Fungal infections of the feet start in the areas between the toes. Subsequently, the infection can spread to the feet and nails. The disease is caused by dermatophytes, molds or yeasts. According to statistics, about 20% of people in our country have foot fungus. The severity of the disease depends on the type of infection, but in any case the disease must be cured, because peeling, severe itching, inflammation and unpleasant smell of the feet cause severe discomfort. We will tell you how to get rid of foot fungus.
What does foot fungus look like?
A yeast infection causes inflammation of the skin where the yeast infection is located. The main types of dermatomycosis of the feet are:
- Fungus on the foot is squamous, in which the affected area becomes red, scaly, and cracks appear on the skin. The patient often does not experience any discomfort, which contributes to the wide spread of this type of disease.
- Dyshidrotic foot fungus is localized on the arch of the feet, which are not in contact with the floor surface. At the places of infection, small bubbles form, which spread to the inner and outer parts of the foot, open, forming erosions and diaper rash on the surface of the skin. The process is accompanied by a feeling of itching and burning. After the opening of the vesicles (bubbles), the disease passes into a squamous form.
- Fungus on the skin of the feet, which affects the interdigital space, is called the intertriginous form of the disease and is the most common type. It appears in the form of cracks, the ends of which are covered with a white edge of exfoliating epidermis. As a rule, this form has a long chronic course and is difficult to treat.
- Fungus on the shin or ankle appears as round spots of pink or red color covered with skin scales. As the infection progresses, foci of inflammation grow, the process is accompanied by severe itching.
Onychomycosis
This disease is a type of foot fungus characterized by a fungal infection of the nails. You can get infected in public showers, saunas, baths and swimming pools. Scales containing a pathogenic microorganism are quite easily separated from the nail plate and can remain on floors, carpets, mats and unpainted benches. High humidity allows them not only to survive, but also promotes active reproduction, due to which the risk of infection increases significantly.
In the initial stage, the infection reaches the epidermis of the legs, causing severe itching. To relieve the discomfort, a person begins to brush the infected area, but this only worsens the situation. The areas of the skin affected by the fungus become covered with small scratches and cracks, microorganisms begin to spread, penetrate under the nail plate and then begin to multiply uncontrollably.
Severe diseases such as diabetes or HIV, poor circulation or injury to the nail greatly increase the risk of infection.
Onychomycosis is divided into 3 types:
- Normotrophic. In this type of onychomycosis, there is a change in the color of the nail from normal to yellow-brown. The natural shine, shape of the nail and its thickness remain unchanged.
- Hypertrophic. There is a final change in the color of the nail, its luster disappears, its shape changes, thickening develops and partial destruction begins.
- Onycholithic. The color of the affected nail changes to brown, it thins and begins to break. His gradual separation from the bed begins. Uneven layers may appear on the exposed part of the nail bed.
Treatment of this type of fungus on the palms and feet with topical medications is ineffective due to the fact that the spores of the fungus are located under the nail. Before starting the treatment, the nail must be removed. This is done with the help of keratolytic drugs, and patches are also used. In some cases, it is possible to remove the nail mechanically: parts of the nail that have died are cut off with a nail file or tweezers. It is important to remember that all instruments used must be sterile.
The combined use of mechanical removal and keratolytic patches is the most effective way to remove diseased nails. As for keratolytic agents, you can use a ready-made kit with a broad-spectrum antifungal drug. It contains a special ointment, files for scraping the nail and a patch. After removal of the nail plate, you should start taking systemic antifungal agents: systemic antifungal drug, oral antifungal drug.
Symptoms
Depending on the form of the disease and the location of the inflammation, the infection is accompanied by various symptoms with a number of the following common signs:
- peeling of the skin;
- mild or severe redness of the skin at the site of the lesion;
- itching;
- Burning sensation;
- rash with blisters or cracks in the skin.
Blisters between toes
The main symptom of athlete's foot caused by Candida fungus is the appearance of blisters between the toes, usually between the fourth toe and the little toe. The course of the disease is accompanied by swelling of the skin near the fingers, pronounced areas of redness with small blisters on their surface. The source of inflammation is surrounded by a rim of exfoliated epidermis.
Dihydrate form
Vesicular fungus or, as it is also called, mycosis dyshydra, is the rarest type of disease. Its main manifestation is numerous vesicles united in conglomerates. Vesicles are bubbles filled with pus or nutrient fluid inside. When the fluid starts to turn cloudy, the vesicles burst, leaving ulcers in their place. They begin to merge into one line, forming pronounced scars on the skin. This happens due to drying and flaking of the skin layers.
About 70% of vesicular fungal infections are accompanied by allergic rashes. Various bacteria and viruses begin to penetrate the ulcers. As a result, the disease becomes mixed and identification of the original pathogen becomes more difficult. That is why you should consult a doctor as soon as the primary symptoms appear: he can quickly determine the type of foot fungus and start therapy.
