Onychomycosis is a cunning disease because many people do not recognize the first symptoms and turn to specialists when the disease is actively developing. At this stage, it is impossible not to see the symptoms, the nails begin to fall out, break off, the inflammation spreads to the skin, and nearby areas become inflamed. To act on time, you need to know what a nail fungus looks like.
About two-thirds of the world's population is exposed to fungal infections. Onychomycosis or nail damage is not just an aesthetic problem; In later stages, the disease causes physical discomfort.
Onychomycosis is difficult to treat, and if you start taking action in the early stages, the disease responds better to treatment. And to do this, you need to know what nails affected by fungus look like.
Description of the disease
A fungal disease that affects the nails is called onychomycosis. The fungus penetrates deep into the plaque and destroys the keratin, which is the basis of the nail plate. Fungal spores enter the intercellular space and begin to multiply rapidly.
If the infection is not treated, the disease affects the nails and spreads to nearby skin areas in the absence of adequate therapy.
Infection
Fungal spores are present in the environment. They are very resistant to external influences, spores do not die even at temperatures below zero. However, active reproduction of fungi is possible only in a warm and humid environment, so people are at the greatest risk when visiting public baths, swimming pools, gyms.
If there is a person infected with onychomycosis among the visitors, fungal spores remain active in the objects they come in contact with for a long time. And these spores affect the skin and nails of healthy people. To "catch" an infection, it is enough to walk barefoot where there are fungal spores.
Tip! Wooden surfaces are especially dangerous - floors, grilles in shower rooms, benches. The fact is that the tree has a porous structure, and even a thorough disinfection is not able to destroy the spores of pathogenic microorganisms.
But, of course, not every "meeting" with fungi ends with a disease. In most cases, the body's immune system successfully fights the infection. If the body is weakened or a person does not follow basic hygiene measures, the likelihood of developing onychomycosis increases.
Factors contributing to the development of the disease
Certain conditions must be met for the fungus to start licensing activities. Older people are often susceptible to the disease, have a weak immune system, so onychomycosis is more common in older people than in young people. Risk factors:
- non-compliance with the rules of hygiene, wearing too tight shoes, clothes and shoes made of synthetic materials;
- the presence of any damage to the skin, even a small scratch, is a "door" to infection;
- endocrine system pathology;
- chronic diseases that weaken the immune system;
- long-term use of medications, especially hormones, cytostatics and antibiotics.
Tip! You can get onychomycosis in a beauty salon by doing a manicure or pedicure. If the craftsman does not pay enough attention to the sterilization of instruments, the documents from the cutter can become a source of infection.
The causative agents of the disease
To date, about fifty species of fungi that can cause onychomycosis have been identified. For this reason, you should not treat yourself. Drugs that are effective for one type of nail fungus may be useless if the disease is triggered by another type of pathogen.
The complexity of the treatment is that the infection is localized under the nail plate, not on the nail surface. Therefore, the use of external drugs does not always give the expected effect. If left untreated, the disease will continue to progress. Moreover, the earlier the disease begins, the more difficult it will be to treat.
Onychomycosis often appears in the legs. The infection can affect the nail of the first finger, but over time it can spread to other nails. Fungus on the hands is less common, but this disease should not be considered rare.
Clinic
The symptoms depend on the shape and stage of the lesion, so it is impossible to give an unambiguous answer to the question of what the fungus on the nail looks like.
The most common work
The initial stage is called normotrophic. Manifestations at this stage are weak, so many patients do not pay attention to them. You can often see the following symptoms:
- loss of transparency;
- appearance of yellowish spots on most outer edges;
- sometimes there is a feeling that a "gap" has formed between the nail and the nail bed.
This lesion is called distal-lateral and is the most common. If left untreated, the process begins to progress. Subungual keratosis appears. This phenomenon is characterized by increased growth of horn cells, resulting in thickening of the nail.
Tip! Hyperkeratosis is a normal reaction of the nail to an infection. In addition, the thicker the infection enters the nail plate, the thicker the nail.
