Nail fungus is one of the most common dermatological diseases. Fungal infection affects the nail plate, nail bed and surrounding skin. Although the hands can also be affected by infection, mycosis is more often found on the toes. An invisible pathogen is transmitted to the feet through wet surfaces or through the air in bathrooms, saunas, swimming pools, gyms and other places with high humidity.
Although nail fungus is statistically more common in older men in poor health, anyone can get it. Children often carry the disease from camps or sports clubs. Sometimes you can get infected at home from relatives. To prevent serious complications, it is important to recognize the infection in time and start the treatment.
Types of toenail fungus
There are thousands of fungi that can parasitize or coexist peacefully with humans. Only a few of them cause onychomycosis or otherwise damage the nail plate.
If you are not sure what is causing the change in the structure of the nail, make an appointment with a doctor. According to the external signs, the condition of the skin and the results of laboratory tests, the specialist will be able to determine the pathogen.
The destruction of the plaque begins when infected with one of the following fungi:
- dermatophytes. Common pests associated with chronic diseases of the skin, hair and nails. The pathological process develops against the background of weak immunity. If your immune defenses are in order, the infection will be limited to a short-term, almost imperceptible peeling. You can get spores in a moist environment, which contributes to the rapid reproduction of the fungus Trichophyton menagrophytes. This dermatophyte occurs mostly on the thumbs. Already in the early stages, the skin around the fingers suffers. In a damp sauna or bathroom in your own home, you can also contract other dermatophytes. Trichophyton rubrum is first noticed only at the edge of the plate, but gradually captures the entire surface to the root. The infection is accompanied by stratification.
- yeast mushrooms. Infect the skin of the hands or feet, quickly develop protection against drug treatment. Fungi such as Candida can remain on your skin or mucous membranes for years after infection. Signs of the disease appear only when your immune system weakens - for example, in autumn or early spring. The focus of infection develops at the base. The nail quickly changes color, becomes dull. Without systemic treatment, the disease does not disappear, but rarely passes into an acute stage. With the strengthening of immunity, the lesion may temporarily disappear.
- Mold. Moldy fungi, of which scientists count more than 40 species, are often responsible for severe systemic lesions. Mold organisms are so actively spread that laboratory tests do not always give unequivocal results about the nature of the disease. As a result, the fungus is not diagnosed in time or is treated for a long time with various drugs using the brute force method. If you fail to find a drug for six months, there is a risk of developing serious complications.
characters
In the first stages of infection, it is impossible to recognize the fungus on its own. The condition of the nail plate will change only when the living cells of the fungus acquire a critical mass. Colonization of nails and skin is faster if you have a weakened natural defense:
- poor health - weakening of immunity due to insufficient or unbalanced nutrition, viral attacks or cold weather;
- the body does not have the resources to resist the disease;
- nutrition in the nail bed is disturbed.
In the absence of all these factors, the disease will still start, but it will go unnoticed by you and others.
If the fungus manages to break through the body's defense systems and attach itself to the skin or nail plate, onychomycosis will gradually begin to develop. The affected areas will darken, air voids will appear between the layers. If left untreated, the plaque will begin to delaminate.
Gradually, the entire surface of the nails may crack, become covered with a cloudy plaque and turn black. You can remove the black nail with a special patch or other means, but this will not protect you from relapses of the fungus. While there was a slow darkening of the nail plate, the spores penetrated the deeper layers of the skin. Without medical treatment, new nails will grow back diseased, deformed or discolored.
There are several types of infection. They can be recognized by the main characteristics indicated in the table.
