Toenail Fungus

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Toenail Fungus
Toenail Fungus

Video: Toenail Fungus

Video: Toenail Fungus
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Nail fungus is a nuisance that almost everyone has encountered at least once in their life. It is not always easy to cure a fungus, moreover, it does not disappear by itself. In the next article, you will learn how nail fungus is transmitted and what preventive measures need to be taken to prevent the disease.

The content of the article:

  • 1 The first signs of fungal disease
  • 2 See a doctor immediately

    2.1 Terbinafine preparations

  • 3 How is nail fungus transmitted
  • 4 Where do skin and nail fungus get infected

    • 4.1 Infection with fungus in public areas
    • 4.2 Infection with fungus in your own home
  • 5 Risk group
  • 6 Treatment of nail fungus at home
  • 7 Prevention

The first signs of a fungus

Nail fungus
Nail fungus

Manifestations of toenail fungus depend on the type of infection, as well as on the degree and depth of the fungus.

A parasitic fungus that has settled on the skin is capable of poisoning the life of anyone. And especially a lot of trouble and grief is caused by the fungus that has settled on the skin of the foot and on the nails. Ladies who have become victims of such a fungus are primarily concerned with the external side of the issue - cracking, flaky skin, yellow crumbling nails - but, according to doctors, the aesthetic problem is far from the main one.

This is a serious illness that needs long-term treatment. The disease occurs first on the skin of the feet, more often in the interdigital folds. Peeling appears between the fingers, accompanied by burning and itching. Then bubbles appear, which burst, forming ulcers and cracks. If you do not start immediate treatment, the fungus will spread to your nails. Once in the nail plate, it continues to grow and multiply.

Despite its slowness, the fungus slowly exfoliates the nail, gradually fills it and penetrates into the nail bed. Over time, the affected area captures the nails not only on the feet, but also on the hands. There is even a defeat of internal organs, fortunately, quite rare.

Yeast fungi thin the nail plate from the sides, while it lags behind the nail bed and becomes yellowish in color. The disease often begins with the nail folds, usually on the hands. The rollers thicken, swell and turn red, silvery scales appear along the edge, and the nail skin gradually disappears. A bacterial infection can join the process, in which case even suppuration is possible. The nutrition of the tissue in the area of the roller is disturbed, as a result, transverse grooves appear. … …

View Signs of defeat
Normotrophic
  • Stripes and spots appear
  • Nail color from white to dark yellow
  • The size, shape and thickness of the nail does not change.
Onycholytic
  • The rate of lag of the nail from the bed is rapid
  • The color of the nail is brown-gray, there is no shine.
  • If the nail falls off, then the area of the skin under it has a loose structure.
Hypertrophic
  • The edges of the nail look pitted
  • The color of the nail plate loses its brightness
  • The nail thickens
  • Pain

Mold fungi can cause onychomycosis only against the background of an already existing nutritional disorder of the nails, which has arisen due to other diseases. In this case, the color of the nail plate also changes, it can be yellow, green, blue, brown and even black, but the nail damage remains superficial. However, you should not diagnose yourself on your own, especially since nail damage can be caused by several fungi at once. In addition, fungus is a common, but not the only cause of serious nail problems.

See a doctor immediately

Nail fungus
Nail fungus

The correct action at the first suspicion of a fungus is to consult a mycologist or dermatologist

If you notice signs of a fungus, don't expect everything to go away by itself. The longer the fungus lives on your nails, the more difficult it is to treat and the worse for the whole body. Prolonged onychomycosis can provoke an allergic reaction, weaken the immune system and lead to an exacerbation of chronic diseases. Therefore, at the first suspicion, the most correct thing is to consult a mycologist or dermatologist. The doctor will not only conduct an examination, assess the thickness, structure of the nail, but also make tissue scrapings for analysis. Only in this way will he be able to determine the presence of the fungus, its type and prescribe adequate treatment.

At the same time, the doctor will take into account the prevalence of the process, the form of the lesion, the presence of concomitant diseases, the rate of nail growth, etc. In our time, there are highly effective drugs of general and local action for treatment.

