The first symptoms and signs of toenail fungus

The fungus is an infectious disease and most often affects the nails or skin of the feet.You can get infected very easily;danger lurks almost everywhere.Since the fungus is essentially an infection, it lives mainly in public places.To eliminate the possibility of infection, it is important to know how the pathology is transmitted to humans.

How does the infection occur?

The disease always begins due to a humid environment.The main reason will be constant sweating of the feet.Statistics show that a high concentration of parasites is observed in public places, such as saunas, baths, swimming pools, etc.It is impossible to destroy the pathogen by drying shoes or feet.

When we wonder how contagious the fungus is, we can say that the pathology is transmitted quite easily from one person to another.It is almost impossible to insure yourself against such illnesses.Many pathogens are found in public places where people walk barefoot.This means that if a healthy person walks barefoot on the surface where an infected person previously stood, in the presence of provoking factors, the disease will immediately begin to progress.

The fungus is very resistant to various destructive factors and therefore remains on surfaces for a long time.On beaches, the fungus is much less common, as salt water destroys the pathogen, but the risk of infection remains.Remember to always wear only your own slippers, socks and indoor shoes.

The first signs of nail fungus and its symptoms

Foot fungus is always at a stage of development, so the first signs of toenail fungus can be noticed in the early stages if you pay close attention to the condition of your body.The different stages of the fungus differ in their characteristics.If the early stages of the disease can still be missed due to inattention to oneself, then the latter will clearly make themselves felt.Let's look at the symptoms that appear in the early stages:

1. on a healthy nail, small dots appear, which differ in shade from the rest of the plate;
2. over time, these dots begin to grow and turn into white spots and stripes;
3. later, the spots become large and the nail plate loses its shine;
4. the plaque acquires a yellow tint, sometimes it turns blue or green.

How to determine pathology at home

If the nail changes color and becomes loose, this does not necessarily mean that it has been affected by a fungus.How does toenail fungus appear?To determine a fungal infection at home, iodine and potassium permanganate are used.

1. Potassium permanganate.This procedure is quite simple and does not require a lot of free time.Pour warm water into a bowl and add potassium permanganate to weaken the solution.Place your feet in the basin and wait 10 minutes.During this time, healthy nail plates will turn brown, while those affected by the fungus will remain unchanged.
2. Iodine.Unfortunately, this remedy does not detect the presence of a pathogenic fungus on the feet.But iodine will indicate the exclusion of other types of fungi, including tinea versicolor.If redness, peeling, etc.are visible around the nail, treat this area with iodine.Healthy tissues will not darken much, but affected tissues will acquire a fairly dark shade.

Treatment

Treatment of foot fungus begins with its diagnosis.First, the dermatologist conducts a visual examination, then prescribes laboratory tests.Remember that in no case should treatment be stopped after the first improvements, because the fungi are very resistant, so the disease develops again.

Local therapy

Medicinal creams, ointments, lotions, sprays and varnishes are used as local preparations.These drugs relieve symptoms well and destroy superficial lesions.The products are actively used during childhood and pregnancy, as they are absolutely safe.Local therapy is particularly effective in the early stages of the pathology.

Drugs

Taking medications adds effectiveness to local fungal treatment.The tablets enter the bloodstream and kill fungi present in the body.But this method has a number of significant drawbacks.Firstly, the drugs have a number of contraindications, and secondly, they have side effects.It is not possible to take such medications in all cases.However, appeals constitute the only effective solution in advanced cases.To increase the effectiveness of treatment, local remedies, drugs and traditional medicine are used simultaneously.

Laser treatment

The laser therapy procedure is gaining more and more popularity.The technique has been implemented recently and its effectiveness has already been proven.Laser therapy has advantages:

• The treatment is safe;the beam only treats the affected tissue.After the event, only healthy tissue remains.
• The procedure is painless and patients tolerate it well.
• The improvement is noticeable from the first session.
• To achieve a positive result, about 4 procedures are enough.

The use of a laser frees the patient from taking harmful medications and long treatment.

Surgery

In some cases, complete removal of the affected nail is necessary.Surgery is performed to completely stop the spread of infection.This procedure can increase the effectiveness of using local remedies.Nail removal can be carried out using special compounds.It is important for a specialist to be careful.So that such a substance does not come into contact with the skin, otherwise it will cause a chemical burn.

Keratolytic dressings can help remove the nail plate.This product will soften the nail well for easy removal.Plasters are used with greater popularity because they have a dense texture.In this way, the doctor reduces the risk of substances coming into contact with the skin.The patch softens the nail in 2 days, other products last 4 days.

Advanced Forms Therapy

If toenail fungus is in an advanced stage, do not despair;just follow the following rules:

1. Find out and remove the cause of the infection.
2. Constantly disinfect shoes or completely change all pairs.Buy shoe sprays with an antifungal effect.
3. Update your socks.
4. Pass all necessary tests and follow the treatment regimen prescribed by a dermatologist.
5. Follow all dietary restrictions.

Therapy at this stage should be carried out comprehensively.In addition to local remedies, they include effective drugs that act on the fungus from the inside, and also use traditional medicine.With the latter you need to be careful and take into account any allergic reactions to one or another component.

Varieties of mycosis forms

Foot fungi are divided into several types, which depend on the pathogen.Among these types, it is worth noting:

• Rubromycosis.Symptoms of this type are peeling skin, dry skin, excessive sweating, cracked and broken nails.
• Athlete's foot.The fungus destroys the nail, destroying the keratin it contains.This type of fungus is very difficult to cure;it is resistant to low temperatures, antiseptics, drying and other handling.The fungus can reproduce for a long time.Signs of this form are redness of the skin, severe itching, peeling, and the base of the nail becomes scaly.
• Candidiasis.The disease is caused by several types of fungi.The nail plates of the 3rd and 4th fingers are affected.The initial stage is characterized by mild inflammation.After that, swelling occurs, a change in shape and thickness leads to the fact that the cuticle begins to be shed.After such processes, the fungus itself penetrates the bed and spreads over the entire surface of the nail.In this case, the development of onycholysis begins.

Disease prevention

Doctors and scientists say that there are about one and a half million species of mushrooms in the world.Only half of them have been studied and choosing a treatment is quite complicated.The ideal solution is only laser therapy, which will have a beneficial effect on any type of fungus.

To prevent infection with this unpleasant disease, it is important to follow the rules of prevention.Measures aimed at preventing pathology are quite difficult, but do not require financial costs.There are 2 main ways to protect yourself against foot fungus:

1. maintain personal hygiene and caution in public places;
2. prevention using special medications.

If you like to visit common places such as a bathhouse, sauna or swimming pool, be sure to wash your feet thoroughly when you arrive home.Also dry your feet, as the fungus is very tenacious and particularly likes a humid environment.Buy socks only made of cotton fabric.This material absorbs moisture well, which is released when the feet begin to sweat.When your feet sweat a lot in closed shoes, air them periodically if possible.

If you go to the store to buy shoes, take your own shoes or socks from home;you should not try on shoes barefoot or use public shoes.Perform regular foot care such as pedicures and other treatments.Do not use shared hygiene items.You must have your own foot towel.Well, if someone in your house has been infected with foot fungus, avoid contact with him in every possible way and provide the patient with separate household items.