Sun, sea, beautiful beach. . . In summer you are well rested, and your skin is covered with a magnificent tan. But what are those uncomfortable cracks on the foot between the toes and why did the nail turn yellow? Take a closer look. Maybe this is not just a cosmetic flaw?
The first signs of 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 sadness is caused by a fungus that has settled on the skin of the feet and nails. Ladies who have fallen victim to such a fungus primarily deal with the outside of the problem - cracking, skin dandruff, yellow nail crumbs - but, according to doctors, the aesthetic problem is not far from the main one.
This is a serious disease that needs long-term treatment. The disease first appears on the skin of the feet, more often in the interdigital folds. Peeling appears between the fingers, followed by burning and itching. Then bubbles appear which burst creating ulcers and cracks. If you do not start treatment immediately, the fungus will spread to your nails. Once in the nail plate, it continues to grow and multiply. Despite the slowness, the fungus gradually peels the nail, gradually fills it and penetrates the nail bed, and over time, the affected area affects the nails not only on the feet, but also on the hands. There is even a defeat of internal organs, fortunately, quite rarely.
Manifestationsfungus on the nail nailsdepends on the type of infection, as well as the degree and depth of the fungus. By moving to the nail plate, dermatophytes usually show yellow spots or longitudinal stripes on the sides of the toenail. In some cases, the disease can be affected by the appearance of bright yellow streaks or spots in the center of the nail plate. On the hands and nails are "decorated" with similar stripes, but lighter - whitish or grayish.
Yeast fungi thin the nail plate on the side, while it lags behind the nail bed and becomes yellowish in color. Often the disease begins with the folds of the nails, usually on the hands. The rollers thicken, swell and redden, silvery scales appear along the edge, the skin of the nails gradually disappears. Bacterial infection can join the process, in which case even suppuration is possible. The nutrition of the tissues in the area of the roller is disturbed, as a result of which transverse grooves appear. . . . . . .
Mold fungi can cause onychomycosis only in the background of an already existing nail nutritional disorder caused by 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 lesion remains superficial. However, you should not diagnose it yourself, especially since nail damage can be caused by several fungi at once. In addition, fungi are common, but not the only cause of serious nail problems.
See a doctor right away!
If you notice signs of the fungus, don’t hope that everything will go away on its own. The longer the fungus lives on your nails, the harder it is to treat it and the worse it is for the whole body. Prolonged onychomycosis can cause an allergic reaction, weaken the immune system and lead to worsening of chronic diseases. Therefore, it is best to consult a mycologist or dermatologist at the first suspicion. The doctor will not only perform an examination, assess the thickness, structure of the nail, but will also do a scraping of the tissue for analysis. Only in that way will they 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 shape 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 surface of the nail lesion is insignificant, you can limit yourself to local treatment - applying 2 times a day on a nail antifungal drug (antifungal) with a broad spectrum of action in the form of ointment, cream or solution.
Before applying the medicine, special nail preparation is performed. First, bath with soap and soda: the basin is half filled with hot water (40-50 degrees C), in which 1 tbsp is dissolved. l. soda and 50 g of laundry soap. The feet or toes 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 scissors and lined with a file. Duration of treatment - until healthy unaltered nails grow.
Bitan! Do not use the same manicure accessories for sick and healthy nails.
Topical medications include clotrimazole-based medications. They are applied to the affected nails with a dispenser and left for one day under a waterproof patch. The day after a bath with soda soap, 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 for a permanent duration, as with other drugs, until healthy nails grow.
In the initial forms of lesions, special antifungal varnishes can be used for local treatment, which are applied to the nails 1-2 times a week. The treatment lasts about 6-8 months for the nails and about a year for the toenails. Manicure can also be applied over antifungal varnish.
If local treatment no longer helps or the nail plates are completely affected by the fungus, general antifungals (also called systemic) are prescribed. Such drugs are taken orally. They can be used in combination with antifungal varnishes. However, it is very important to ensure that you have no contraindications to general antifungals. For example, kidney and liver disease. Systemic drugs are often contraindicated in children, and they have serious limitations in their concomitant use with some other drugs. For example, some of them are not compatible with hormonal contraceptives. If you are breast-feeding your baby, you will need to wait a while while using these medications.
Pregnancy also means banning systemic antifungals. Therefore, women of childbearing potential receiving them must use contraception throughout the course of treatment. In some cases, you have to go for nail plate removal, followed by treatment. After that, a new nail grows, although its surface may be uneven at first. Whatever treatment your doctor prescribes, turn into a disinfectant for a while. The doctor will write a prescription according to which the necessary solution will be prepared for you in the pharmacy.