In the initial forms of the disease, when the area of the nail lesion is insignificant, you can limit yourself to local treatment - applying to the nail bed 2 times a day an antifungal drug (antimycotic) with a wide spectrum of action in the form of an ointment, cream or solution.

Before applying the medicine, a special preparation of the nails is carried out. First - a soap and soda bath: the basin is half filled with hot water (40-50 degrees C), in which 1 tbsp. l. soda and 50 g of laundry soap. Feet or fingers that need treatment are immersed in the solution for 10-15 minutes. After that, the softened horny layers on the nails are treated with nail clippers and filed with a file. Duration of treatment - until healthy unchanged nails grow back.

Important! Do not use the same manicure accessories for diseased and healthy nails.

Nail fungus
Nail fungus

Kanizon - a local antifungal drug

Topical drugs include KANIZON (pharmacological name - clotrimazole), EXODERIL (naftifine hydrochloride), NISORAL (ketoconazole), LAMISIL (terbinafine hydrochloride). And also MIKOSPOR (bifonazole), sold in a set with a waterproof plaster. The drug is applied to the affected nails with a dispenser and left for a day under a waterproof plaster. A day after the soap-soda bath, the affected areas of the nail are removed with a file. The procedure is repeated until the affected areas of the plate are completely removed, and then the drug is rubbed into the nail bed. Duration of treatment, as in the case of other drugs, until healthy nails grow back.

In the initial forms of lesions for local treatment, you can use special antifungal varnishes: 5% LOCERIL varnish (morolfin) or 8% BATRAFEN (cyclopiroxolamine). LOCERIL covers the nails 1-2 times a week. Treatment takes 6-8 months for fingernails and about a year for feet.

BATRAFEN is used the first month every other day, the second - 2 times a week, 3 months and then 1 time per week until healthy nails grow back. On top of the antifungal varnish, you can also apply manicure.

If local treatment no longer helps or the nail plates are completely affected by the fungus, general antimycotics are prescribed (they are also called systemic). Such drugs are taken orally. These are LAMISIL and its analogues (EXIFIN, TERBIZIL, FUNGOTERBIN, ONIKHON), ORUNGAL (and its analogues - IRUNIN, RUMIKOSIS), DIFLUKAN (analogues - MIKOSIT, FORKAN, FLUKOSTAT, MIKOMAX) and NIZORAL (analog) - NIZORAL (analog).

Terbinafine preparations

Such substances are functional, as they eliminate mycosis of various origins, regardless of the type of fungus. It has a complex effect, while the use is safe, especially when used externally.

The action of terbinafine is based on squalene - it destructively affects the fungus, blocks its reproduction and gradually leads to death, suffocation. There are practically no side effects.

The most popular drugs with a substance:

  1. Lamisil;
  2. Terbinafine;
  3. Thermicon;
  4. Equizin.

The use of creams involves lubricating the affected skin 1-2 times a day, it is better to rub the ointment a little. The course of treatment varies depending on the stage of the disease and the form of the fungus, but is usually 2-4 weeks. When applying ointments, terbinafine accumulates in the upper layers of the skin, and has a destructive effect on the fungus, after 4 hours a significant improvement in the condition of the skin is observed.

Alternative and effective medicines for mycosis with other active ingredients:

  1. Zalain - it is necessary to lubricate the skin 2 times a day and continue the course of treatment for 2-4 weeks;
  2. Candide - the action is based on clotrimazole, which destroys the protective membranes of the spores. It should be used 2-3 times a day, but the course of treatment is long - 4-5 months;
  3. Nizoral - works thanks to ketoconazole. Especially effective against yeast-type fungus. It is used once a day, the ointment is applied in a thin layer to the lesions and adjacent areas. The treatment lasts a month, but another cream should be applied after the symptoms have disappeared;
  4. Exoderil is an equally effective remedy prepared on the basis of naftifine hydrochloride. The affected skin or nail is lubricated twice a day for 2-6 months.

There are universal remedies for many dermatological lesions: psoriasis, eczema, dermatitis, etc. Here are the most famous and effective ointments:

  1. Salicylic. Restores skin and destroys fungus when used at a frequency of 1-3 times a day. A distinctive feature is a fast course of treatment, 10-20 days;
  2. Zinc ointment is extremely popular due to the safety of exposure to the body. It can be used during pregnancy, lactation and children. Apply 4-5 times daily;
  3. Sulfuric. An effective substance that can be used up to 7 days, applied to the skin 2 times a day.

