Nail fungus is one of the most common dermatological diseases. A fungal infection affects the nail plate, the nail and the surrounding skin. Although the hands can also be affected by the infection, mycosis is more often found on the fingers. The 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 bring 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 treatment.
Types of toenail fungus
There are thousands of fungi that can parasitize humans or coexist peacefully with them. Only a few of them cause onychomycosis or otherwise damage the nail plate.
If you are not sure why the nail structure has changed, 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 it becomes infected with one of the following fungi:
- Dermatophytes. Common pests associated with chronic skin, hair and nail diseases. 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 pick up the spores in a humid environment that contributes to the rapid reproduction of the fungus Trichophyton menagrophytes. This dermatophyte occurs primarily 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 get infected with other dermatophytes. Trichophyton rubrum is first noticeable only at the end of the plate, but gradually covers the entire surface to the roots. Infection is followed by stratification.
- yeast mushrooms. Infect the skin of the hands or feet, quickly develop protection against drug treatment. Fungi like Candida can remain on your skin or mucous membranes for years after infection. Signs of illness only appear when your immune system weakens - for example, in autumn or early spring. The focus of infection develops in the root. The nail quickly changes color, becomes dull. Without systemic treatment, the disease does not go away, but it rarely goes into an acute phase. With the strengthening of immunity, the lesion may disappear temporarily.
- Mould. Mold fungi, of which scientists count more than 40 species, are often responsible for severe systemic lesions. Mold organisms are so actively spread that laboratory research does not always give unequivocal results about the nature of the disease. This is why the fungus is not diagnosed in time, or it is treated for a long time with various drugs using a crude method. If you do not find a cure for six months, there is a risk of developing serious complications.
signs
In the first stages of infection, it is impossible to recognize the fungus independently. The condition of the nail plate will change only when the living cells of the fungus reach a critical mass. Colonization of nails and skin is faster if you have weakened your natural defenses:
- impaired health - immunity is weakened due to insufficient or unbalanced nutrition, viral attacks or cold weather;
- the body does not have the resources to resist the disease;
- nail nutrition 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 managed to break through the body's defense system and gain a foothold on the skin or nail plate, onychomycosis will gradually begin to develop. 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 nail can crack, become covered with a cloudy coating and turn black. You can remove the black nail with a special plaster or other means, but this will not protect you from the recurrence of the fungus. While there was a slow darkening of the nail plate, the spores penetrated into the deeper layers of the skin. Without medical treatment, new nails will grow out already diseased, deformed or discolored.
There are several types of infection. They can be recognized by the main characteristics listed in the table.
View |
Symptoms |
|---|---|
Subungual form |
In the distal-lateral phase, skin irritation almost never occurs. Changes can be determined only by the appearance of the nail plate. An early symptom of onychomycosis is gray or yellow stripes at the end of the nail plate. If this part of the nail becomes brittle or peels off, 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 defects on the nails appear and disappear without treatment. Other small defects are formed at the site of the lesion: small depressions on the plate, tubercles. Symptoms of the disease often appear after a long stay in a humid environment. |
Proximal subungual shape |
The first symptom is the thickening of the nail base. Since the affected areas are small, the first stage of the disease often goes unnoticed. The color of the hole changes - from white-transparent to dull yellow, then white. Damaged nails grow very slowly, but do not crack or peel. A few months after the change in color of the well, the plaque begins to peel off quickly. |
Complete destruction (advanced form of fungal disease of any kind). |
The color of the plate changes significantly, the nails turn yellow. The nail looks unpleasant, it crumbles along its entire length. Behind the peeled tissues, the skin is visible in places where it is normally closed. The skin around infected fingers becomes inflamed and red. Possible scabies and itching. |
How to treat toenail fungus
The earlier it is possible to recognize the disease, the easier it will be to cure onychomycosis. This disease does not occur in one day. You will be able to notice unpleasant signs on the skin and nail plate long before the destruction of the nail if you examine your toes every time after showering. Any signs of infection? Then it is necessary to see a doctor as soon as possible.
- The dermatologist will conduct a laboratory examination of the material from the nail plate, assess the stage of the lesion and select medications. Depending on the type of infection, the doctor may prescribe one-time or systemic therapy. In the latter case, you will need to continue taking pills or applying creams to your skin for another six months after recovery. This will ensure that there is no relapse.
- A cosmetologist can cover the affected plates with medical varnish, pick up a cream for inflamed skin or perform nail removal. Cosmetic treatment does not remove the cause of the infection, but conservative treatment makes it more effective. Biomaterial damaged by fungus is infectious. By removing the exfoliated tissues, the beautician removes the biggest focus of infection.
Many types of onychomycosis appear mildly - as a white coating, brittleness or slow nail growth. Local treatment is appropriate for these types of lesions. The doctor will prescribe local preparations - ointments, creams, gels - that will not transfer the components into the bloodstream. Such treatment has no unpleasant consequences in the form of an allergic reaction on the skin or a weakening of the organism. The drug acts on the focus of the infection, so recovery takes place faster.
Systemic treatment of mycosis is necessary in the following cases:
- large deformations appear along the entire length;
- cracks or creases appear;
- the process has spread to several nails, the skin on the fingers is contagious;
- damaged, infected nail root;
- large black or yellow areas appear;
- the plate is layered to the base;
- there is a fungus on the skin;
- quick fixes do not help.
Systemic therapy begins with diagnosis. It is important to quickly recognize the reasons for starting 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 selected for complex therapy:
- To relieve symptoms. Onychomycosis and other forms of athlete's foot often cause skin irritation and itching. This robs an already weakened body of its strength.
- Medicines with cumulative action. Means of this type do not start working immediately. The drug must enter the bloodstream 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 antifungals
You can cure nail and skin fungus without leaving your home. But if you choose the wrong remedy, under the right conditions, the infection will reoccur in your fingers. Get treatment only if you are sitting at home due to illness or for other reasons you are temporarily unable to visit a dermatologist. In this case, it is worth trying medicines that are suitable for home use:
- Cream for external use from the imidazole group. It treats onychomycosis, early forms of mycosis and most fungal infections known to science. Suitable for the treatment of 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 medicine has almost no contraindications.
- Antifungal agent for external use, belongs to the allylamine group. Treats the effects 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 cured in a few weeks. If after a few months deformations or white plaque form again, the course must be repeated.