Moreover, it must be done immediately. First of all, before using antifungal drugs, you need to eliminate the acute process. It is better to entrust this task to a specialist: he can carefully pierce the vesicles, treat the remaining ulcers with two percent boric acid and apply brilliant green solution or methylene blue.
Treatment of advanced disease includes the use of corticosteroid ointments. After eliminating the inflammatory process, it is recommended to use local antimycotic agents. This will suppress the pathogen. We continue to look at the names and types of foot fungus.
First signs
The disease of the skin of the feet is always accompanied by a number of general symptoms, the appearance of which indicates an infection of the skin with spores of harmful microorganisms. You should seek help from a dermatologist in the following cases:
- the appearance of cracks or blisters on the skin in the folds of the legs or between the toes;
- roughening and significant thickening of the skin of the legs;
- redness of areas of the skin, their peeling;
- burning or itching sensation.
Duration of treatment
Combined infection of the skin and nail plate requires rehabilitation therapy from one to three months. These conditions are considered standard for the most medically effective pharmaceutical products.
Pregnancy requires a fascinating visit to the doctor to choose a way to get rid of mycodin infection. Powerful drugs and therapies that require the use of such drugs are prescribed only under the supervision of a doctor and in compliance with strict dosages. Many antibacterial tablets that effectively destroy fungi can cause noticeable damage to the fetus. Therefore, whenever possible, during pregnancy, it is recommended that patients be treated using recipes from traditional medicine. Many of them allow you to cope with the disease, but on the condition that the disease has not reached a complicated stage. Only classical medicine can help to cope with the advanced form.
Modern medicines allow you to completely restore the health of your feet within two weeks, provided that the signs of infection are detected in time.
reasons
The infection occurs for a number of reasons after direct or indirect contact of the patient with the carrier of the infection or his personal belongings, household objects. Risk factors for contracting tinea pedis include:
- circulatory disorders of the legs and related diseases (varicose veins);
- weakened general or local immunity;
- non-compliance with hygiene rules;
- weakening of the body's defense systems after taking antibiotics;
- increased sweating of the skin of the feet;
- presence of minor skin damage (scratches, scratches).
Methods of treatment
In most cases, it is possible to completely get rid of a timely detected disease in a maximum of a month. This is a very important point in the treatment, as itching, tissue damage and other manifestations disappear, the patient sometimes stops the treatment, believing that the disease has been defeated. But the remnants of the infection can easily cause a relapse.
Treatment procedures should be stopped only after a doctor's permission and after passing the necessary tests. This is especially true for advanced forms of the disease. Fungi are firmly "fixed" in the body and sometimes it can take at least six months to get rid of them. But the external manifestation of foot fungus in the form of various damage to the skin or nails disappears much earlier, creating the illusion of healthBy stopping therapy in this case, the patient is almost guaranteed to provoke a relapse.
The treatment of feet in case of mycoid infection is carried out complexly. To get rid of the disease, local antifungal drugs and tablets are used to eliminate the infectious agent that has penetrated the body. To get rid of itching, pain, brittle nails and speed up tissue regeneration, certain drugs can be prescribed. It is not recommended to combine them alone with the main therapeutic group, so as not to provoke an allergic reaction or poisoning of the body due to the simultaneous use of incompatible drugs.
Treating foot fungus at an early stage is quite easy. Usually, two weeks of therapy is sufficient to eliminate the symptoms of mycoid infection.
Types of mycoses
Only a dermatologist can accurately determine the type of fungus through a visual examination, the data of which is clarified with the help of laboratory tests. Depending on the cause of the fungal infection (yeasts, molds, fungi of the genus Trichophyton or Candida), there are several main types of disease on the skin of the feet, which include:
- candidiasis of the feet;
- athlete's foot;
- trichophytosis (or rhumbicosis) of the legs;
- onychomycosis (nail fungus).
Prevention
Simple preventive measures will greatly reduce the likelihood of infection. You should only use personal items and process your nails with sterile tools. When visiting public places, such as baths, saunas, swimming pools, beaches, you must wear your own shoes. By the way, try to choose it so that it is comfortable and allows your feet to breathe. You need to take care of prevention in advance so that you don't have to deal with various types of foot fungus later.
How to treat
The treatment of skin fungus on the feet is a long-term complex therapy, in severe cases it includes the use of systemic oral agents. For mild lesions, the emphasis is on local therapy with antibacterial and antiseptic agents. In acute forms of the disease, warm baths are prescribed to relieve inflammation and remove dead skin cells. In some cases, it is necessary to treat the patient's shoes and clothes with special compounds to avoid recurrences.
System settings
Systemic oral agents are prescribed in cases of ineffectiveness of local drugs and in severe advanced forms of the disease. The course of oral antifungal drugs is indicated for fungal infections of the deep layers of the skin, they help not only to treat the acute stage, but also prevent the chronicity of the disease. The dosage regimen, duration of the course and dosage are selected by the attending physician.
