A few tips on how to recognize toenail fungus and not confuse it with another disease

One third of people in the world have exfoliation and disintegration of nails, clouding of the plate.

This disease is called onychomycosis or nail fungus. It can start at any age, spreads immediately and adapts well to different conditions.

Causes of onychomycosis

A fungal infection is quite easy. The infection can be detected inpublic showers, beaches and pools.There is a high risk of contracting onychomycosis from infected relatives and friends if household items are used together.

There are the following prerequisites that provoke the entry of the pathogen into the body, in short, the causes of the appearance of the fungus:

• small skin lesions on the feet (calluses, calluses, small cracks and abrasions) that appear due to tight shoes;
• weak immunity due to inflammatory and infectious diseases;
• vascular diseases, impaired functioning of internal organs, which leads to difficult blood circulation in the legs;
• violation of safety measures, that is, walking in public places without shoes, poor foot hygiene, trying on someone else's shoes;
• ignoring profuse sweating and diaper rash on the legs.

important!

Onychomycosis starts from the thumb, and subsequently the virus can also develop on the little finger.

What diseases can serve as a prerequisite?

The risk group includes people whose skin does not breathe due to tight shoes all day. They include representatives of working specialties.

There are the following diseases that can serve as a prerequisite:

• diabetes mellitus group I and II;
• phleburism;
• foot deformity;
• clogging and clogging of blood vessels.

Today, various creams and varnishes are often offered for treatment, but they will be useless, since the cause may be caused by internal diseases.

Types of infection

In total, there are more than half a thousand species of mushroomsbringing problems. There is no single classification.

The only thing is that there are two important signs by which the disease is distinguished. This is the localization and type of pathogen.

important!

The infection can be in any part of the nail and this is the main symptom of the disease. The externally affected plate changes based on the localization of the virus.

Type of pathogen

There are different causative agents of the disease, each of which has its own distinctive features. This is important to consider when developing a treatment plan. The most common pathogens are:

• dermatophytes- this is trichophyton red and mentagrophyte, scaly epidermophyton, etc. When infected with such fungi, yellowish or grayish spots are formed, the remaining parts of the plate become cloudy, and the free edge changes the shade. In general, the entire surface changes and eventually moves away from the bed.
• moulds. This type is relatively harmless. It does not penetrate into the deep layers of the nails, therefore it only changes the plates in a dark, swampy, gray, yellowish, brownish color. Such a shade can affect the surface both partially and completely.
• Yeast of the genus Candida. They thin the nail and contribute to its exfoliation. Often due to this pathogen, a white form of the disease is formed, characterized by inflammation of the cuticle. They can cause severe pain and purulent secretions can be observed. If left untreated, the nail will become thinner, turn brown, and completely pull away from the bed.

Places of localization of the disease on the hands, feet

The main forms of onychomycosis:

1. Sideways.There is an infection of the nail on the side. Its color becomes gray, yellowish and brownish. The plaque begins to become cloudy, disintegrate and exfoliate.
2. Distal.This is the most common type of fungus. The infection starts from the free edge of the nail. The plaque changes color to yellow, brown, or gray. As time goes by, the loss gets bigger. The plate begins to delaminate, disintegrate and cloud. In this case, hyperkeratosis appears under the nails, and if the entire nail is affected, then tissue dystrophy is formed.
3. Proximal.This form involves damage to the cuticle, which swells, becomes inflamed, reddened, and changes in shape and structure. As a result, the roller is separated from the plate, and the nail crumbles, fades and deforms. With a neglected disease, the plaque can completely disintegrate.
4. White surface.As a rule, it appears on the thumb, on others - from time to time. Externally, it manifests itself in the form of white spots located on the entire surface of the nails. In addition, the disease progresses and spreads to keratinized tissues. The spots can change color - from milky to green or yellow. The plate structure is made porous and loose. If this form is not treated, then the nail can completely collapse.
5. The dystrophy is total.Covers the entire nail surface. This is an advanced stage of distal or proximal fungus. The plate becomes thick, changes its shape to unnatural and eventually completely breaks down.

Photo of mycosis on the nails

Mycosis symptoms

Once an infection has occurred, the fungus needs time to establish itself. First, the disease affects the big toes, destroying the nail plate. The damage is manifested by such signs as:

• Thickening.The plate becomes thicker due to strong keratinization. In advanced cases, this significantly complicates treatment.
• Change the shade.In a healthy state, the nail is translucent, and the translucent capillaries give it a pink color. And the infected changes its color to black, brown and yellow. A gap is formed under the plate, in which microbes and other pathogens develop.
• it's falling apart.With incomplete treatment or its absence, the fungus begins to penetrate into the deeper layers of the plaque. As a result, it crumbles and collapses. If you do not carry out therapy, onychomycosis becomes chronic. Due to this, the immune system is weakened, allergies begin and problems with internal organs begin.

