Nail fungus is one of the most common dermatological diseases. A fungal infection affects the nail plate, nail bed and surrounding skin. Although the hands can also be affected by the infection, most often ringworm is found on the toes. An invisible pathogen is transmitted to the feet through wet surfaces or through the air in baths, saunas, swimming pools, gyms and other places of high humidity.
Although nail fungus is statistically more common in older men with health conditions, anyone can get it. Children often bring the disease from camps or sports clubs. Sometimes you can get infected at home from relatives. To avoid 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 them. Only a few of them cause onychomycosis or damage the nail plate.
If you are not sure what is due to the change in nail structure, make an appointment to see a doctor. According to external signs, skin condition and results of laboratory tests, a specialist will be able to determine the pathogen.
Plaque destruction begins when infected with one of the following fungi:
- Dermatophytes🇧🇷Common pests associated with chronic diseases of the skin, hair and nails. The pathological process develops against the background of weak immunity. If your immune defenses are in order, the infection will be limited to an almost imperceptible short-term peeling. You can pick up spores in a humid environment that contributes to the rapid reproduction of the fungus Trichophyton menagrophytes. This dermatophyte appears mainly on the thumbs. Already in the initial stages, the skin around the fingers suffers. In a wet sauna or bathroom in your own home, you can also become infected with other dermatophytes. Trichophyton rubrum is noticeable at first only at the end of the plate, but gradually captures the entire surface to the root. Infection is accompanied by stratification.
- yeast mushrooms🇧🇷Infect the skin of the hands or feet, quickly develop protection against drug treatment. Mushrooms like Candida can remain on your skin or mucous membranes for years after infection. Signs of the disease appear only when the 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 it rarely passes into the acute phase. With the strengthening of immunity, the lesion may temporarily disappear.
- Mold🇧🇷For severe systemic injuries, moldy fungi are often responsible, of which scientists count more than 40 species. Fungal organisms are so actively distributed that laboratory research does not always give 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 by the brute force method. If you cannot find a remedy for six months, you risk developing serious complications.
signals
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 gain a critical mass. The colonization of nails and skin is faster if your natural defenses are weakened:
- deteriorated health - weakened immunity due to insufficient or unbalanced nutrition, viral attacks or cold weather;
- the body does not have the resources to resist the 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 takes hold on the skin or nail plate, then onychomycosis will gradually begin to develop. The affected areas will darken, air cavities will appear between the layers. If left untreated, plaque will begin to delaminate.
Gradually, the entire surface of the nail can crack, become covered with a cloudy layer and turn black. You can remove a black nail with a special plaster or other means, but this will not protect you from fungus recurrences. 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 infection. They can be recognized by the main characteristics indicated in the table.
Vision |
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 streaks 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 the infected part, you need to 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 nail defects come and go without treatment. Other small defects form at the site of injury: small depressions in 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. As 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 white. Affected nails grow very slowly, but do not crack or peel. A few months after the pit color changes, the plaque begins to peel off rapidly. |
Total destruction (an advanced form of a fungal disease of any kind). |
The color of the plaque changes significantly, the nails turn yellow. The nail looks unpleasant, crumbles along its entire length. Behind the exfoliated tissues, the skin is visible in places where it is usually closed. The skin around infected fingers becomes inflamed and red. Possible scabies and itching. |
How to treat nail fungus
The sooner it is possible to recognize the disease, the easier it will be to cure onychomycosis. This disease does not appear 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 inspect your toes every time after bathing. Are there signs of infection? Then you need to see a doctor as soon as possible.
- The dermatologist will carry out a laboratory examination of the nail plate material, assess the stage of the lesion and select drugs. Depending on the type of infection, the doctor may prescribe a single or systemic treatment. In the latter case, you will have to continue taking pills or smearing the skin with creams for another six months after recovery. This will ensure that there are no relapses.
- The cosmetologist can cover the affected plaques with medical varnish, pick up a cream for inflamed skin or remove nails. Cosmetic treatment does not eliminate the cause of the infection, but it makes conservative treatment more effective. Biomaterial damaged by a fungus is contagious. By removing the exfoliated tissues, the beautician removes the biggest source of infection.
Many types of onychomycosis appear mildly - as a white coating, brittleness or slow nail growth. For these types of injuries, local treatment is suitable. The doctor will prescribe topical preparations - ointments, creams, gels - which 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 the infection, as a result of which 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 on the fingers is contagious;
- damaged and infected nail root;
- large black or yellow areas appear;
- the board is laminated to the base;
- a fungus is found on the skin;
- Quick fixes don't help.
Systemic therapy begins with the diagnosis. It is important to quickly recognize the reasons for initiating targeted treatment. In addition to taking the medications, you will need to take steps to improve your health. Your doctor may recommend staying 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 the skin to become irritated and itchy. This deprives the already weakened body of strength.
- Drugs with cumulative effect. Funds of this type do not start acting immediately. The drug must enter the bloodstream through the skin or stomach and accumulate on 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 again capture your fingers. You should treat yourself only if you are sitting at home due to illness or temporarily unable to visit a dermatologist for other reasons. In this case, it is worth trying drugs that are suitable for home use:
- Cream for external use from the imidazole group. Treats onychomycosis, early forms of mycosis and most fungal infections known to science. Suitable for nail plate and skin treatment. One of the most popular first means: it quickly kills fungal colonies, prevents relapses. It can be used at home without medical supervision: the drug has almost no contraindications.
- Antifungal for external use, belonging to the allylamine group. It treats the consequences of onychomycosis and other forms of mycosis, is safe for the skin, is indicated for the treatment of children and pregnant women. This is a fast-acting cream: complex forms of the disease are treated in a couple of weeks. If after a few months deformations or white plaques appear again, the course must be repeated.