The first symptoms and signs of toenail fungus

The fungus is an infectious disease and most often affects the nails or skin of the feet.You can get infected very 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 disease is transmitted to humans.

How does the infection happen?

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, bathrooms, 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 disease is transmitted quite easily from person to person.It is almost impossible to insure against such diseases.Many pathogens are found in public places where people walk barefoot.This means that if a healthy person walks barefoot on the surface where an infected person used to be, in the presence of provoking factors, the disease will immediately begin to progress.

The fungus is highly resistant to various destructive factors, so it remains on surfaces for a long time.On beaches the fungus is much less common, as salt water destroys the pathogen, however the risk of infection remains.Remember to always wear only your slippers, socks and house shoes.

The first signs of nail fungus and its symptoms

Mycosis of the feet is always in a developing stage, so the first signs of toenail 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 it is still possible to miss the first stages of the disease 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. On a healthy nail, small dots appear that differ in their shade from the rest of the plaque;
2. over time, such spots begin to grow and turn into white spots and stripes;
3. subsequently the spots become large and the nail plate loses its shine;
4. the plate acquires a yellow tint, sometimes changes to blue or green.

How to determine pathology at home

If the nail changes color and becomes loose, it does not necessarily mean that it has been affected by a fungus.How does toenail 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 make the solution weak.Put your feet in the tub and wait 10 minutes.During this period, healthy nails will turn brown, while those affected by the fungus will remain unchanged.
2. Iodine.Unfortunately, this remedy does not detect the presence of a fungal pathogen on the feet.But iodine will indicate the exclusion of other types of fungi, including pityriasis versicolor.If redness, scaling, etc. is visible around the nail, treat this area with iodine.Healthy tissue will not darken much, but the affected tissue will acquire a fairly dark shade.

Treatment

Treatment for foot fungus begins with its diagnosis.First, the dermatologist conducts a visual examination and then prescribes laboratory tests.Do not forget that in no case should you stop treatment after the first improvements, because the fungi are very resistant, so the disease develops again.

Local therapy

Medicinal creams, ointments, lotions, sprays and varnishes are used as local preparations.Such drugs relieve symptoms well and destroy superficial lesions.The products are actively used during childhood and pregnancy, as they are absolutely safe.Local therapy is particularly effective in the early stages of the disease.

Medicines

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

Laser treatment

The laser therapy procedure is gaining more and more popularity.The technique was implemented recently and its effectiveness has already been demonstrated.Laser therapy has advantages:

• The treatment is safe;the beam treats only the affected tissue.After the event only healthy tissue remains.
• The procedure is painless and patients tolerate it well.
• The improvement is evident after the first session.
• To obtain a positive result, approximately 4 procedures are sufficient.

The use of a laser frees the patient from taking harmful drugs and a long course of treatment.

Surgery

In some cases, complete removal of the affected nail is necessary.Surgery is performed to completely stop the further spread of the infection.This procedure can increase the effectiveness of using local remedies.Nail removal can be done using special compounds.It is important for a specialist to be careful.So that such substance does not come into contact with the skin, otherwise it will cause a chemical burn.

Keratolytic patches can help remove the nail plate.This product will soften the nail well for easy removal.Patches are most popularly used because they have a thick consistency.In this way the doctor reduces the probability that the substances come into contact with the skin.The patch softens the nail in 2 days, other products last 4 days.

Advanced form therapy

If toenail fungus is in an advanced stage, don't despair;just follow the following rules:

1. Find out and eliminate the cause of the infection.
2. Constantly disinfect your shoes or completely change all pairs.Buy shoe spray with antifungal effect.
3. Update your socks.
4. Pass all the necessary tests and follow the treatment regimen prescribed by a dermatologist.
5. Follow all dietary restrictions.

Therapy at this stage should be carried out comprehensively.In addition to local remedies, they include effective drugs 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 or another component.

Variety of forms of mycosis

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

• Rubromycosis.Symptoms of this type are peeling skin, dry skin, excessive sweating, cracking and broken nails.
• Athlete's foot.The fungus destroys the nail, destroying the keratin contained in it.This type of fungus is very difficult to cure;it is resistant to low temperatures, antiseptics, drying and other manipulations.The mushroom can reproduce for a long time.Signs of this form are redness of the skin, severe itching, peeling, and the base of the nail becomes scaly.
• Candidiasis.The disease is caused by several types of fungi.The nails of the 3rd and 4th toes are affected.The initial stage is characterized by mild inflammation.Subsequently, swelling occurs, a change in shape and thickness leads to the fact that the cuticle begins to be pushed back.After such processes, the fungus enters the bed itself and spreads over 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 the choice of treatment 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 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 drugs.

If you like to visit common places like a bathhouse, sauna or swimming pool, be sure to wash your feet thoroughly when you get home.Also, dry your feet, as the fungus is very tenacious and especially loves humid environments.Buy socks only made of cotton fabric.This material absorbs moisture well, which is released when your feet start to sweat.When your feet sweat a lot in closed shoes, air them periodically if possible.

If you go to the store to buy shoes, bring your own shoes or sock;you should not try shoes on bare feet or use public footwear.Perform foot care such as pedicures and other treatments regularly.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, by all means avoid contact with him and provide the patient with separate household items.