At a later stage, complete damage to the nail plate is noted, and signs of dystrophy appear. Gradually, the matrix is also involved in the process - where the nail grows. At this stage, the removal of the nail does not give such results, because the patient's nail plate is already beginning to grow.
Surface shape
At the initial stage, whitish spots appear on the nails in this form. Over time, they grow, occupying the entire surface of the nail. The plate is loose and rough. If you scratch the nail with a hard object, the scales begin to separate.
Tip! This fungal disease occurs only on the toes, most on the big toe, and less on the little toe.
Proximal subungual
Affected nails in this form look like this:
- the tissues surrounding the nail become red and inflamed;
- the roller swells and becomes painful;
- the cuticle begins to separate from the nail;
- Dystrophic changes in the nail occur, first the grooves appear on the plate, then fragility develops and at an advanced stage the plaque disappears.
Types of mushrooms
Manifestations of the disease also depend on the type of pathogen. Of course, the type of pathogen can be accurately determined only after the test. External signs are also different, but still the symptoms are not diagnosed:
- Dermatophyte. Fungi of the genus Dermatophyte feed on keratin, that is, they "attack" the hair, nails and upper cornea. About 40 species of this fungus are known, but onychomycosis causes only ten species of pathogens. The source of infection is a sick person who can be infected through direct contact or using common objects. At first, streaks and spots appear on the affected nails, then the edge of the nail gradually yellows and gradually falls back from the nail bed. The larger the area of the stain, the higher the degree of retention.
- Yeast fungi. These are pathologies caused by fungi of the genus Candida. The perpetrator of this species is opportunistic. That is, a certain amount of fungus is present on the surface of the skin and nails, but with a decrease in immunity, the fungus begins to multiply and causes inflammation. When the nails are damaged, the plaque gradually thins, turns yellow, and then turns brown and lags behind the nail bed. With this type of infection, the nail folds are severely affected, becoming red, swollen and painful.
Tip! Usually, fungal infections develop gradually. Often the disease lasts for years without entering an advanced stage. However, when the nail plate is affected by yeast, the disease progresses very quickly.
- Molds. Infection caused by molds is localized in the upper part of the plaque without penetrating into the deeper part of the plaque. Therefore, this type of onychomycosis is easier to treat than others. The first sign of damage is a change in the color of the nail plate. In addition, the nail acquires an unnatural color, it can be green or black. In the early stages, dark spots appear on the nails, which gradually turn into spots, and over time, all the plaque changes color.
If onychomycosis is not treated, pathogens can spread to the skin of the feet and cause cutaneous mycosis. In this case, symptoms such as itching, cracking of the skin appear. It is painful for the patient to wear shoes and walk.
What do I have to do?
What should you do if you see signs of a fungal infection? It is not worth treating yourself. It is necessary to consult a dermatologist. The specialist will schedule tests and make an accurate diagnosis. Parents of children should be especially careful. Of course, nail fungus is not often observed in children, but nevertheless, such a disease occurs at any age.
Remember that the earlier treatment is started, the easier it will be to fight the disease. If the fungal infection is treated in the early stages, it will be possible with the use of local drugs - ointments, solutions. But you will have to behave continuously for a few weeks.
In the advanced stages it is necessary to apply not only ointments, but also drugs that have a systemic effect, ie tablets. Such drugs are taken orally from the digestive system, the active substances enter the bloodstream and pass through the bloodstream throughout the body. Thus, the infection will be destroyed from the inside.
It will be very useful to work on strengthening the immune system at any stage of the disease. Immunomodulators will be prescribed by a specialist, if necessary. And the patient needs to establish a rest regime alone, sleep more and walk daily. You also need to follow your diet. The "favorite food" of mushrooms is sugar. Therefore, you should minimize sweets in your diet.
Thus, it will be useful for everyone to know what nail fungus looks on the hands and toes. Such information will help to detect the symptoms of the disease in a timely manner and begin treatment in the early stages. This will allow you to cope with the disease quickly and without the use of systemic drugs that adversely affect the liver.