it will be extremely difficult to fight the disease.
When the first symptoms are detected, treatment should be started urgently. The doctor will prescribe one of the treatment options, in no case can it be ignored. It is also worth noting that self-treatment is contraindicated. The form and degree of the disease can be different for each person, therefore, experts strongly recommend the use of drugs only after consulting a specialist.
Treatment methods
Today, there are many different treatments that help fight fungal diseases. Not everyone is suitable for any case, before starting treatment, they must be diagnosed, it is necessary to identify the type of pathogen. Diagnosis should be carried out very quickly, since the disease from the initial stage very quickly passes into the last. The instructions for use of "Lamisil" (ointment from a fungus on the heels and legs) indicate that the course of treatment is long, but effective.
Skin softening
The first step in the treatment will be the use of drugs that help soften the skin of the heels and relieve irritation. In the acute period, any treatment will be in vain. The inflammatory process is always first and foremost removed, and only then therapy is started. Most often, in the first stages, solutions are used, with which they make baths and lotions, they best soften the affected areas of soft skin. The time for initial treatment is different, it all depends on the severity of the disease and the individual characteristics of the patient.
Removing flakes
After the acute period has passed, the scales remain, which exfoliate from the main skin. They are carefully removed using special brushes or a grater for the heels. It is highly undesirable to carry out the procedure for removing infected skin with your hands. In this case, the infection can spread to other parts of the body. After the exfoliated parts of the skin are removed, the lesion site must be treated with antiseptics. In this case, patients are provided with a wide range of possible forms of drugs, antiseptic solutions, gels or creams can be used. It all depends on how sensitive your skin is to a particular texture.
Antifungal
After thorough cleaning, antifungal drugs are used, at this stage therapy begins. Here, too, you can choose your favorite option of drugs: gels, ointments, creams. In this case, the doctor will definitely recommend a drug that is most effective just for you. Monitoring your body throughout the course of treatment will help determine the degree of effectiveness. At the final stage, a course of drugs that need to be drunk for preventive purposes will be sure to be prescribed so that the body can well resist infections in the future.
Recommendations
Each of the stages of drug treatment of heel fungus is very important, a complete cure is possible if each stage is observed, otherwise the disease may recur in a more severe form. None of them should be neglected. In addition, it is important to remember that you can not interrupt the course of treatment and leave it without finishing. This attitude to treatment can lead to the fact that the disease will spread to other parts of the body, and it will be very difficult to cope with it.
And once again I would like to draw attention to the fact that for the effective treatment of fungus on the heels it is necessary that all stages of the disease are controlled by a physician. In the process of treatment, some nuances may arise that will need to be adjusted, replace drugs or make other changes.
Plant components
Many doctors today prescribe compresses from plant, natural substances. It would seem that they cannot be effective, and far from all popular recipes give a 100 percent result. But it is precisely those that are used under the supervision of a doctor that are quite effective.
Onion baths
The fact is that onions and garlic are excellent antiseptics and fight infection well. Such baths should be used after the acute period has ended. It is best to carry out such a procedure at night, as a soothing and relaxing effect is manifested. For cooking, twist through a meat grinder or grate 5-6 onions and steam them in boiling water. After the water has cooled to a warm state, you can make baths. It is also effective to make compresses from the onion mixture. You can also carry out salt baths for the heels. They are made according to the same principle, only for 3 liters of water you need to take two tablespoons of salt.
Compresses
Alcohol compresses are very popular in the fight against various types of infection, including with a fungus on the legs. Alcohol compresses are effective at all stages of treatment, they relieve inflammation and serve as an antiseptic. By the way, alcohol is also used for preventive purposes. If you wipe the feet with an alcohol solution at night every day before applying the care creams, you will notice that the infection will not develop at all. As you know, with the help of alcohol you can very well maintain hygiene, it disinfects and prevents the development of inflammatory processes.
Another more powerful tool is the infusion of garlic on alcohol, this tool is also wiped on the affected areas or used as a compress.
Dogrose
Rosehip broth is also often used to treat fungus. The fruits are brewed and infused for 12 hours, after which they are applied to the affected areas several times a day. This tool has not a quick, but effective result. Also its use is useful for preventive purposes.
In any case, all alternative methods can be used only as an adjunct to the main therapy, since all the beneficial properties of onions, garlic on alcohol or rose hips are not enough to get rid of a serious infection. Before using any of the folk remedies, you must definitely get a consultation from your doctor.