To determine if you have toenail fungus and quickly treat the disease, you need to know the signs of its appearance.It has been established that approximately 20% of the world's population is infected with onychomycosis.People who play sports and go to the pool fall into the risk category.
Reasons for the development of onychomycosis.
Faced with this problem, the question arises as to why fungus appears on the fingernails or toenails.Pathogens thrive in soil or air.The best conditions for its reproduction will be excessive humidity and a significant increase in temperature (public showers).
Fingernail or toenail fungus is an infectious disease, so its development occurs very quickly.The human nail plate is porous, contains water, keratin fibers and fat.Therefore, by creating suitable conditions for the proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms, one should soon expect the appearance of unpleasant lesions.
The main causes of nail fungus are:
- Wear tight shoes.Particularly dangerous are poorly breathable products made from low-quality materials.
- If a person suffers from excessive sweating.
- There are important alterations in the functioning of the patient's immune system.Onychomycosis can appear due to changes in hormonal levels or dysfunction of metabolic processes.
- Often the disease appears after the use of unsterilized manicure instruments.
- After a long treatment with antibacterial drugs.
- As a concomitant disease of diabetes mellitus or varicose veins.
- Due to bad habits, as well as work characteristics.
Symptoms of fungal diseases in the feet.
To recognize toenail fungus, you need to know its symptoms.The main signs of the disease are excessive dryness, peeling and regular itching of the skin.Unfortunately, this symptomatology is almost always ignored.After a while, changes are noticeable on the nail surface.Instead of shine and healthy color, cracks form, and sometimes depressions may appear.But even such obvious signs are often ignored.
As a rule, patients whose fungal infection has developed into an advanced form are seen by a doctor.In this case, the nail plate completely changes color, the nail becomes brittle and may subsequently even come off.
If the disease is not treated in time, the risk of the fungal infection spreading to the skin increases.And due to the bad habit of biting nails, the disease manages to penetrate the human body and affect the internal organs (when the patient suffers from nail fungus).
To avoid serious complications, it is important to diagnose the disease in time.It is better to start fighting the fungus in the early stages.You can diagnose a fungal infection yourself.To do this, you need to prepare a solution of potassium permanganate at home, and then soak your feet in it.Healthy dishes are characterized by a uniform color, closer to brown.And the nails affected by onychomycosis will be white.
There are several ways to identify nail fungus yourself:
- There is a noticeable deformation of the nail plate.Signs in which the color of the nail changes or a slight thickening of the nail appears should not be ignored.The presence of infection is also indicated by unusual spots of different colors.
- Changes have occurred in the structure of the nail.It is possible to diagnose onychomycosis not only by unusual spots.Sometimes veins and stripes appear on the nail plate.Without timely treatment, they spread and then affect the skin of the legs.
- If the nail becomes loose.Due to a fungal infection, the plaque begins to crumble and sometimes comes off.
- Instead of a healthy color, the nail turns dull yellow.At the same time, the edges of the rollers become inflamed and overly sensitive.
- Due to the death of the tissue, an unpleasant odor occurs.
- If the leg fungus has reached an advanced stage, pain appears when walking or when pressing.
Characteristics of some fungal infections.
Before carrying out therapeutic treatment of onychomycosis, it is necessary to determine exactly what type of pathogen affected the nails.This will require careful diagnosis.Although the symptoms of fungal infections are similar, there are some peculiarities in the course of the disease.
When the causative agent is yeast, the patient's nail takes on a dull yellow color and becomes very dense.Plus, he gets out of bed.
But if it is determined that the fungus was caused by mold, the symptoms are manifested by a color change (sometimes green, brown, and sometimes black).In addition, the plaque begins to peel off strongly and multiple inclusions appear.
Sometimes a fungal infection occurs due to the activity of dermatophyte pathogens.The disease manifests itself as longitudinal stripes that are located in the center or along the edges of the nails.
You should not self-medicate.Instead, it is recommended to consult a specialist.Only the treating doctor will determine how to recognize the causative agent of onychomycosis and prescribe the optimal method of therapy.
The process of getting rid of a disease is always long.However, with the help of special ointments, unpleasant symptoms disappear from the skin after 3 weeks.In certain cases, treating fungal nail infections will require several months.In addition to following the specialist's instructions, it is necessary to take care of hygiene.Foot baths with apple cider vinegar give excellent results.
It is recommended to periodically treat the affected areas with tea tree oil or use a special propolis tincture.
It is possible to prevent reinfection with onychomycosis.You must understand that for this each member of the family must have their own hygiene items.Also, do not forget to periodically treat the inside of your shoes with special alcohol.