To determine whether you have toenail fungus and quickly deal with the disease, you need to know the signs of its appearance.It has been established that approximately 20% of the world's population is infected with onychomycosis.People who play sports and go to the pool fall into the risk category.
Reasons for the development of onychomycosis
Faced with this problem, the question arises why nail fungus appears on the hands or feet.Pathogens thrive in the soil or air.The best conditions for its reproduction will be excessive humidity and a significant increase in temperature (public showers).
Fungus on fingernails or toenails is an infectious disease, which is why its development occurs very quickly.The human nail plate is porous, contains water, keratin fibers and fat.Therefore, having created suitable conditions for the proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms, one should soon expect the appearance of unpleasant lesions.
The main causes of nail fungus are:
- Wearing tight shoes.Particularly dangerous are poorly breathable products made from low-quality materials.
- If a person suffers from excessive sweating.
- There are significant disturbances in the functioning of the patient's immune system.Onychomycosis can arise due to changes in hormonal levels or due to dysfunction of metabolic processes.
- Often the disease appears after using unsterilized manicure instruments.
- After a long course of therapy with antibacterial drugs.
- As a concomitant disease of diabetes mellitus or varicose veins.
- Due to bad habits, as well as work characteristics.
Symptoms of fungal foot diseases
To recognize nail fungus, you need to know its symptoms.The main signs of the disease are excessive dryness, peeling and regular itching of the skin.Unfortunately, this symptomatology is almost always ignored.After some time, changes to the nail surface become noticeable.Instead of shine and healthy color, cracks form, and sometimes there may be indentations.But even these obvious signs are often ignored.
As a rule, patients whose fungal infection has progressed to an advanced form are seen by a doctor.In this case, the nail plate completely changes color, the nail becomes brittle and may subsequently even peel off.
If the disease is not treated immediately, the risk of the fungal infection spreading to the skin increases.And because of the bad habit of biting nails, the disease can penetrate the human body and reach internal organs (when the patient suffers from nail fungus).
To prevent serious complications from occurring, it is important to diagnose the disease in time.It is best to start fighting the fungus in the early stages.You can diagnose a fungal infection yourself.To do this, you need to prepare a solution of potassium permanganate at home and then dip your feet in it.Healthy dishes are characterized by a uniform color, closer to brown.And nails affected by onychomycosis will turn white.
There are several ways to identify nail fungus yourself:
- There is a noticeable deformation of the nail plate.You should not ignore signs in which the color of the nail changes or a slight thickening of the nail appears.The presence of infection is also indicated by unusual spots of different colors.
- Changes have occurred in the structure of the nails.It is possible to diagnose onychomycosis not only by unusual spots.Sometimes veins and stripes appear on the nail plate.Without timely treatment, they spread and affect the skin on the legs.
- If the nail becomes loose.Due to a fungal infection, plaque begins to crumble and sometimes peels off.
- Instead of a healthy color, the nail becomes dull yellow.At the same time, the edges of the rollers become inflamed, becoming excessively sensitive.
- Due to tissue death, an unpleasant odor occurs.
- If the fungus on the legs has progressed to an advanced stage, pain appears when walking or pressing.
Characteristics of some fungal infections
Before carrying out therapeutic treatment of onychomycosis, it is necessary to determine exactly what type of pathogen affected the nails.This will require careful diagnosis.Although the symptoms of fungal infections are similar, there are some peculiarities in the course of the disease.
When the causative agent is yeast, the patient's nail turns a dull yellow color, becoming very dense.Also, he gets out of bed.
But if it is determined that the fungus was caused by mold, the symptoms are manifested by a change in color (sometimes green, brown, and sometimes black).In addition, the plate begins to peel off strongly and there are multiple inclusions in it.
Sometimes a fungal infection occurs due to the activity of dermatophyte pathogens.The disease manifests itself as longitudinal stripes, located in the center or along the edges of the nails.
You should not self-medicate.Instead, it is recommended to consult a specialist.Only the attending physician will determine how to recognize the causative agent of onychomycosis and prescribe the optimal therapy method.
The process of eliminating a disease is always long.However, with the help of special ointments, unpleasant symptoms disappear from the skin after 3 weeks.In certain cases, treating fungal nail infections will take several months.In addition to following the specialist's instructions, you need to take care of your hygiene.Foot baths with the addition of apple cider vinegar bring excellent results.
It is recommended to regularly treat the affected areas with tea tree oil or use a special propolis tincture.
It is possible to prevent reinfection due to onychomycosis.It is necessary to understand that for this, everyone in the family must have their own hygiene items.Also, do not forget to regularly treat the inside of your shoes with special alcohol.