Among the most common dermatological diseases, doctors isolate precisely a fungal infection. Due to the fact that the clinical picture of this disease is poorly expressed, many do not take it seriously. In fact, nail fungus can lead to nail loss and even sepsis.
This is the main reason why nail fungus treatment should be started early on. It is extremely important to use special antifungal agents prescribed by a specialist.
The main symptoms of the fungus
The clinical picture of this disease has been studied very well. This allows you to easily identify the symptoms of nail fungus on the hands and feet, regardless of its stage.
The main ones are the following:
- The nail changes color, becomes yellow or green. In some cases, it can acquire white and brown color. There are also cases when the nail plate becomes multicolored;
- There is severe itching on the skin near the nails;
- The skin becomes inflamed, redness is noted on them;
- The nail changes structure, becomes thicker or thins;
- Skin peeling;
- Deformation of the nails;
- Nails become brittle;
- Detachment of the nails.
What toenail fungus looks like and its early symptoms
At first, the disease has no pronounced symptoms, deformation of the nails during this period is not observed at all.
In the initial stage, nail fungus manifests itself with the following symptoms:
- Dry skin;
- Itching;
- The soft tissues around the nails turn slightly red;
- Slight discoloration of the nail plates;
- The nails do not shine, less elastic;
- The appearance of corns.
At this stage of the disease, patients often do not notice changes in the nail plates, so they do not seek medical assistance in a timely manner. That is why it is extremely important to know exactly what nail fungus looks like in order to start therapy as soon as possible. After all, it is during this period that the pathology is the easiest to treat.
Important!
If we talk about how the fungus appears on the nails of the hands at the initial stage, the symptoms are as similar as possible to what occurs when the nails of the legs are affected.
Methods for diagnosing nail fungus
It is quite difficult to diagnose the early stage of toenail fungus. This will require a number of additional studies. This is mainly due to the fact that the symptoms are poorly expressed.
Among the necessary analyzes, the following are distinguished:
- Clinical blood test. With the help of her, the specialist receives information on the observation of the body's reaction to the inflammatory process caused by microorganisms;
- General urine analysis. Although this study provides information only on the general health of the patient, it can also be used to identify concomitant pathologies of the urinary tract;
- Examination of the tissues of the nail plates under a microscope. This method is able to determine not only the presence of the fungus, but also its variety;
- Blood chemistry.
A dermatologist must correctly decipher the research results. If, at the first signs of the disease, a person turns to a therapist, then surely in the near future he will still give a referral to a narrow specialist. After all, it is he who knows what nail fungus looks like on the hands and feet, and as a result, he will be able to correctly diagnose.
How to treat budding toenail fungus?
Fungal diseases are treated exclusively under the supervision of a doctor. Before prescribing a course of therapy, a specialist takes into account a number of factors:
- The degree of damage to the nail plates;
- The form of the disease;
- The stage of redness of the skin;
- The degree of deformation of the nail.
In the stages when onychomycosis is just beginning to develop, it will be enough to use only local drugs. Special antifungal varnishes, solutions and gels are applied to the affected areas immediately after the treatment of the affected nails by a surgical or keratolytic method. After this simple procedure, the drugs are absorbed better, and as a result, the treatment is performed much faster.
Keratolytics contribute not only to the softening of the nails, but also to the painless removal of the affected areas. This procedure is done using conventional patches that contain urea or salicylic acid.
The application of this patch must be performed according to the following scheme:
- The surface of the nail plates is carefully scraped.
- A special composition is applied to the affected nails.
- The mass is sealed with an adhesive plaster.
- The bandage is changed once a day, maximum two.
- Plaques damaged by the fungus are cut off.
- The antifungal agent is applied immediately.
The patch should be changed every day before going to bed.
There are a number of other external drugs that are effective in the fight against nail fungus.
If the stage of the disease is already significantly advanced, the specialist may prescribe antifungal drugs, which must be taken orally. The same funds are needed in the previous stages, but only if local therapy did not produce any results.
Important!
You cannot prescribe any antifungal drugs. Only a specialist can choose the most effective and safe remedy, prevent the further development of the disease and the occurrence of relapses.
Prevention measures
Fungal nail infection is an infectious disease. Consequently, to prevent it, some precautions should be taken:
- Maintain personal hygiene;
- Use only personal belongings when visiting the pool or bathroom;
- Do not try on someone else's shoes on an unprotected leg, be sure to wear a sock;
- Be extra careful when coming into contact with a person already infected with the fungus;
- Avoid contact with animals infected with mycosis.
It is important to remember that nail fungus is by no means a harmless disease. Its initial phase does not cause anxiety in the majority. This is why the disease is becoming more common. It is necessary to monitor the condition of the nail plates and the tissues adjacent to them, at the first manifestations of the disease, seek help from a specialist.
Since in the early stages this ailment is very easy to cure. If you do it, very unpleasant consequences are not excluded.