Doctors recognize antifungal drugs for systemic use as the best means of systemic treatment of foot fungus. They have an active fungicidal (destroying) and funginistic (suppressing the reproduction of bacteria) effect, their active components can accumulate in the upper layers of the epidermis, nails and hair. Before taking it, be sure to read the instructions for use, as these products have contraindications.
Local remedies
Therapy with local drugs includes not only the use of antifungal creams and ointments, but also the use of special sprays, aerosols and lotions. The form of the drug is recommended by a dermatologist depending on the type of the causative agent of the infection, the severity of the lesion on the skin of the legs, the stage of the disease and the individual characteristics of the patient's body. The duration of treatment with a local drug can vary from 2 weeks to 3 months.
For foot fungus and other forms of mycoses on the skin of the feet, an aerosol, a suspension for application to the skin or a solution for local application may be prescribed. The products are applied directly to the skin damaged by fungus or wet swabs soaked in a medicinal solution are placed. You can get all the necessary recommendations for use from your doctor.
Antifungal ointments
In the treatment of fungus on the skin of the feet, in most cases, an antifungal ointment is prescribed, for example, a cream with the active ingredient terbinafine hydrochloride or its analogues. Apply the medicine in the form of an ointment or cream to the dry skin of the heels or other areas of localization of inflammation, previously carefully cleaned of dead epidermal cells and any other plaques. For different types of diseases, the duration of treatment can vary from 2-3 weeks to 2-3 months.
Experts consider broad-spectrum ointments to be an effective means of combating foot fungus of various forms and stages. The active components of the drug fight the fungal infection locally by suppressing the reproduction of its pathogen. The ointment is applied two to three times a day to washed, affected skin for several weeks or months, depending on the degree of skin damage.
People's funds
The use of folk remedies is possible only with the consent of the attending physician. The main products for baths, compresses and applications against fungus on the skin of the feet are vinegar, propolis, baking soda, decoctions of medicinal plants and laundry soap. The following procedures are practiced:
- Baths with a solution of soda and salt. For 3 liters of water with a temperature of 36-40°C, use 3 tablespoons of salt and 3 tablespoons of soda. The duration of the procedure is 10-15 minutes, after the bath the feet are rinsed under running warm water. It is used for acute forms of fungus for 7-10 days, twice a day.
- Lotions with herbal decoctions. To prepare a decoction, mix equal proportions of dried oak bark, calendula flowers and verbena leaves. To prepare the decoction, pour 3 tablespoons of the mixture with a glass of boiling water and leave on low heat for 10-15 minutes. Make a compress with the resulting decoction three times a day for 20-30 minutes.
Deleted form
Mycosis of the erased form is almost invisible, its symptoms are minimal. These include: mild itching, burning, flour-like peeling, microcracks located in the interdigital areas. If you do not contact a specialist when the first signs of the disease appear, the pathology can develop in the form of onychomycosis, which is much more difficult to treat. In this case, the peeled nail will grow again from one month to six.
Mycosis of the erased form is treated with local preparations: ointments, creams, foams. They allow you to create a layer on the leg that will protect against infection from other infections. It is not recommended to wash your feet for 24 hours after applying this medicine.
Systemic therapy can only be prescribed in extreme cases. The problem is that such drugs are toxic and negatively affect some internal organs, such as the liver. Accordingly, if there is an effect from the use of local means, then it is better not to take pills.
Routes of infection
Fungal spores remain viable in the environment for a long time, so it is easy to contract the disease in the most unexpected places. But the most favorable conditions for their development are heat and high humidity. People visiting the following places are therefore at risk:
- swimming pools;
- bathrooms;
- saunas;
- fitness centers;
- beaches.
Fungi can appear on any objects that are there, even if regular disinfection is carried out. Therefore, in such places you should avoid common items and do not forget to take spare shoes with you.
Military personnel are at risk. Most often, soldiers in the army wear uncomfortable shoes that do not allow air to pass through. Because of this, the feet sweat, microtraumas appear, into which the fungus penetrates.
There are two types of infection. The first is the direct way through direct contact with the infectious agent when communicating with a sick person, caring for an animal or walking barefoot on the ground and sand. The second - indirect way leads to infection through objects belonging to infected people or pets.
Precautions
Preventing a disease is always easier and safer for health than treating it, even with the most gentle method. In the case of a fungal infection, prevention is one of the mandatory norms of life, since it is very easy to get infected. Therefore, to reduce the risk of contracting the disease, it is recommended to follow a few simple rules:
- try to eat healthy and eat as healthy as possible;
- do not use foreign objects and personal hygiene products;
- use basic protective equipment in public places, such as spare shoes and antibacterial hygiene products;
- wash your feet and change your socks regularly;
- lead a healthy lifestyle;
- Take regular baths to improve foot health;
- periodically disinfect the shoes.
Preventing a yeast infection is important not only to prevent it, but also if the disease occurs. In this situation, compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards helps to speed up treatment and prevent infection of others with the fungus.