Nail fungus or onychomycosis (medical name) is a disease that occurs when the nail plate is affected by a fungal infection. Onychomycosis affects 5 to 15% of people. The risk of its development increases with age, although the fungus is often detected in children. For every 10 years of life, the incidence increases 2. 5 times. If in children it is 3%, in the elderly it is already 50–60%.
Pathogens
Onychomycosis is caused by microorganisms from the Fungi kingdom. The world of mushrooms is diverse and not all of them are as pleasant as champignons, chanterelles or honey mushrooms, which we are used to seeing on our table. There are microscopic parasitic species that feed on plant, animal and human tissues.
The causative agents of onychomycosis consume the protein keratin, which is part of the nail plate, hair and the upper (keratinized) layer of the skin. About 50 representatives of parasitic fungi are known that can cause the disease.
They are divided into three groups:
- Dermatophytes. They represent 80% of onychomycosis cases. They are characterized by high survival and viability. Found naturally in the soil;
- Yeast-like mushrooms. Among them is Candida albicans (microorganisms of the genus Candida), known to women, which cause thrush or vaginal candidiasis. Yeast-like fungi are 5 times more likely to affect toenails than toenails. Toxic and harms the functioning of the entire body;
- Moldy fungi. Onychomycosis caused by fungi is rare. But it is the most dangerous, it progresses quickly, can completely destroy the nail plate and spread to neighboring tissues.
Onychomycosis affects fingernails and toenails, but toenail fungus is much more common on the feet. This is because hands receive much more attention, are washed more frequently during the day and treated with antiseptics. They are always open and well ventilated, except in winter, when we wear gloves. And their feet are constantly covered with regular shoes, slippers, pantyhose, socks and sweat more. These factors create ideal conditions for the development of foot fungus, because heat and humidity are your best "friends. "
The causative agent of onychomycosis penetrates the nail in different directions. The most common way is from above, on the side of the free edge of the nail plate. It is also possible to introduce it laterally through the lateral ridges or below the cuticle and nail growth zone.
Onychomycosis is most dangerous near the cuticle. In this case, the fungus slows down or stops the division of onychoblasts - cells in the growth zone under the lower nail fold. The nail stops growing and infected areas may not recover. There is a pathological change in the structure and destruction of the nail.
Fungi rarely penetrate directly into the nail plate. First, its spores enter the skin around the nail or the spaces between the fingers through microcracks, cuts, abrasions, abrasions and calluses. Then the colony begins to grow, the pathogen moves towards the nail plate, penetrates it and begins to parasitize.
Why does onychomycosis appear?
Fungi live in warm, humid places, and wherever these conditions exist, it is easy to become infected by them. For example, if you walk barefoot in public bathrooms, swimming pools, showers or gym locker rooms, your chances of getting infected are high.
Some diseases contribute to the development of onychomycosis:
- Diabetes. In patients with diabetes, the fungus is 3 times more common. Excess glucose in the blood creates favorable conditions for fungi to function. In the absence of controlling sugar and keeping it within normal limits, blood vessels suffer. The longer the disease, the more impaired the blood supply to the legs (diabetic foot syndrome). Wounds heal worse, infection occurs more easily;
- Poor blood circulation in the lower extremities caused by varicose veins, atherosclerosis (narrowing of the lumen, obstruction of the arteries), thrombophlebitis (formation of blood clots in the lumen of the veins);
- Weakened immunity, immunodeficiency conditions (HIV), damage to the immune system. Reduce the body's resistance to any infections;
- Psoriasis. 90% of people who suffer from psoriasis have changes in the nail plate. Grooves form in it, there is cloudiness, depressions appear and detachment of the nail plate appears. These factors increase the chances of yeast infection by 1. 5 to 2 times;
- Hyperhidrosis, or excessive foot sweating, often causes onychomycosis in men;
- The presence of a focus of fungal infection in other parts of the body.
The risk group includes the elderly.
The cause of onychomycosis is often associated with the characteristics of the profession and inadequate foot care:
- poor care of feet and nails, lack of daily hygiene procedures due to neglect of personal hygiene rules or difficulties in implementing them (in bedridden patients or those with limited mobility);
- work in humid areas (greenhouses, greenhouses, vegetable warehouses), frequent use of rubber gloves or shoes;
- professional sports;
- wear uncomfortable, tight and narrow shoes or shoes made of artificial materials (synthetic leather), which create a "greenhouse effect" and interfere with normal air exchange.
Predisposing factors for the development of onychomycosis include trauma to the nail or surrounding tissues, use of antibacterial or hormonal medications.
In women, a common cause of fungus is prolonged use of gel nail polish. It creates a closed space between the nail plate and the coating, in which a fungal infection successfully develops. It is not recommended to apply gel polish to your toenails; it is better to use regular decorative nail polish. Also, in women, onychomycosis appears after an unsuccessful manicure or pedicure in salons where high-quality disinfection of instruments is not carried out and sterility is not maintained.
Signs of onychomycosis
Most often, the fungus infects the big toes.
The following changes in the nail plate indicate a fungal infection:
- dullness, yellowing, loss of softness and shine;
- itching, redness, peeling of the surrounding skin;
- delamination, fragility, friability;
- unpleasant odor;
- violation of the structure, thickening;
If you experience at least one of the listed signs, immediately consult a doctor who treats nail fungus. This could be a podiatrist, dermatologist or mycologist.
A mandatory examination by a podiatrist to check for onychomycosis is necessary after an injury to the nail or the skin around it. If there are predisposing factors (varicose veins, diabetes, atherosclerosis, weakened immunity, excessive foot sweating, etc. ), it is recommended to do a medical pedicure once a month, during which the doctor will carefully examine the nails and skin of the feet and identify changes in the early stages.
