The sun, the sea, the beautiful beach. . . In the summer you have a good rest and your skin is covered with a great complexion. But what are these nasty cracks on the foot between the toes and why did the nail turn yellow? Take a closer look. Maybe it's not just a cosmetic defect?
The first signs of fungus
A parasitic fungus that has settled on the skin is capable of poisoning everyone's life. And especially a lot of trouble and grief causes fungus that has settled on the skin of the feet and nails. Ladies who have fallen victim to such a fungus are primarily concerned about the outside of the problem - cracking, flaky skin, yellow crumbling nails, but according to doctors, the aesthetic problem is far from the main one.
This is a serious disease that needs long-term treatment. The disease occurs first on the skin of the feet, more often in the intercostal folds. Peeling appears between the fingers, accompanied by burning and itching. Then bubbles appear, which burst, forming 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 its slowness, the fungus gradually exfoliates the nail, gradually filling it and penetrating the nail bed. Over time, the affected area catches the nails not only on the feet but also on the hands. There is even damage to internal organs, fortunately, quite rarely.
Manifestationstoenail fungusdepend on the type of infection as well as the extent and depth of the fungus. Once moved to the nail plate, dermatophytes usually appear with yellow spots or longitudinal stripes on the side of the toenail. In some cases, the disease can be guessed by the appearance of bright yellow streaks or spots in the center of the nail plate. The nails on the hands are also "decorated" with similar stripes, but lighter - whitish or grayish.
The yeast fungus removes the nail plate from 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 the hands. The rollers thicken, swell and turn red, silver scales appear on the edge, the skin of the nails gradually disappears. Bacterial infection may be involved in the process, in which case even suppuration is possible. The nutrition of the tissue in the area of the roll is disturbed, as a result of which transverse grooves appear. . . . . . .
Molds can cause onychomycosis only against the background of a pre-existing nail eating 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 yourself, especially since nail damage can be caused by several fungi at once. In addition, fungus is common, but not the only cause of serious nail problems.
See a doctor immediately!
If you notice signs of fungus, do not hope that everything will disappear by itself. The longer the fungus lives on your nails, the harder it is to treat and the worse it is for the whole body. Prolonged onychomycosis can provoke an allergic reaction, weaken the immune system and lead to exacerbation of chronic diseases. Therefore, the best thing to do at the first suspicion is to consult a mycologist or dermatologist. The doctor will not only perform an examination, assess the thickness, structure of the nail, but will also scrape tissue for analysis. Only in this way will he 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 spread of the process, the shape of the lesion, the presence of concomitant diseases, the rate of nail growth and more. In our time there are highly effective drugs of general and local action for treatment. In the initial forms of the disease, when the area of the nail lesion is insignificant, you can limit yourself to topical treatment - application on the nail bed 2 times a day antifungal drug (antifungal) with a broad spectrum of action in the form of ointment, cream or solution.
Before applying the drug, special nail preparation is performed. First, a bath with soap and soda: the basin is half filled with hot water (40-50 degrees C), in which dissolve 1 tbsp soda and 50 g of laundry soap. The feet or toes that need treatment are immersed in the solution for 10-15 minutes. The softened stratum corneum on the nails is then treated with nail clippers and filed with a file. Duration of treatment - until healthy unaltered nails grow back.
Important! 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 a day under a waterproof plaster. The day after the soap and soda bath, 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 bed. Duration of treatment, as in the case of other drugs, until healthy nails do not grow back.
In the initial forms of lesions can be used special antifungal varnishes for topical treatment, which are applied to the nails 1-2 times a week. The treatment takes about 6-8 months for fingernails and about a year for toenails. Manicure can also be applied to the antifungal varnish.
If topical 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 make sure that you have no contraindications to general antifungals. For example, kidney and liver diseases. Systemic drugs are often contraindicated in children, and they have serious limitations when used concomitantly with some other drugs. For example, some of them are not compatible with hormonal contraceptives. If you are breast-feeding your baby, you will have to wait a while while using these medicines.
