If you have problems with your nail plates, it is important to know which doctor treats nail fungus so that you can see a specialist without waiting for complications.It is difficult for a person who meets a fungal infection for the first time to understand the name of this specialist.Dermatologists and mycologists deal with the problems of fungal diseases, so it is hardly advisable to visit a therapist.
What is nail fungus
Diseases caused by parasitic microorganisms are called pathogenic fungi.The disease affects the crusted skin tissue (nails) and the skin of the feet around them, develops quickly, causes discomfort and discomfort.Dangerous parasites living in the body poison with toxins and can worsen the general condition.You can get infected by wearing someone else's shoes, not maintaining proper foot hygiene, or walking barefoot on the beach or in the pool.People with such problems should know which doctor treats nail fungus in order to prevent complications and receive appropriate treatment to eliminate the unpleasant disease.
Symptoms of the disease
Which doctor treats the symptoms of nail fungus depends on the degree to which the plate affected by the fungus is destroyed and the nature of the lesion.The following characteristic signs of the appearance of the fungus can be distinguished:
- normotrophic type: stripes, spots on the lateral parts of the nail are ocher yellow or white in color, the plate is easily separated from the skin, the person suffers skin itching under healthy nails;
- hypertrophic: plate thickening, light loss, crumbling, dullness, severe deformation, dark yellow or gray color;
- atrophic: brown-gray color, loss of light, pallor, necrosis and destruction of the nail bed of the toes;
- lateral and distal: loss of color, transverse yellowish furrows, crumbling, roughness, exposed nail bed of the toes, swelling, redness, thickening, foot skin pain, in advanced cases the appearance of pus can be characterized;
- proximal: whitening, destruction;
- total: complete destruction of the toenail due to lack of therapy;
- white superficial: white spots, crumbling, delamination, pain.
Which doctor treats nail fungus
Knowing which doctor deals with nails is helpful for any patient experiencing nail fungus.In this case, the therapist does not help;you need to see a specialist.This doctor is a dermatologist and gives advice in the initial stages of the disease.In advanced cases, it is necessary to consult a mycologist - this is a specialist who treats nail fungus in a very targeted manner.
Dermatologist
This doctor can prescribe the right treatment and eliminate the nail fungus.His qualifications enable him to treat skin problems including viral and infectious lesions, dermatitis, eczema and parasitic diseases.The latter includes fungal infection.If the case does not progress, visit a dermatologist at your local clinic or dermatovenerology office and sign up for the first examination.According to the indications, you can refer the patient to a mycologist.
Mycologist
In difficult cases, the answer to the question of which doctor treats toenails is to contact a mycologist.This is the same name for a dermatologist who only treats fungal infections of the skin, hair and nail plates.It is not available in all clinics, or even in the city.Consultation with mycologists includes the treatment and prevention of fungal diseases: onychomycosis, candidiasis, microsporia, trichophytosis, epidermophytosis, foot mycosis.Contact them after a referral from a dermatologist.
How is the meeting going?
Once you find out which doctor treats nail fungus, don't hesitate to make an appointment.During the first visit, the nail specialist questions the patient about how long ago the problem occurred, what feelings he experienced and the patient's lifestyle.After collecting the information, a preliminary examination of the affected areas of the foot, a diagnosis is made, and the stage of the infection is determined.
External signs may not always indicate a fungal species, so the scraping of dead scales is taken for laboratory examination.The obtained medical material is examined under a microscope and placed on a culture medium.It is necessary to consult a doctor as soon as possible in order to cure the fungus without consequences for the patient and his body.
Repeat consultation
After the arrival of the laboratory tests, a second consultation will take place.The mycologist or dermatologist reports on the cause of the growth, the presence and type of fungus and prescribes the appropriate treatment.Medicines are selected depending on the individual characteristics of the patient.The treatment process of the disease is lengthy, so you will have to visit a specialist several times to monitor the therapy and prevent infection of the patient's body.
Treatment options
After studying the etiology of the fungus affecting the nail plate on the toes, treatment is prescribed.It is not recommended to choose medicines independently, because there is a risk of side effects.The main antifungal drugs and treatment methods:
- oral - tablets, capsules for a comprehensive effect on the parasite from the inside;
- local effects - applied externally, these include ointments, creams, poultices, drops, varnishes;
- special laser treatment – improves the penetration of active substances into the tissues and the microcirculation of the tissues;
- in extreme cases, when healing is impossible, we recommend surgical removal of the nail.
Divided into groups according to their effect on the fungal pathogen, popular effective drugs are:
- Antifungal varnishes.
- Preparations for the removal of the plate (sometimes necessary to cure the fungus).
- Antifungal tablets.
- Creams, ointments, sprays.
- Other remedies: medicated liquids, tea tree oil, and others.