Is nail fungus dangerous?
Onychomycosis is a disease that causes more psychological discomfort than physical illness. To understand what we are talking about, just look at a photo of nail fungus on the internet. It is characterized by a slow course and does not cause pain, fever or other symptoms that require urgent medical attention.
People are in no hurry to treat nail fungus. After all, when the affected area is small, you can paint it with varnish, wear socks or closed shoes in front of strangers. And the problem of psychological discomfort is temporarily resolved. But, unfortunately, not everything is so simple. If you do not destroy the fungal infection, it will not disappear anywhere, but will continue to affect the nail. And onychomycosis is contagious. An infected person poses a danger to their family and others.
How to prevent infection?
The best cure for nail fungus is prevention.
To protect yourself from infections you must:
- use medical disinfectants with the GOST inscription (capable of killing onychomycosis, tuberculosis, hepatitis, HIV);
- monitor the condition of the feet and nails, the main rule is that the feet are clean and dry;
- take care of shoes, disinfect and dry them regularly, it is convenient to use electric dryers for drying;
- treat your feet with drying agents or antiperspirants if they sweat a lot;
- in the pool, sauna and gym changing rooms, do not go barefoot, but wear rubber flip-flops with closed toes;
- wear comfortable shoes made from natural, breathable materials;
- Do not use other people's towels, shoes or manicure accessories.
These tips will help you prevent onychomycosis and keep your nails healthy and well-groomed. They are effective not only in preventing fungus, but also other problems: corns, calluses.
Features of the treatment of onychomycosis
TV advertising promises to quickly and easily cure nail fungus using antifungal creams, solutions and varnishes (fungicides). We are promised that "The drugs Lamesil, Exaderil, Mikazan, Mecoderil and others penetrate deeply into the structure of the nail, effectively destroy the fungus and return the nails to their previous appearance in 2-3 applications. "But why then does this self-treatment of nail fungus give good results in a maximum of 10% of cases? Because these remedies themselves are only effective in the early stages of the fungus, when the symptoms are not yet obvious and are almost invisible.
Manufacturers often lie when they say that medicines are produced in Europe and contain good active ingredients. In practice, the most effective medicine for nail fungus (onychomycosis) is the one that contains the substance Clotrimazole. Most medicines are simply very well advertised and expensive, but do not contain the necessary substance. You cannot buy specialized medicines in ordinary pharmacies, even if the obligatory name is written, the chemical composition will not contain it, since production is very expensive.
This medicine is used in podiatry centers and on properly prepared nails. We do not have the right to write the name of the medicine, but you can ask us any questions here.
Antifungal medications are the mainstay of treatment for onychomycosis. Without them, no matter how much we want, we will not be able to defeat the infection. But they must be used correctly and thoughtfully. The medicine for nail fungus must be applied to a previously treated and prepared nail to have the desired therapeutic effect.
The first thing you should do if you suspect onychomycosis is to consult a doctor who will confirm or refute the diagnosis. If necessary, he will prescribe additional tests and treatments. Choosing a nail fungus remedy based on Internet reviews, advice from friends or TV advertisements will result in wasted time and money spent on unnecessary medications. The same results will be obtained when trying to treat onychomycosis with traditional methods. Vinegar, garlic, onions and medicinal herbs are not able to destroy the pathogen.
An important point in the treatment of onychomycosis is the disinfection of shoes and clothing that have been in contact with the infected area. If you don't do this, you could get reinfected from your own stuff. Clothes must be washed at high temperatures (above 60 °C), ironed and shoes must be treated with special disinfectants.
What medicines and methods are effective?
In the early stages, treatment of onychomycosis is easier and faster than in advanced cases. How to treat nail fungus?
To combat the pathogen, use:
- Hardware medical pedicure. Allows you to clean areas of the nails affected by onychomycosis without blood and pain, preparing them for the use of antifungals;
- Keratolytics. These are local medicines against nail fungus, which are applied to the affected nail to remove it painlessly. They loosen, soften and dissolve the nail plate and are easily removed with pedicure tools. Keratolytics facilitate the treatment of onychomycosis, remove the infected area, stimulate the growth of a new healthy nail plate;
- Fungicide agents. The action of these drugs is aimed at destroying the fungus. For onychomycosis, they are used topically in the form of varnishes, solutions, ointments, creams and internally in the form of tablets. When taken internally, the active ingredients in nail fungus tablets accumulate in the skin and nail plate. They suppress the activity of fungal enzymes, disrupt the permeability of cell membranes and cause the death of the pathogen. The most effective ones contain the substance Clotrimazole.
Treatment methods for onychomycosis are selected based on the severity of symptoms and the affected area. In the initial stages of the disease, treatment with hardware and external fungicidal agents is sufficient. In severe forms of infection, when the entire nail is infected with fungi, it will be necessary to take pills and remove the nail plate. Treatment of an advanced form of onychomycosis takes 3 months to 1 year and depends on the rate of nail growth.
Topical fungicidal preparations are safe for health, but they are not always effective. The tablets negatively affect the liver, therefore laboratory monitoring of the state of the organ is necessary while taking them.
Onychomycosis has a cure and that's the main thing!
The sooner you see a doctor, the faster you can deal with it.
Don't be afraid or ashamed. This problem is very common and affects millions of people around the world.
When treating nail fungus at our podiatry center you will receive:
- joint observation by a podiatrist and mycologist (a doctor who treats fungal diseases);
- 100% sterility during all procedures;
- possibility of collecting material (skin scrapings and nail plates) to identify the type of fungus;
- quick results (on average 3 to 4 procedures are needed);
- Recommendations for foot and shoe care that will help prevent reinfection.
It is important for us that the problem does not return and that your nails remain healthy and beautiful!