As already mentioned, the treatment depends on the form of the disease, so it is necessary to adhere to some recommendations to achieve maximum results.

  1. With the interdigital form of the fungus, usually the cream is applied 1-2 times a day. Symptoms disappear after 1-2 weeks, in some cases up to 4 x. Treatment should be continued for another 1 to 4 weeks, depending on the drug, to prevent recurrence of the disease;
  2. With keratinization of the feet, it is necessary to cleanse the skin from peeling, excess tissue, regrown diseased nails before application. To do this, you can use salicylic ointment, otherwise the substance will not penetrate into the deep layer of the dermis;
  3. The vesicular form requires preliminary treatment, elimination of bubbles with liquid on the skin. To do this, you need to open the blister and clean it of watery formations. The remaining ulcer should be treated with boric acid (2%). For more complex cases, corticosteroid creams may be used. The use of antimycotic ointments is prescribed only after the acute form has been removed, then applied as standard;
  4. The erased form is easy to treat, but often the fungus covers large areas of the skin, so you will have to use a lot of ointment. An alternative is to use a foam that is easy to apply and provides a protective film for 24 hours.

They can be used in combination with antifungal varnishes. However, it is very important to make sure that you have no contraindications to general antimycotics. For example, kidney and liver diseases. Systemic drugs are often contraindicated in children, in addition, they have serious limitations in their simultaneous use with certain other drugs. For example, LAMISIL is not compatible with hormonal contraceptives. If you are breastfeeding your baby, you will have to wait a little while using these drugs.

Nail fungus
Nail fungus

Pregnancy also means a ban on systemic antimycotics

Pregnancy also means a ban on systemic antimycotics. Therefore, women of childbearing age who receive them need to use contraception throughout the course of treatment. In some cases, you have to go to the removal of the nail plate, followed by treatment. After that, a new nail grows, although its surface may be uneven at first. Whatever treatment your doctor prescribes, for a while you will turn into a disinfectant. The doctor will write a prescription according to which the necessary solution will be prepared for you at the pharmacy.

Before the start of the course, they will have to process all available shoes, all socks, gloves, etc., and then, once a month, until healthy nails grow back, they need to process clothes and shoes that had to be worn during treatment. This is not difficult: the inner surface of the shoe is wiped with a cotton swab dipped in a solution, the same swab is placed in gloves, socks, stockings, etc. All this is hidden in a dense plastic bag overnight, then dried well and aired for 2-3 days.

So, as a result of persistent treatment, the external manifestations of the disease disappeared and finally healthy nails will grow. But that's not all, now control tests are coming at the end of treatment, after 2 weeks and after 2 months. No more fungus? So, everything is in order, the only question is how not to get sick again.

How is nail fungus transmitted?

Many people have already had a chance to get acquainted with nail fungus. This infection occurs under the influence of fungi, the colonies of which can grow on the nails and nearby skin, causing a lot of discomfort.

Most people are unaware of how nail fungus is transmitted. The opinion that earning mycosis on the hands or feet is possible only through personal contact with an infected person is wrong. In fact, there are many ways to "pick up" a nail parasite. Among them - a visit to the gym or pool, walking barefoot, sweaty feet, someone else's shoes, non-sterile tools of a manicurist. Even an occasional visit to the shower at a party can be fraught with loss of the nail due to athlete's foot.

In addition, most people do not consider the ability of the fungal mycelium to exist independently for a whole year. Thus, not only a person with crumbling nails can be contagious, but also his slippers that have stood for a whole year in a shoe closet, socks, underwear, a rug in the bathroom.

Nail fungus
Nail fungus

It is worth noting that wearing nylon stockings in conjunction with tight shoes that injure the skin of the feet also increases the chances of becoming the owner of nail mycosis

The high ability to survive, noted in fungi that infect the nails, may be fraught with the loss of the attractive appearance of the nails in fashionistas who tend to exchange shoes with their friends. It is worth noting that wearing nylon stockings in conjunction with tight shoes that injure the skin of the feet also increases the chances of becoming the owner of nail mycosis.

