In recent years, the diagnosis of nail fungus in children has become more frequent. Indeed, in babies the immune system is imperfect, so the disease can develop rapidly. Treatment of nail fungus in children should be carried out quickly so that the course of the disease does not become complicated.
How to recognize
It is very difficult to diagnose nail fungus in a child 4 years old and older. The initial stages of the disease are asymptomatic. Very often, pathology is detected in an extremely neglected state.
Is there a nail fungus in children? Most often, it occurs in babies, from birth to the age of 14 years. In 80% of cases, infection is from parents. On the skin and infected nails there are scales on which the spores of the fungi are located. They fall away and remain on the floor, bed, spreading further around the apartment.
Symptoms of the disease
The problem with diagnosing nail fungus is that visible signs are detected late. When the disease is already progressing. In order to detect the pathology in time, parents need to inspect the nails, skin of the legs and hands daily. The symptoms of nail fungus in children include the following:
- Stratification and fragility of the nail plate.
- Certain changes in the fingertips are detected. They may turn red and swell slightly.
- The nail begins to thin out, as a result, you can observe the process of exfoliation of part of the nail plate.
- Her color also begins to change. First, the nail turns yellow, turns white or gray. And then it can turn black.
- The nail plate loses its strength. And begins to crumble.
An unnatural thickening and delamination of the nail is added to the late stage. Without treatment of nail fungus in children, the result will be disastrous. The nail plate will be completely destroyed. Therefore, therapy of the disease must be carried out in a timely manner.
Fungal infection
Pathology has some features. Fungal infection is very hardy. It multiplies in a neutral or slightly alkaline environment. When a decrease in acidity occurs with increased sweating, a favorable environment is created for the development of fungi. They feel great in a humid environment, where they multiply and grow rapidly.
The fungus easily transfers to neighboring nails and is even able to affect areas of the skin located near the source of infection.
The infection adapts perfectly at low temperatures, and its death occurs at high for 2-3 minutes. Because of this, the treatment of nail fungus in a child of 6 years is complicated.
The main causes of the disease
In medicine, nail fungus has a definite name - onychomycosis. The disease is caused by spores of mycosis, and its development is provoked by the most common factors that occur in everyday life. The main reasons include:
- Contact with a sick child or adult.
- Wearing someone else's old shoes or clothes.
- Baby walking barefoot in a sauna, bath or pool.
- Tight shoes.
- Untreated wounds and scratches.
- Shoes made from non-breathable fabric.
- Increased sweating of the legs.
- Long-term use of antibacterial soap.
- Frequent injuries of the skin and legs, which is especially common in children in the summer.
- Long toenails.
- Flat feet.
At risk is the development of nail fungus in a child 5 years old and older, if they:
- The immune system is weakened due to the disease.
- HIV infection.
- Malignant neoplasms.
- Diabetes.
- Eczema and trophic ulcers.
The fungus can affect the nails of not only the legs, but also the hands, this occurs due to contact with a sick person.
Diagnostics
If the parents find in the child a change in the color of the nails, then postponing a visit to a dermatologist or pediatrician is not worth it. In this case, self-medication is not worth it, as well as using poorly understood and unverified means. There are various types of fungi that can only be determined by a specialist by conducting special tests.
After confirming the diagnosis, the doctor prescribes the appropriate treatment, selecting drugs for a particular case. A fungus diagnosed in the early stages is easier and faster to treat.
Therapy Features
The medicine for nail fungus is prescribed to children only by a specialist. The therapy includes antifungal agents - ointments, creams, solutions. They have a local effect.
The composition of the preparations includes clotrimazole or bifonazole. If their effect is ineffective, then complex therapy is prescribed. It includes medications for internal use and local remedies.
With the advanced form of the disease, injections are used. Treatment of the fungus is carried out both in the hospital and at home.
In modern pharmacology, there are many tools that can effectively carry out therapy. Very often nail polish is used for nail fungus for children.
Treatment duration
Therapy of nail fungus in a child of 7 years and a different age lasts for 2-4 months. To prevent the disease from spreading to other family members, it is necessary to disinfect all the things that the baby touched. It:
- linen, personal items, clothing;
- walls and floor, especially in the bathroom;
- Toys
- tableware.
Washing of clothes and clothes must be carried out at high temperatures, followed by ironing. Surfaces are best treated with sodium hypochlorite solution.
If you follow these recommendations, you can reduce the duration of therapy and avoid relapses.