How to independently determine, recognize the disease?

The fungus first affects one leg, then the infection moves to the second. It is not necessary to postpone this disease, if you yourself doubt and cannot determine the virus, then be sure to consult a doctor.

You can diagnose it yourself at home using certain methods.

Find out with potassium permanganate

There is an express method that involves immersing the feet in a solution of potassium permanganate. At the same time, potassium permanganate stains healthy nails brownish, while infected ones remain light.

This procedure is simple and does not take much time. Add a little potassium permanganate to a bowl of warm water. The solution should not be strong. Feet or hands are placed in the liquid and waited for about 10 minutes. This method is completely harmless. It cannot be used only if there are allergic reactions to potassium permanganate.

Detection with iodine

Iodine is also often used to identify nail fungus. But this does not indicate the presence of pathogens. It can help eliminate other fungi, such as pityriasis versicolor.

When redness and peeling of the skin near the nail appear, they are treated with iodine. Healthy skin does not darken under an alcohol solution, and the area affected by lichen will become very dark in color.

How to diagnose?

Today, various effective diagnostic methods are available, perhaps the most reliable way is to take tests for nail fungus:

• Microbiological diagnostics.Microscopy is the most commonly used method for detecting fungi and determining their type. It allows you to detect an infection only in the structure of the nail plate or skin tissues. Collecting biomaterial involves scraping the infected cells from the site where the pathogen is located.

  In the last and middle stages, mycosis spores, yeast cells and mycelial threads are detected in the samples. Such diagnostics allow to establish the accumulation and type of the pathogen. The procedure itself lasts from 2 days to a month.

• Coupled immunosorbent assay. Such an analysis is designed to identify fungi that have affected both the nail and the internal organs. Its difference is that venous blood is needed to detect the disease, which is taken in the morning or 4 hours after a meal. No special preparation is required for the analysis.
• PCR test.Polymerase chain reaction is the best diagnostic method for infectious diseases. It has a number of advantages, such as speed, greater accuracy and the ability to take any tissue samples. A characteristic of the method is considered a narrow focus. That is, for the diagnosis of onychomycosis, it is necessary to know the exact location. The PCR test can reveal both the type of fungus and its concentration in the body.
• Luminescence study. Such a diagnosis is based on transillumination of the skin affected by pathological microflora with an ultraviolet lamp. When examining a patient, a Wood's lamp is used, which emits ultraviolet rays. Thanks to her, the products of vital activity begin to shine brightly. The type of pathogen affects the shade of the gloss.

How to distinguish mycosis from bruises and other diseases?

At first, onychomycosis is easily confused with other diseases, such as lichen, nail bruises or psoriasis.

It can be distinguished by darkening of the nail plate, formation of yellow spots and stripes, which over time become larger and penetrate deep into the nail.

Compared to psoriasis, onychomycosis develops smoothly. It gradually deforms the plate so that it separates from the bed. It distinguishes it from injuries, psoriasis, lichen and eczema, presence of pain and bad smell.

Hygiene rules

The best remedy against fungus is prevention.Simple precautions can help prevent infection. First of all, they are necessary for people who visit beaches, public pools, saunas, etc. In such places, you should always use individual towels and wear light plates.

If your feet sweat a lot, then you need to treat them with special products, of which there are many today. It is not recommended to wear shoes that are too tight or to use foreign ones. When trying on shoes in the store, you must wear shoe covers or socks. Do not forget to monitor the hygiene of the feet and hands and wipe them dry after washing.

When one of the family members is infected with fungus, he should have a separate towel and towel. After visiting the bathroom, it should be treated with antimicrobial agents. The patient's towel should be treated regularly with a 5% chloramine solution, and clothes and towels should be boiled with washing powder.

If there is a suspicion of infection, then the feet or hands should be immersed in hot water and kept for about 10 min. The fungus dies quite quickly at a temperature of +50 ° C. Then these places are smeared with antifungal ointment.

Conclusion

Onychomycosis is an insidious and unpleasant disease, so it is important to monitor your toenails and fingernails and observe preventive measures. If there are suspicious symptoms, it is best to see a doctor as soon as possible and start treatment.