Nail fungus is one of the most common skin diseases. A fungal infection affects the nail plate, nail bed and surrounding skin. Although the hands can also be affected by infection, yeast infections are more often found on the toes. An invisible pathogen is transmitted to the feet through damp surfaces or through the air in baths, saunas, swimming pools, gymnasiums and other places with high humidity.
Although nail fungus is statistically more common in unhealthy older men, anyone can get it. Children often bring illness 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 nail fungus
There are thousands of fungi that can parasitize a person or live peacefully with him. Only a few of them cause onychomycosis or damage the nail plate.
If you do not know what caused the change in the structure of the nail, make an appointment with a doctor. According to the external signs, the condition of the skin and the results of laboratory tests, a specialist will be able to determine the pathogen.
Plaque destruction begins when it is 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 short-lived, almost imperceptible desquamations. You can pick up spores in a moist environment which helps in the rapid reproduction of Trichophyton menagrophytes fungus. This dermatophyte mainly appears on the thumbs. Already in the early stages, the skin around the fingers suffers. In a sauna or a humid bathroom in your own home, you can also become infected with other dermatophytes. Trichophyton rubrum is first noticeable only at the end of the plate, but gradually captures the entire surface down to the root. Infection is accompanied by stratification.
- yeast mushrooms. Infect the skin of the hands or feet, quickly develop protection against drug treatment. Fungi like Candida can stay on your skin or mucous membranes for years after infection. Signs of the disease only appear when your immune system weakens - for example, in autumn or early spring. The focus of infection develops at the root. The nail quickly changes color, becomes dull. Without systemic treatment, the disease does not go away, but rarely passes into the acute stage. With the strengthening of immunity, the lesion may temporarily disappear.
- Mold. For severe systemic lesions, moldy fungi are often responsible, of which scientists count more than 40 species. Mold organisms are so actively distributed that laboratory research does not always yield unambiguous results about the nature of the disease. As a result, the fungus is not diagnosed in time or is treated for a long time with various drugs using the brute force method. If you cannot find medication for six months, you are at risk of developing serious complications.
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In the early stages of infection, it is impossible to recognize the fungus on its own. The state of the nail plate will change only when the living cells of the fungus have reached a critical mass. The colonization of nails and skin is faster if you have weakened natural defenses:
- deteriorated health - weakened immunity due to insufficient or unbalanced diet, viral attacks or cold;
- the body does not have the resources to resist disease;
- nutrition in the nail bed is disturbed.
In the absence of all these factors, the disease will still begin, but it will go unnoticed by you and others.
If the fungus manages to break through the body's defense systems and gain a foothold on the skin or nail plate, then onychomycosis will gradually begin to develop. The affected areas darken, air cavities appear between the layers. If left untreated, the plaque will begin to delaminate.
Gradually, the entire surface of the nail may crack, become covered with a cloudy coating and darken. You can remove a black toenail with a special plaster or other means, but this will not protect you from relapses 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 that are already diseased, deformed or discolored.
There are several types of infections. They are recognizable by the main characteristics indicated in the table.
See |
Symptoms |
|---|---|
Subungual form |
In the distal-lateral phase, skin irritation almost never occurs. Changes can only be determined 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 blackening comes back even after cutting off the infected part, you need to see a doctor. A non-obvious sign is slow nail growth with proper 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 form at the site of the lesion: tiny hollows on the plate, tuberosity. Symptoms of the disease often appear after a long stay in a humid environment. |
Proximal subungual form |
The first symptom is a thickening of the base of the nail fold. Since the affected areas are small, the first phase of the disease often goes unnoticed. The color of the hole changes - from transparent white to cloudy yellow, then to white. Affected nails grow very slowly, but do not crack or peel. A few months after the color change of the well, the plaque begins to peel off rapidly. |
Total destruction (an advanced form of a fungal disease of any kind). |
The color of the plate changes significantly, the nails turn yellow. The nail looks unpleasant, crumbles along its entire length. Behind the exfoliated tissues, the skin is visible where it is usually closed. The skin around infected fingers becomes inflamed and red. Scabies and itching possible. |
How to treat nail fungus
The earlier it is possible to recognize the disease, the easier it will be to cure onychomycosis. This disease does not appear overnight. You will be able to notice unpleasant signs on the skin and nail plate long before the destruction of the nail if you inspect your toes every time after a shower. Are there any signs of infection? Then you need to see a doctor as soon as possible.
- The dermatologist will conduct a laboratory examination of the nail plate material, assess the stage of the lesion and select medications. Depending on the type of infection, the doctor may prescribe a single or systemic treatment. In the latter case, you will need to continue taking pills or smearing the skin with creams for another six months after recovery. This will ensure that there will be no relapses.
- The cosmetologist can cover the affected plaques with medical varnish, take a cream for inflamed skin or perform nail removal. Cosmetic treatment does not eliminate the cause of infection, but makes conservative treatment more effective. A biomaterial damaged by a fungus is contagious. By removing the exfoliated tissues, the beautician removes the largest focus of infection.
Many types of onychomycosis appear mildly - as a white coating, brittleness or slow growth of the nails. For these types of lesions, local treatment is appropriate. The doctor will prescribe topical preparations - ointments, creams, gels - that will not transfer the components into the bloodstream. Such treatment does not have unpleasant consequences in the form of an allergic reaction on the skin or weakening of the body. The drug acts on the focus of infection, so recovery occurs 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 of the fingers is contagious;
- damaged and infectious nail root;
- large black or yellow areas appear;
- the plate is laminated to the base;
- a fungus is on the skin;
- quick fixes don't help.
Systemic therapy begins with diagnosis. It is important to quickly recognize the reasons for initiating targeted therapy. In addition to taking the medications, you will need to take steps to improve your health. Your doctor may recommend that you stay home for the first week to prevent an acute infection.
For complex therapy, two types of drugs are selected:
- To relieve symptoms. Onychomycosis and other forms of athlete's foot often cause skin irritation and itching. This deprives the already weakened body of strength.
- Drugs with cumulative effect. Funds of this type do not begin to act immediately. The drug should 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 capture your fingers again. You should only self-medicate if you are sitting at home due to illness or are temporarily unable to see a dermatologist for other reasons. In this case, it is worth trying drugs suitable for home use:
- Cream for external use from the group of imidazoles. It treats onychomycosis, early forms of mycosis and most fungal infections known to science. Suitable for the treatment of the nail plate and the skin. One of the first popular means: quickly kills fungal colonies, prevents relapses. It can be used at home without medical supervision: the drug has almost no contraindications.
- Antifungal agent for external use, belonging to the group of allylamines. It treats the consequences of onychomycosis and other forms of mycosis, is safe for the skin, suitable for the treatment of children and pregnant women. It is a fast-acting cream: complex forms of the disease are treated within a few weeks. If after a few months deformations or a white plaque are formed again, the course should be repeated.