Mycosis is a disease that is easy to obtain but difficult to treat. This is due to many factors. Pathogenic microorganisms adapt quickly to changing conditions and become accustomed to the active components of drugs. They are able to stay on different surfaces for a long time. They are multiplying rapidly and capturing more and more new areas. In the literal sense, the horn penetrates the plates, deepening them. Treatment of nail fungus should be carried out thoroughly in accordance with all the rules. Otherwise, you may encounter a situation where the symptoms begin to pass, but everything quickly returns to its original state.
How can onychomycosis be transmitted?
In most cases, according to statistics, the infection occurs as follows:
- Personal contact with a person suffering from a fungus;
- Personal belongings: clothes, towels, shoes;
- When visiting saunas, beaches, showers, sports clubs;
- With a pedicure with non-disinfected tools.
Infection can occur anywhere people walk barefoot. If a person with mycosis crosses the floor, the scales of the skin remain on the surface. If they fall on healthy nails, a pathological process will begin. A similar route of infection occurs when using the personal belongings of others. Fungal microorganisms are actively growing, especially in hot areas with high humidity. Therefore, they are usually collected in saunas, baths, baths.
Although there is a fungus on the nails, this does not mean the beginning of the disease. The body's defenses are sufficient to fight infection. However, there are factors under which the fungus is brought in and spreads more actively. If so, the risk of developing the disease increases many times over. Consider these factors:
- Sores and cuts on the feet, typical micro-cracks for dry skin - all of these are doors for infection;
- Weak immune system;
- Taking antibiotics that change the acidity of the feet;
- Poor hygiene
- Sweating of the feet;
- Metabolic problems;
- Diabetes;
- AIDS;
- Overweight.
Factors that contribute to the development of the disease may include:
- Lack of personal slippers when visiting public places;
- To use someone else's shoes;
- Use of dense synthetic materials;
- Ignoring the need for regular disinfection of the bathroom;
- Lack of proper foot hygiene.
Based on these observations, it is easy to deduce methods of preventing mycosis.
Symptoms
Symptoms of the disease become apparent only when the fungus is already in the middle stage. However, it is possible to diagnose the disease at an early stage. To do this, you only need to carefully monitor the condition of the nails. The following symptoms should be alerted:
- Peel the legs;
- Appearance of white spots on the nails;
- Mild itching;
- Dry feet.
It is better to consult a doctor with these symptoms. They are not specific and therefore one disease can be easily confused with another. The symptoms of the following stages will be more pronounced:
- The nail loses its natural shine, becomes cloudy;
- The plate takes on unnatural shades: yellow, green, blue;
- The nail begins to fall out, erodes, becomes more broken;
- The plate begins to separate from the nail bed. Before that, there are gaps between it and the bed;
- The structure of the nail changes. Thickening is visible. The nail may bend, growth pathologies are observed;
- The disease spreads to the skin. They develop an inflammatory process, manifested in the release of pus, redness;
- The space between the fingers is peeled off, cracks form;
- Itching and burning intensify;
- It has an unpleasant odor.
In the most advanced stages, the fungus seriously destroys not only the nails, but also the skin. Abscesses may appear. All this causes serious anxiety and interferes with a normal lifestyle.
Is mycosis dangerous if left untreated?
An untreated disease causes the following problems:
- Appearance of infectious complications;
- Occurrence of severe allergic reactions;
- To exacerbate various diseases, including diabetes mellitus;
- Defeat of internal organs by fungal microorganisms.
In the final stages, the disease is very disturbing. There is pus flowing, cracks are formed. It hurts to walk. There is a distinct odor. All this makes it difficult to live a normal life. In addition, pathogens enter the bloodstream and can affect the whole body. It is extremely dangerous and is fraught with disability and even death.
Treatment depending on the stage of the disease
Nail fungus has several stages depending on the degree of lesion. Therapy methods will depend 90% on the stage. Depending on the stage of development of the disease, consider the features of treatment:
- Stage 1.You will find good analyzes in the drug solution. Works very well in the early stages of the disease. The solution is used to treat diseased nails twice a day. Before treatment, it is recommended to take a warm bath for the feet, cut the nails and work with a file. The solution costs about 500 rubles. The advantage of the solution in the form of a solution is immediate absorption, rapid action;
- Stage 2.The loose part of the nail is removed with scissors or a nail file. A healing solution is applied inside the cavity and on the entire surface of the board. It is recommended to start taking pills. The treatment will last about 6 months;
- Stage 3.In this case, the lesion affects not only the plaque, but also the root, the nail bed and the surrounding skin. Treatment is carried out with systemic drugs. It is important to consult a doctor, because you can not get rid of an advanced stage without the help of a specialist.
The success of nail fungus treatment is determined by the re-growth of a healthy plaque with no signs of damage.
Basics of treatment of mycosis
How to treat nail fungus? Therapy is carried out using two groups of funds:
- Local preparations.Used in the first and second stages of the disease. Can be combined with systemic drugs. This category includes varnishes, solutions, ointments, gels;
- Systemic drugs.These are antifungals. These can be tablets, capsules. They stop the spread of the disease, destroy pathogenic microorganisms. They have a combined effect. That is, the active components of the drug remain intact after the end of therapy. This prevents relapse.
It is best to treat nail fungus early. This is due to the fact that only local preparations can be used in this situation. The tablets are very effective, but also toxic, have many contraindications and side effects. It is forbidden to take pregnant women and children.
Use of medicinal varnishes
Varnishes are excellent in the early stages of nail fungus. They have the following advantages:
- It is not necessary to apply the product daily. Twice a week is enough;
- The varnish dries almost immediately;
- The tool creates a film on the surface of the nail that prevents bacteria and additional infections;
- The varnish is transparent and therefore not noticeable on the nails.