Experts who have discovered the extreme vitality of certain types of fungus recommend wearing comfortable, clean, dry, removable shoes at work. When going on a visit, it is advisable to bring your own washed and dried slippers with you, since socks do not protect against infection with nail fungus, and other people's slippers may even be an incubator of this infection.

People who are faced with a fungal infection of the nails need to treat their own shoes with a 25% formalin solution or acetic acid in a 40% dilution. In such a case, the bathtub and the floor should be washed regularly with a chlorine-containing product. Dermatologists recommend preventing infection by observing personal hygiene and maintaining the proper level of immunity in yourself and your family members.

Where are infected with skin and nail fungus

A skin fungus, which later becomes a nail fungus, can be contracted in different places and from different people. There are two main options for infection with a fungal infection - in public places and in the immediate environment of the patient.

Fungus Infection in Public Areas

The most common opinion about the sources of infection with mycosis of the feet or nails is that the fungus is transmitted in swimming pools, baths, public showers and other places. It really is.

The work of the famous English mycologist Evans showed that dermatophyte fungi are found on the floor of such common areas, especially on wooden surfaces and parts, as well as in places of stagnation and accumulation of water.

Other similar places of possible infection with fungus are the floor in dressing rooms of gyms, fitness centers and other places where many different people change clothes and go barefoot. But this is not the only way of infection. You can get infected in a nail / pedicure salon, or on the beach.

Fungus infection in your own home

In fact, an insidious fungus often awaits us where we feel safe - in our own home, and those people from whom we usually expect only good things are infect us with this perennial infection …

Recent Russian studies - the Hotline project of the National Academy of Mycology - showed that more than 30% of patients with nail fungus most likely contracted the infection from their relatives in their own home. How does it happen that people get infected with the fungus in their family? An untreated fungal disease is most likely in one of the older relatives. Shared shoes at home in a family, at a dacha or at a visit, walking barefoot, perhaps household items and furnishings (towels, rugs, coverings) - these are the factors that determine the transmission of the fungus between members of the same family, their relatives and friends.

Risk group

In medical practice, fungal infection of the nails is denoted by the term onychomycosis, where "onycho", which means a nail, and "mycosis" is a fungal infection. The disease is not as rare as it might seem. Onychomycosis is widespread in all countries of the world and its share among all nail diseases reaches 40%. The main causative agents of the disease are dermatophyte fungi (fungal parasites of the skin, hair and nails). But there are other culprits of the misfortune - various yeasts and molds. Both men and women become victims of onychomycosis with equal success.

The risk of getting sick increases with age. For example, after 70 years, every second person suffers from onychomycosis.

Fortunately, children suffer from onychomycosis much less often, since tissue regeneration, replacement of old with new ones, occurs very quickly. Even a baby's nails grow much faster than an adult's, while the fungus, on the contrary, develops rather slowly.

Nail fungus
Nail fungus

The risk of getting sick increases if the tone of the vessels of the legs is disturbed, for example, with heart failure or varicose veins

And yet, it is impossible to completely exclude a child from the risk group. Children are usually infected from their parents and, oddly enough, through shoes: flaunting around the apartment in mother's shoes, the baby runs the risk of picking up mother's fungus. An intact, healthy nail is practically invulnerable to fungal infection, but altered nails, for example, as a result of injury, become easy prey for the fungus.

The state of the organism as a whole plays an important role. The risk of getting sick increases if the vascular tone of the legs is disturbed, for example, with heart failure or varicose veins. The same can be said about disorders in the endocrine system. Diabetes mellitus is a good reason to vigilantly monitor the condition of your nails, because in such cases, the defeat of the fungus can be especially severe.

Flat feet and overly tight shoes contribute to skin and nail injury. Stockings and socks made of synthetic fibers, poor ventilation in shoes create a too humid microclimate on the skin of the feet.

Frequent hand contact with household detergents and cleaners injures nails. All this increases the risk of getting sick, but sometimes the danger lies in the very care of your appearance: false nails can create favorable conditions for the development of onychomycosis on the hands.