Pregnancy also means banning systemic antifungals. Therefore, women of childbearing potential who receive them should use contraception throughout the course of treatment. In some cases, you need to go to the removal of the nail plate, followed by treatment. Then a new nail grows, although its surface may be uneven at first. Whatever treatment your doctor prescribes, you become 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 the start of the course, they will need to process all available shoes, all socks, gloves, etc. , and then, once a month, until healthy nails grow, they will need to process clothes and shoes that need to be worn duringof treatment. This is not difficult: the inner surface of the shoe is wiped with a cotton swab dipped in a solution, the same swab is placed in gloves, socks, socks, etc. All this is hidden in a thick plastic bag overnight, then driedwell and ventilate for 2-3 days.
So, as a result of persistent treatment, the external manifestations of the disease disappeared and eventually healthy nails will grow. But that's not all, now the control tests come at the end of treatment, after 2 weeks and after 2 months. Are the fungi gone? So, everything is fine, the only question is how not to get sick again.
Risk group
In medical practice, fungal nail infection is referred to as onychomycosis, where "onycho" means the 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 dermatophyte fungi (fungal parasites on the skin, hair and nails). But there are other culprits for the misfortune - various yeasts and molds. Both men and women are victims of onychomycosis with equal success.
The risk of disease increases with age. For example, after 70 years, every second person suffers from onychomycosis. Fortunately, children suffer from onychomycosis much less often, because the regeneration of tissues, the replacement of old with new ones, happens very quickly. Even a baby's nails grow much faster than an adult's, while the fungus, on the other hand, grows 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, through shoes: parading around the apartment in the mother's shoes, the baby risks catching the mother's fungus. An intact healthy nail is virtually invulnerable to fungal infection, but altered nails, for example as a result of injury, become easy prey for the fungus.
The condition of the body 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 of the endocrine system. Diabetes is a good reason to keep a close eye on the condition of your nails, as in such cases the defeat of the fungus can be especially severe.
Flat feet and too narrow shoes contribute to injuries to the skin and nails. Socks and stockings made of synthetic fibers, poor ventilation in the shoes create too humid microclimate on the skin of the feet. Frequent hand contact with household detergents and cleaning products will hurt your nails. All this increases the risk of disease, but sometimes the danger lies in the very care of your appearance: artificial nails can create favorable conditions for the development of onychomycosis of the hands.
Prevention
To avoid trouble, you must be careful. Visiting the pool, the bathroom, the gym and even the sun-baked beach can become a nuisance. The causes of onychomycosis are remarkably resistant to external factors. Fungal spores can withstand drying, heating to 100 and freezing to minus 60 degrees C. They are able to survive the "attack" of disinfectants that are commonly used in public places, as a result they pose a constant threat to ourhealth. In the beach sand, the mushrooms remain viable for months. And, it seems, where else can you walk barefoot, if not on the beach?! This is exactly what needs to be done - there are slippers for visiting beaches and swimming pools. But most often (up to 65% of cases) the infection occurs in the family circle. After all, you can get 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 carpet in the bathroom, a shared towel, nail scissors and more. Skin flakes infected with the fungus. They adhere easily to wet feet. Therefore, if a family member has this harmful "treasure", you need to be especially vigilant.
The bath should be thoroughly disinfected with detergent and rinsed with a jet of hot water, as loose nails or skin flakes may remain on the surface.
A towel or sponge should be treated regularly in 5% chloramine solution (soak for at least one hour). Used linen should be boiled with washing powder for 20-30 minutes or stored for one hour in 5% chloramine solution, as it is sold in pharmacies without a prescription.
Abrasions and abrasions 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 dust fromboric acid and talc. . .
It is useful to treat your feet with drying solutions.
To avoid excessive dryness of the skin, you can use a special ointment containing vitamin creams and other similar products. Use creams to prevent corn.
Following simple rules will save you from disease:
- walk on the beach only in slippers;
- when visiting a bath, sauna or swimming pool, use closed rubber slippers that protect against splashes;
- after washing, wipe your feet dry, especially the interdigital folds and treat them with a prophylactic antifungal cream or special powder;
- do not wear other people's shoes;
- change socks and stockings daily.