Drug therapy
The treatment is carried out as prescribed by the doctor. All drugs have contraindications and possible side effects, so using them on their own is not recommended. For therapy, nail polish is used for nail fungus for children or other local preparations. Before using the drug, it is necessary to cut off the damaged nail, remove the roughened skin and steam the legs in a soap-soda solution.
To treat fungus, iodine is effective. To do this, they treat the affected nail plate and the skin around. You should also apply the drug to healthy nails and the area between the fingers. The duration of treatment depends on the degree of progression of the disease. It can mainly take 30 days.
Previously, the main method of therapy was the complete removal of the nail plate. Over time, this method was recognized as ineffective, because in place of the old nail grew a new one, and already infected. Because such an operation does not stop the development of infection.
The following external drugs can be used to treat a disease without age restrictions:
- Ointment "Clotrimazole" and "Miconazole".
- Lucky "Lotseril" and "Batrafen."
- Solution "Exoderil" and "Candide".
External drugs are used no more than 2 times a day. They are applied in a thin layer to the affected area with light massaging movements. Before applying varnish to the nails, they are treated with a special antiseptic for degreasing. It is applied to all nail plates to avoid reinfection.
Medications in the form of tablets are prescribed for advanced forms of the fungus. For therapy, the following agents are used:
- "Terbinafine" is prescribed for a period of 10-12 weeks. The required dosage is 60-125 mg.
- "Fluconazole" take 1 capsule once a day. The course of treatment is 30 days.
In the most advanced cases, the treatment of the fungus is carried out by injection.
ethnoscience
Treatment of nail fungus in children can be carried out using folk remedies. Before you start using them, you need to consult a specialist.
This method is considered gentle, because it is carried out using natural components, on the basis of which the baths and compresses are prepared.
Parents should understand that treatment with traditional medicine should be carried out in combination with the use of ointments, varnishes and sprays. Only in this case can a positive effect be achieved.
Traditional medicine recipes include:
- Hydrogen peroxide. Initially, make a bath in a soda solution - 1 teaspoon per liter of water. After the procedure, cotton wool soaked with peroxide should be put on the nail. The treatment time is 40-50 minutes. The procedure must be repeated twice a day for 2-3 weeks.
- Baths with soap and soda solution. Soda and soap are added to the water in a ratio of 2: 1. Feet need to soar for 10-15 minutes, treatment lasts 3-4 days.
- Mix the juice of garlic, onion and red pepper. The resulting solution is rubbed into the affected nail plate. Then rinse off.
- For the treatment of fungus, 9% vinegar solution is used. With its help, affected nails are treated.
- Kalanchoe is used to treat fungus. A piece of the plant is wound overnight to the affected area.
- Take a plate of fresh onions. It is necessary to remove the film from it and apply it to the diseased nail. If the skin around it does not burst and there is no burning sensation, then you can leave it all night. Otherwise - remove the compress.
If the treatment is carried out only by folk methods, then the disease can return and the problem will worsen. It is best to carry out complex therapy of the fungus in conjunction with drugs.
Disease prevention
Due to the fact that the treatment of nail fungus in children is a long process, it is best to prevent the development of pathology and apply the following recommendations:
- The child should have: own toothbrush, bath sponge and personal towel.
- Parents should regularly disinfect toys, nipples, and other personal items with which the baby is in close contact.
- When visiting places of a large concentration of people (pool, bathhouse), the child needs to wear rubber slippers so that he does not walk barefoot on the floor.
- Children should not try on someone else’s clothing or shoes.
- The child’s shoes should not be small or cramped. You should choose comfortable shoes or sandals for him.
- All clothing, especially underwear, should be made of natural materials. This allows you to breathe the skin, rather than rub.
- Children's shoes should be disinfected from the inside.
- Socks should be made of natural fabrics, it is recommended to wash them daily.
- Strictly adhere to all hygiene rules.
- Use baths with antiseptic herbs regularly, such as chamomile, sage, or calendula.
- Constantly examine the baby's arms and legs in order to timely treat wounds and scratches with an antiseptic.
- With excessive sweating, often change shoes and clothes.
- Feed the baby correctly and balanced, saturating his diet with fresh vegetables and fruits. If necessary, give a vitamin complex.
If you follow these recommendations, then the disease will not affect the child, and he will remain healthy.
Reviews
Nail fungus in children is an insidious disease. Patient reviews suggest that at the first symptoms of its appearance on the nails, you must consult a doctor. Doctors, in turn, do not recommend self-medication, because only a specialist can prescribe effective therapy, given the condition of the child. Judging by some reviews, this helps not only traditional medicine, but also folk. Do not neglect the advice of a doctor and preventive methods.