Treating nail fungus at home

toenail fungus folk remedies
toenail fungus folk remedies

At the initial stage of the disease at home, you can try using proven folk remedies.

  1. Apple vinegar. Simply soak your feet 1 to 2 times a day in a 1 to 1 mixture of apple cider vinegar and warm water for about 15 to 20 minutes. After soaking, let your toenails dry completely (you can use a hair dryer). And within about two weeks, you will notice that the fungus is gone, and a beautiful and new one grows in the place of the old damaged nail.
  2. Tea tree oil should be applied to the skin and nails affected by the fungus three times a day. A single dose is 4 to 10 drops of food. Such treatment should be continued for at least two weeks, or even longer, to make sure that the infection will not return to you. This oil should not be used by children or pregnant women.
  3. Freshly picked celandine is passed through a meat grinder, and the juice is squeezed out of the resulting pulp (this is done through 3-4 layers of gauze). It should come out about 200 ml. juice. It is combined with 200 ml. 70% alcohol and infused for 24 hours. The prepared juice is used to lubricate the affected nails, but the treatment is carried out only after the feet have been steamed for 10 minutes and dried completely. The course of treatment is 10-12 days, 3-4 treatments per day.
  4. Another way to eliminate nail fungus is to use iodine at home. It's very simple. For three weeks, the nail plate is covered with iodine daily. In this case, the growing tip of the damaged nail is regularly removed.
  5. Kombucha will also help fight the fungus. For such treatment, compresses are made: wrap a plate of kombucha in cellophane and wrap a leg with a bandage, then put on socks. In the morning you need to wash your feet with warm water, carefully remove the dead areas and grease with iodine. Among the side effects, quite severe pain is noted, but at the same time, the desired result can be achieved much faster.

If folk remedies do not give the desired result, it is worth contacting specialists for the appointment of complex therapy.

Prevention

Nail fungus
Nail fungus

It is useful to treat the legs with a 40% solution of urotropine, galmanic octathionic powder or other drying solutions

To avoid trouble, you have to be careful. A visit to the pool, sauna, gym and even a sun-baked beach can turn into troubles. The causative agents of onychomycosis are remarkably resistant to external factors. Spores of the fungus can withstand drying, heating up to 100 and freezing to minus 60 degrees C. They are able to survive the "attack" of disinfectants, which are usually used in public places, as a result, pose a constant threat to our health.

In the beach sand, fungi remain viable for months. And, it would seem, where else can you walk barefoot, if not on the beach ?! This is exactly what you don't need to do - there are slippers for visiting beaches and swimming pools. But most often (up to 65% of cases), infection occurs in the family. After all, you can get infected through direct contact with a sick person, through shoes and clothes that he wears, as well as through household items, whether it is a rug in the bathroom, a common towel, nail scissors, etc. Pieces of nails can remain on all these things and skin flakes infected with fungus. They easily stick to wet feet. Therefore, if one of the family members has this harmful "treasure", you need to be especially vigilant.

The bathtub must be thoroughly disinfected with any cleaning agent and rinsed with hot water, because loose pieces of nails or skin flakes can remain on the surface.

A washcloth or sponge should be regularly processed in a 5% solution of chloramine (hold for at least an hour). Used linen should be boiled with washing powder for 20-30 minutes or soaked for an hour in a 5% solution of chloramine, since it is sold in the pharmacy without a prescription.

Abrasions and abrasions associated with sweating or, conversely, with dry skin, greatly facilitate the task of infection. To cope with excessive sweating and diaper rash of the feet will help a powder of boric acid and talc or pure urotropin.

It is useful to treat the legs with a 40% solution of urotropine, galmanic octathionic powder or other drying solutions.

To avoid excessive dryness of the skin, you can use RADEVIT ointment, vitamin-containing retinol palmitate, etc. Use creams that prevent the appearance of calluses.

Compliance with simple rules will save you from illness:

  1. walk on the beach only in slippers;
  2. when visiting a bathhouse, sauna or swimming pool, use closed rubber slippers that protect against splashes;
  3. after washing, wipe your feet dry, especially the interdigital folds and treat them with a preventive antifungal cream or special powder;
  4. do not wear someone else's shoes;
  5. change socks and stockings daily

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