Review |
Symptoms |
|---|---|
Subungual shape |
Skin irritation almost never occurs in the distal-lateral phase. Changes can be determined only by the appearance of the nail plate. An early symptom of onychomycosis is gray or yellow streaks at the end of the nail plate. If that part of the nail becomes brittle or splits, and the darkening returns even after cutting off the infected part, you should see a doctor. A non-obvious sign is slow nail growth with good nutrition. |
white surface mold |
A small white spot appears on the nail, which does not cause discomfort. The skin is usually not scaly, red, or itchy. Cosmetic nail defects appear and disappear without treatment. At the site of the lesion, other small defects are formed: small indentations on the plate, tuberculosis. Symptoms of the disease often appear after a long stay in a humid environment. |
Proximal subungual form |
The first symptom is a thickening of the base of the nail fold. Since the affected areas are small, the first phase of the disease often goes unnoticed. The color of the hole changes - from white-transparent to cloudy yellow, then white. Affected nails grow very slowly but do not crack or peel. A few months after the color of the well changes, the plaque begins to peel off quickly. |
Complete destruction (advanced form of any type of fungal disease). |
The color of the plate changes significantly, the nails turn yellow. The nail looks unpleasant, it collapses along the entire length. Behind the exfoliated tissues, the skin is visible in places where it is normally closed. The skin around the infected fingers becomes inflamed and red. Scabies and itching possible. |
How to treat nail fungus
The earlier it is possible to recognize the disease, the easier it will be to cure onychomycosis. This disease does not appear overnight. You will be able to notice unpleasant signs on the skin and nail plate long before the destruction of the nail if you check your toes every time after showering. Are there signs of infection? Then you should see a doctor as soon as possible.
- The dermatologist will conduct a laboratory examination of the material from the nail plate, evaluate the stage of the lesion and select drugs. Depending on the type of infection, the doctor may prescribe a single or systemic treatment. In the latter case, you will need to continue taking courses of pills or smearing the skin with creams for another six months after recovery. This will ensure that there are no relapses.
- The cosmetologist can cover the affected plates with medical varnish, choose a cream for inflamed skin or perform nail removal. Cosmetic treatment does not eliminate the cause of the infection, but makes conservative treatment more effective. Biomaterial damaged by fungi is infected. By removing the exfoliated tissues, the beautician removes the largest focus of the infection.
Many types of onychomycosis appear mildly - as a white coating, brittleness or slow nail growth. For these types of lesions, topical treatment is appropriate. The doctor will prescribe local preparations - ointments, creams, gels - that will not transfer the components into the blood. Such treatment has no unpleasant consequences in the form of an allergic reaction on the skin or weakening of the body. The drug acts on the focus of the infection, so recovery occurs faster.
Systemic treatment of mycosis is necessary in the following cases:
- large deformations appear along the entire length;
- cracks or folds appear;
- the process has spread to several nails, the skin of the fingers is contagious;
- damaged, infected nail root;
- large black or yellow areas appear;
- the plate is stratified to the base;
- a fungus is found on the skin;
- quick fixes don't help.
Systemic therapy begins with diagnosis. It is important to recognize the causes quickly to start targeted treatment. Along with taking medication, you will need to take measures to improve your health. Your doctor may recommend that you stay at home for the first week to prevent an acute infection.
Two types of drugs are chosen for complex therapy:
- To relieve symptoms. Onychomycosis and other forms of athlete's foot often cause skin irritation and itching. This deprives the already weakened organism of strength.
- Drugs with a cumulative effect. Means of this type do not start working immediately. The drug must enter the blood through the skin or stomach and accumulate in the nail plate in sufficient quantities. After a few weeks, the fungus will die on its own.
Effective antifungal agents
You can cure nail and skin fungus without leaving your home. But if you choose the wrong medicine, under the right conditions, the infection will catch your fingers again. You should be treated only if you are sitting at home due to illness or temporarily unable to visit a dermatologist for other reasons. In this case, it is worth trying medicines that are suitable for home use:
- Cream for external use from the group of imidazoles. Treats onychomycosis, early forms of mycosis and most fungal infections known to science. Suitable for treating the nail plate and skin. One of the first most popular means: quickly kills fungal colonies, prevents relapses. It can be used at home without medical supervision: the drug has almost no contraindications.
- Antifungal agent for external use, belonging to the group of allylamines. Treats the consequences of onychomycosis and other forms of mycosis, is safe for the skin, suitable for treating children and pregnant women. This is a fast-acting cream: complex forms of the disease are treated in a few weeks. If after a few months deformations or a white plaque form again, the course should be repeated.