Before starting the course, they will have to process all available shoes, all socks, gloves, etc. And then, once a month, until healthy nails grow, they need to process the clothes and shoes they had to wear during treatment. This is not difficult: the inner surface of the shoe is wiped with a cotton cloth dipped in the solution, the same tampon is placed in gloves, socks, stockings, etc. All this is hidden in a thick plastic bag overnight, then dried well and ventilated for 2-3 days.
As a result of persistent treatment, the external manifestations of the disease have disappeared and healthy nails will finally grow. But that's not all, now control tests come at the end of treatment, after 2 weeks and after 2 months. The fungus is gone? So, everything is fine, it's just a matter of how not to get sick anymore.
Risk group
In medical practice, fungal nail infection is referred to as onychomycosis, where "onycho" means nail, and "mycosis" is a fungal infection. The disease is not as rare as it may seem. Onychomycosis is widespread in all countries of the world and its share among all nail diseases reaches 40%. The main causes of the disease are fungi dermatophytes (fungal parasites of the skin, hair and nails). But there are other culprits for the accident - various yeasts and molds. Both men and women fall victim to onychomycosis with equal success.
The risk of getting the disease increases with age. For example, after the age of 70, every other person suffers from onychomycosis. Fortunately, children suffer from onychomycosis much less often, because tissue regeneration occurs very quickly, replacing the old with new ones. Even baby nails grow much faster than adults, while the fungus, on the contrary, develops quite slowly. However, it is impossible to completely exclude a child from the risk group. Children are usually infected by their parents and, oddly enough, by shoes: by scattering around the apartment in their mother's shoes, the baby risks becoming infected with the mother's fungus. An intact, healthy nail is virtually invulnerable to fungal infections, but altered nails, for example, as a result of injury, become easy prey for fungus.
The condition of the organism as a whole plays an important role. The risk of disease increases if the vascular tone of the legs is disturbed, for example in heart failure or varicose veins. The same can be said for disorders in the endocrine system. Diabetes mellitus is a good reason to keep an eye on the condition of your nails, because in such cases, the defeat of the fungus can be especially difficult.
Flat feet and too narrow shoes contribute to skin and nail injuries. Socks and socks made of synthetic fibers, poor ventilation in the shoes create a too humid microclimate on the skin of the feet. Frequent hand contact with household detergents and cleaning products will injure your nails. All this increases the risk of getting the disease, but sometimes the danger lies in the very care of your appearance: fake nails can create favorable conditions for the development of onychomycosis on the hands.
Prophylaxis
To avoid trouble, you need to be careful. A visit to the pool, the beach, the gym, and even the sun-baked beach can turn into trouble. The causes of onychomycosis are extremely resistant to external factors. Slow fungi can withstand drying, heating to 100 and freezing to minus 60 degrees C. They are able to survive the "attack" of disinfectants, which are commonly used in public places, resulting in a constant threat to our health. In the sand on the beach mushrooms remain viable for months. And, it seems, where else can you walk barefoot, if not on the beach?! This is exactly what is unnecessary to do - there are slippers for touring the beaches and pools. But most often (up to 65% of cases) the infection occurs in the family circle. Finally, you can become infected through direct contact with a sick person, through the shoes and clothes he wears, as well as through household items, whether it is a bathroom rug, a regular towel, nail scissors, etc. Fungal skin infected with fungi. They stick easily to wet feet. Therefore, if a family member has this harmful "treasure", you must be especially careful.
When it must be thoroughly disinfected with any cleaning agent and rinsed with a jet of hot water as loose pieces of nails or skin flakes may remain on the surface.
The insert or sponge should be treated regularly in a 5% solution of chloramine (soak for at least an hour). Used cloth should be cooked with washing powder for 20-30 minutes or kept for an hour in a 5% solution of chloramine, because it is sold in pharmacies without a prescription.
Abrasions and scratches associated with sweating or, conversely, with dry skin, greatly facilitate the task of infection. To deal with excessive sweating and diaper rash on the feet will help powder fromboric acid and talc. . .
It is useful to treat the feet with drying solutions.
To avoid excessive dryness of the skin, you can use a special ointment, creams containing vitamins and other similar products. Use creams to prevent corns.
Following simple rules will save you from illness:
- walk on the beach only in slippers;
- when visiting the swimming pool, sauna or swimming pool, use closed rubber slippers that protect against splashing;
- after washing, wipe dry feet, especially interdigital folds, and treat them with prophylactic antifungal cream or special powder;
- do not wear other people's shoes;
- change socks and stockings daily.