The first symptoms and signs of nail fungus

The fungus is an infectious disease and most often affects the nails or skin of the feet.You can get infected 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 starts due to a humid environment.The main reason will be the constant sweating of the feet.Statistics show that a large 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 wondering how contagious the fungus is, it can be argued that the pathology passes easily from person to person.It is almost impossible to insure against these diseases.Many pathogens are found in public places where people walk barefoot.This means that if a healthy person steps 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 highly resistant to various destructive factors, which is why it remains on surfaces for a long time.On beaches, the fungus is much less common, as the salt water destroys the pathogen, but the risk of infection still remains.Remember to always only wear your own slippers, socks and shoes.

The first signs of nail fungus and its symptoms

Foot mycosis is always in the development phase, so the first signs of nail fungus can be noticed even 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 first 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 initial stages:

1. small dots appear on a healthy nail, which differ in shade from the rest of the plate;
2. over time, these spots begin to grow and turn into white spots and stripes;
3. later the spots become large and the nail plate loses its shine;
4. plaque acquires a yellow tint, sometimes changes to 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 nail fungus start?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 much 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 period, healthy nail plates will turn brown, while those affected by the fungus will remain unchanged.
2. Iodine.Unfortunately, this remedy does not detect the existence of a fungal pathogen on the feet.But iodine will indicate the exclusion of other types of fungi, including pityriasis versicolor.If redness, peeling, etc.are visible around the nail, treat this area with iodine.Healthy tissue will not darken much, but affected tissue will take on a very dark hue.

Treatment

Treatment for foot fungus begins with its diagnosis.First, the dermatologist performs a visual examination and then prescribes laboratory tests.Do not forget that under no circumstances should treatment be interrupted after the first improvements, as the fungi are very resistant, which is why the disease will develop again.

Local therapy

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

Medicines

Taking medications adds effectiveness to local fungus treatment.The tablets penetrate the blood and kill the fungus from within the body.But this method has a number of significant disadvantages.Firstly, medicines have a number of contraindications, and secondly, they have side effects.It is not possible to take these medications in all cases.However, medicines are the only solution that will help in advanced cases.To increase the effectiveness of treatment, local remedies, medicines and traditional medicine are used simultaneously.

laser treatment

The laser therapy procedure is gaining more and more popularity.The technique was recently implemented 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 after the first session.
• To obtain a positive result, about 4 procedures are enough.

The use of laser frees the patient from the use of harmful medications and long treatments.

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 done with special compounds.It is important that a specialist is careful.So that such a substance does not come into contact with the skin, otherwise it will cause chemical burns.

Keratolytic plasters can help remove the nail plate.This product will soften the nail well for easier removal.Plasters are most popularly used because they have a dense texture.This way, the doctor reduces the likelihood of substances coming into contact with the skin.The adhesive softens the nail in 2 days, other products last 4 days.

Therapy for advanced forms

If your nail fungus is at an advanced stage, don't despair;just follow the following rules:

1. Find out and remove the cause of the infection.
2. Constantly disinfect your shoes or completely change every pair.Buy shoe sprays with 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 must be carried out comprehensively.In addition to local remedies, they include effective medicines 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 component or another.

Varieties of forms of ringworm

Foot fungus is divided into several types, which depend on the pathogen.Among these types it is worth highlighting:

• Rubromycosis.Symptoms of this type are peeling skin, dry skin, excessive sweating, cracking and splitting 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 manipulations.The fungus can reproduce for a long time.The signs of this form are redness of the skin, intense 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 phase is characterized by mild inflammation.After this, swelling occurs, a change in shape and thickness causes the cuticle to begin to be rejected.After these processes, the fungus enters the bed itself and spreads throughout the entire nail area.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 treatment selection for them is quite complicated.The ideal solution is just 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 prevention rules.Measures to prevent pathology are quite difficult, but they do not require financial costs.There are 2 main ways to protect yourself from foot fungus:

1. maintain personal hygiene and caution in public places;
2. prevention with the help of special medicines.

If you like visiting common places such as a bathhouse, sauna or swimming pool, wash your feet well when you get home.Also, dry your feet, as the fungus is very tenacious and especially loves humid environments.Buy socks made only from cotton fabric.This material absorbs moisture well, which is released when the feet start to sweat.When your feet sweat a lot in closed shoes, air them out 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 barefoot shoes or wear 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.