The characteristics of the course depend on the specific varnish. Their significant disadvantage is the significant cost.
Antifungal pills
If the mycosis spreads to more than 1/3 of the nail, antifungal pills will be required. A specialist should prescribe a remedy for nail fungus, because the choice depends on the type of microorganisms that cause the disease.
Almost all tablets have cheap counterparts. The cost of medicines is different.
Laser therapy
In some cases, nail fungus does not respond to medication. In this case, you can use laser therapy. The following advantages should be noted:
- Painlessness;
- Effective destruction of fungal microorganisms;
- No damage to healthy tissues;
- Only 4-6 procedures are likely to cure a disease in a severe stage.
It is advisable to supplement the laser action with systemic medications, as well as vitamin complexes aimed at strengthening the body's defenses.
Nail removal
Nail removal is generally indicated in the advanced stages of nail fungus. It is not recommended to use this method on a relatively healthy board. Deletion has the following advantages:
- Painless (removal occurs due to maximum softening of the plaque);
- Stopping the spread of pathological processes;
- Better penetration of drugs into the center of the disease.
Removal can be done at home. There are special preparations for this. Due to the urea in the products, it is removed. The composition contains auxiliary components that stop the growth of fungi and have an antiseptic effect: stearic acid, tea tree oil.
Before use, the feet are steamed with a spoonful of baking soda in the bath. They should be wiped dry. Then a whole plaster is glued near the nail. The product should not come into contact with the skin, as this will cause burns. The composition is applied to the nail with a thick layer and then sealed with a plaster. The patch is removed after 4 days. If the nail does not come out, the event can be repeated.
Traditional methods of treatment
It makes sense to apply folk techniques in the early stages. There is an additional effect. However, it should be noted that these funds do not replace local drugs. Consider the most common folk remedies for nail fungus:
- Apple cider vinegar.Vinegar is mixed with water one by one. The feet are placed in a warm bath for 15-20 minutes. The procedure is performed daily. After that, the feet should be thoroughly dried. The effect can be seen after 2 weeks. If it is not there, the product must be replaced with another;
- Tea tree oil.It is applied to the affected nails three times a day in a clean form. You need one drop for each plate. There are contraindications: uterus and pregnancy;
- Fresh celandine.The plant should be chopped. The juice is squeezed from the fruit. This can be done with gauze. A glass of water is combined with a glass of 70% alcohol. The solution is inoculated during the day. The legs are steamed before processing. The infusion is then applied to the plates. Processing is carried out 3-4 times a day. The course is 10-12 days;
- Iodine.Apply one drop of iodine daily to the affected area. Remember to trim the growing nail. If there is a burning sensation, you should stop the procedure. This effect indicates tissue burning;
- Tea fungus.Compresses can be made from it. To do this, a piece of mushroom is put on the nail. The finger is wrapped in cellophane and bandage. Then put on cotton socks. The procedure is performed at night. In the morning, the compress is removed, the feet are washed under warm water, and the dead areas are removed.
What is the best treatment for nail fungus? Folk recipes will not work for this. Can only be used as an auxiliary tool. However, the main therapy is to take pills and topical medications.
Reviews
People with nail fungus report the effectiveness of a drug solution that is easy to use. However, we must not forget that the tool must be used regularly for a long time. Without it, the mycosis will immediately reappear.
Celandine is also effective. People say that the visible effect can be observed after 3 weeks of use. The structure of the nail changes, the signs of damage disappear. However, this only applies to the early stages of the disease.
You can also see the negative reviews. They generally warn against drug abuse. For example, patients suffered severe burns while using iodine and acetic acid. Therefore, the use of these funds should be carried out in accordance with security measures. In particular, the recommended dose should not be exceeded. If a burning sensation occurs, this indicates the onset of burning. Don't believe articles that claim that pain is a sign of improvement. In general, this is a sign of serious processes that can leave greater complications after a fungus.
Additional measures
Additional measures are needed to speed up treatment and prevent recurrences. Let's look at the main ones:
- Particles of the patient's skin remain in socks and shoes. If a person is completely cured, you can re-infect them by communicating with them. Therefore, socks should be boiled for 5 minutes. All fungal microorganisms will be destroyed in boiling water. The shoes are treated with special compounds that can be found in pharmacies;
- Vitamin complexes should be taken to stimulate the immune system;
- All funds are used regularly throughout the course. Otherwise, the treatment will be completely useless.
Paying attention to all recommendations is the key to a quick treatment.
Preventive measures
Prophylactic measures are taken to prevent re-infection with mycosis:
- It is recommended that you lubricate your nails with anti-fungal varnishes before visiting baths, saunas and other government facilities;
- You should not wear someone else's shoes;
- Once a week you can take hot foot baths with the addition of sea salt and soda;
- It is advisable to exclude sweets from the diet;
- It is necessary to prevent sweating of the feet.
Once a week, after the last treatment, you can use a local antifungal or similar folk remedy. They are applied to all nails. Although the infection reappears, it will stop soon.
It is more difficult to protect yourself from illness when living with a sick person. In this case, it is important to regularly disinfect the bathroom and all surfaces in the house. The patient should keep his belongings separate from other clothes and wash them. Households can use local mycosis medications once a week for prevention.
Mycosis is difficult to treat. His treatment must be taken very seriously. It is advisable to consult a doctor at the first signs. Takes a scrap from the affected area. You can then determine which microorganisms are causing the disease. Based on this information, medications are prescribed. Individual factors also play a role in drug selection. For example, if a woman is pregnant, pills are rarely prescribed. This is due to the fact that it penetrates the bloodstream and can harm the fetus. Typically, nail removal is used in conjunction with topical treatments.