If the nail plates are affected by a fungus, this will obviously not decorate the toenails.But one in five people faces this disease at least once in their life.The nail changes color, thickens and crumbles.The symptoms of a fungal infection may disappear and treatment is not prescribed in a timely manner.
When the immune system is weakened, nail fungus can spread to the skin of the foot.And in some cases, fungi can spread through the bloodstream and cause damage to internal organs.Fungal infection is a common cause of allergy and exacerbation of many diseases, for example, bronchial asthma.A sick person is dangerous to others, especially children.
Treating a fungal nail infection is not an easy task.The patient will need perseverance and precision.Despite the apparent non-seriousness of the disease, it is important to recognize foot fungus in time and be sure to treat it.
Causes of fungal nail infections.
Fungi that cause nail diseases are normal inhabitants of the environment.But under certain conditions, fungal mycelium can begin to develop on human skin or nails.Onychomycosis, a nail fungus, occurs several times more often on the feet than on the hands.This is because feet are injured more frequently and come into greater contact with contaminated surfaces.Nail fungus appears in the same way on the toes and hands.
You can become infected with fungus in common areas where people walk barefoot.These are beaches, swimming pools, baths, saunas, gyms, showers.Flakes of skin containing fungal spores come off from the legs of a sick person.The spores are very resistant and can remain viable for years.Fungi especially love humid environments and wooden surfaces.
When it comes into contact with the skin of a healthy person, the spores are activated and begin to multiply.The feet are usually affected first.The infection can later spread to the toenails and fingernails.A sick person, in turn, becomes a source of infection for household members, especially children.
In a family, the disease is more likely to develop in one parent and the child than in both spouses.The reasons for this lie in genetic predisposition.
Signs and types of disease.
Toenail disease is not difficult to recognize;Its symptoms are obvious.Depending on the appearance of the affected nail, three forms of the disease are distinguished: normotrophic, hypertrophic and atrophic.
| Form of injury | Signs of illness |
|---|---|
| Normotrophic. | The nail retains its color and strength.The symptoms of the disease are limited to the appearance of spots on the nail plate. |
| Hypertrophic. | The nail thickens, becomes dull and loose.Over time, it changes shape and looks like a “bird claw.”This phenomenon is called griffosis. |
| Atrophic. | Destruction of toenails.The nail becomes dull, crumbles and the nail bed is exposed.Over time, the nail plate can collapse completely. |
At the site of penetration of the infection into the nail, distal-lateral, proximal, total and superficial onychomycosis are distinguished.Distal-lateral onychomycosis is the most common.This is an option when the infection enters the nail from its free end and affects the free edge of the nail and the nail folds to the right and left of the nail bed.In the proximal version, the growing part of the nail opposite the free edge is affected.In the superficial version, the fungus affects the entire surface of the nail plate from the outside.It looks like a fine white powder spread across the surface of the nail.The total variant is the result of any form, when the fungus has spread and the entire nail is completely affected.
The first signs of the disease appear in the foot, since that is where the infection occurs.The skin on the foot peels, the spaces between the toes become red, and itching may occur.The first signs of damage to the nails: the appearance of spots on the nail plate.The spots can be white, yellowish, or blue-black, which is typical of mold.Subsequently, the fungus penetrates deeper, the affected nail becomes dull, thickens or crumbles.Adjacent nail plates are affected.
To accurately determine the causes of the disease, microscopy of nail scrapings is performed.Some laboratories have the opportunity to inoculate this material in a nutrient medium to grow and study the culture of the fungus.
How is the treatment performed?
Treatment of a fungal infection should be started as soon as the initial signs of the disease can be recognized.At the same time, treatment cannot begin until confirmation is received that the cause of the disease is a fungus.You should not perform expensive and harmful treatments for the body just like that!
Treatment of fungal infection includes a series of measures:
- removal of the affected nail;
- taking antifungal medications;
- treatment of the nail bed with local agents;
- additional treatment methods: laser irradiation, physiotherapy, vascular agents.
Nail removal is carried out when the nail plate is thickened and drugs through it cannot penetrate into the subungual layer.You can remove the affected nail with a special patch.The patient can perform this extraction independently.A special mass is applied to the nail plate, fixed with a plaster and removed after two days.The nail plate can be removed by scraping it off layer by layer.
However, treatment has been shown to be more effective when the nail is removed surgically.The surgeon removes the nail under local anesthesia.The nail plate can usually be removed with tweezers.Removing the nail allows you to significantly increase the effectiveness of the therapy.
Treatment with antifungal drugs is carried out for 3 to 6 months.For local treatment of the subungual area, pharmacies have various types of preparations in the form of varnishes, sprays and lotions.It is preferable to choose a drug with the same active ingredient that the patient takes orally.Physiotherapy and vascular medications complement the treatment.All these measures make it possible to increase the blood supply to the foot and increase the delivery of medicinal substances to the site of the fungal infection.
Even if all symptoms have disappeared, 2 and 4 months after finishing treatment it is necessary to perform control tests to determine if there is a relapse.
The reasons for ineffective treatment may vary.Perhaps the fungus is insensitive to the drug used for therapy.It happens that a person does not fully follow medical recommendations.Reinfection is possible.
Onychomycosis of the feet in children.
The risk of infection for a child is primarily associated with fungal infections among adults in the family.Children often become infected in swimming pools.In children, the immune defense is not formed, so the risk of infection for a child is higher than for an adult.At the same time, regeneration processes in children proceed faster.Therefore, the nails grow back faster than the fungus spreads on them and the child may not develop the disease.
In children, the symptoms of the disease do not differ from those in adults, and the principles of treatment are the same.The first symptoms of the disease, as in adults, appear on the skin of the foot: itching, peeling, and the spaces between the toes become moist.And only then the infection spreads to the toenails.
Treatment for children is gentle.For a child, only local treatment is possible, without the use of tablets, which are not harmless for young children.
To prevent other family members from being infected by a sick child, special measures must be taken.Shoes and toys should be treated with antiseptics, and bedding should be ironed with a hot iron.
Fungus in a breastfeeding woman is dangerous for the baby.But treatment in this case is only possible locally, since antifungal drugs penetrate into the milk during lactation.This is harmful to the child.A woman can complete the full treatment when she weans her baby.
Prevent foot fungal infections
The reasons for reinfection with the fungus often lie in the fact that prevention of the disease is not carried out.Prevention of onychomycosis includes the following measures.
- Wear comfortable shoes made from natural materials, especially in the hot season.
- Daily change of socks, tights, tights.They should be washed daily and, if possible, ironed.
- In the pool and sauna, be sure to wear slippers and do not walk barefoot.
- Never wear someone else's shoes;This is especially important for a child.
- All pedicure tools and foot towels must be individual.
If there is a patient with onychomycosis in the family, specific prevention of infection of other family members should be carried out.To do this, the patient must use topical antifungal agents: varnishes, creams, sprays.They help prevent the spread of spores as a cause of infection.
It is necessary to treat the patient's shoes and insoles.Each piece of footwear should be cleaned inside and out with a disinfectant solution.It can be 25% formaldehyde or a 40% common acetic acid solution.There is a special spray for the antifungal treatment of footwear.After cleaning the shoes, a tampon is inserted inside and the shoes are wrapped in a plastic bag for a day.Then you should clean each shoe with ammonia and air it out.
The patient should choose socks and tights made of natural materials.Every time you wash them, you should boil them with soap and baking soda for 20 minutes.A soap and baking soda solution is prepared as follows: 50 grams of detergent are diluted in 10 liters of water and 200 grams of baking soda are added.
Prevention will avoid diseases among family members and reinfection of the patient himself.