The sun, the sea, the wonderful beach. . . In summer you can relax well and your skin will be covered with a wonderful tan. But what is this unpleasant crack between the toes between the toes, and why did the nail turn yellow? Take a closer look. Maybe it's not just a cosmetic flaw?
The first signs of the mushroom
A parasitic fungus that settles on the skin can poison anyone’s life. The fungus, which has settled on the skin of the feet and nails, causes especially much trouble and sorrow. Ladies who have fallen victim to such fungi are primarily concerned with the outside of the issue - cracked, flaky skin, yellow crumbling nails - but doctors say the aesthetic problem is far from the main one.
It is a serious disease that requires long-term treatment. The disease first occurs on the skin of the foot, more often in the interdigital folds. Peeling appears between the fingers, accompanied by burning and itching. Bubbles then appear, which burst to form ulcers and cracks. If you do not start immediate treatment, 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 grabs the nails not only on the legs but also on the hands. Even defeat of internal organs occurs, fortunately quite rarely.
Manifestationsnail fungusdepends on the type of infection and the extent and depth of the fungus. Moving 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 detected by the appearance of bright yellow streaks or spots in the center of the nail plate. On the hands, the nails are also "decorated" with similar stripes, but lighter - whitish or gray.
The yeasts thin the nail plate from the side while remaining behind the nail bed and turning yellowish. Often, the disease begins with nail folds, usually on the hands. The rollers thicken, swell and turn red, silvery scales appear on the edges, and the cuticle gradually disappears. Bacterial infection can also become involved in the process, in which case bulging is even possible. In the area of the cylinder, the feeding of the tissue is disturbed, as a result of which transverse grooves appear. . . . . . .
Molds can only cause onychomycosis due to pre-existing eating disorders in the nails that have been 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 change remains superficial. However, you should not diagnose yourself, especially since nail damage can be caused by several fungi at once. In addition, fungi are common, but not the only cause of severe nail problems.
Seek medical attention immediately!
If you notice signs of mushrooms, don’t expect everything to go away on its own. The longer the fungus lives on your nails, the harder it is to handle and the worse it is for the whole body. Prolonged onychomycosis can trigger an allergic reaction, weaken the immune system, and lead to worsening of chronic diseases. Therefore, in case of first suspicion, it is best to consult a mycologist or dermatologist. The doctor not only performs an examination, evaluates the thickness and structure of the nail, but also makes tissue scratches for analysis. Only in this way can it determine the presence, type of fungus and prescribe appropriate treatment.
However, the doctor considers the prevalence of the process, the form of the lesion, the presence of concomitant diseases, the rate of nail growth, and so on. In our time, there are highly effective general and topical medications to treat. In the initial forms of the disease, when the area of nail lesions is insignificant, you can limit yourself to topical treatment - you can apply a broad-spectrum antifungal drug (antimycotic) to the nail bed twice a day. in the form of an ointment, cream or solution.
Before applying the drug, the nails are specially prepared. First a soapy and soda bath: the pool is half full of hot water (40-50 ° C) in which 1 tablespoon is dissolved. l. soda and 50 g of washing soap. The feet or fingers in need of treatment are immersed in the solution for 10-15 minutes. The softened horny layers on the nails are then treated with nail clippers and filed with a file. Duration of treatment - until healthy, unchanged nails grow back.
Important! Do not use the same manicure accessories for sick and healthy nails.
Topical medications include clotrimazole-based medications. Apply with a dispenser to the affected nails and leave them under a waterproof plaster for a day. One day after the soap-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. The duration of treatment, as with other drugs, is until healthy nails grow back.
In the initial forms of the lesions, special antifungal varnishes can be used for topical treatment, which are applied to the nails 1-2 times a week. The treatment takes about 6-8 months for nails and about a year for nails. The 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 are also prescribed (also called systemic). Such drugs are administered orally. They can be used in combination with antifungal varnishes. However, it is very important to make sure that there are no contraindications to general antifungals. For example, kidney and liver diseases. Systemic drugs are often contraindicated in children, and there are serious limitations to their concomitant use with other drugs. For example, some of them are not compatible with hormonal contraceptives. If you are breast-feeding your baby, you should wait a while while taking these medicines.
Pregnancy also means banning systemic antifungals. Therefore, women of childbearing potential should use contraception throughout treatment. In some cases, you need to go to remove the nail plate and then treat it. After that, new nails grow, although their surface may be uneven at first. Whatever treatment your doctor prescribes, it becomes a disinfectant for a while. Your doctor will prescribe a prescription to prepare the solution you need at the pharmacy.
They must work on all available shoes, all socks, gloves, etc. before beginning the course. , Then once a month, until healthy nails grow back, they need to work on the clothes and shoes they had to wear. treatment. This is not difficult: wipe the inner surface of the shoe with a cotton swab dipped in a solution, the same swab into gloves, socks, stockings, etc. All this is hidden in a thick plastic bag overnight, then dried well and ventilated for 2-3 days.
So as a result of long-term treatment, the external manifestations of the disease have disappeared and eventually healthy nails grow. But that’s not all, now at the end of control, at the end of treatment, after 2 weeks and after 2 months. Is the mushroom gone? So, everything is fine, the only question is how not to get sick again.
Risk group
In medical practice, a fungal infection of the nails is referred to as an onychomycosis, where "onycho" means a nail and "mycosis" means a fungal infection. The disease is not as rare as it may seem. Onychomycosis is prevalent in every country in the world, and the proportion of all nail diseases reaches 40%. The main pathogens of the disease are dermatophyte fungi (fungal parasites of the skin, hair and nails). But there are other perpetrators of misfortune as well - various yeasts and molds. Both men and women are equally successful victims of onychomycosis.
The risk of the disease increases with age. For example, after 70 years, every second person suffers from onychomycosis. Fortunately, children are much less likely to suffer from onychomycosis, as tissue regeneration, the replacement of old ones with new ones, happens very quickly. Even an infant’s nails grow much faster than an adult’s, while the fungus, on the contrary, develops quite slowly. Yet it is impossible to completely exclude a child from the risk group. Children are usually infected by their parents, and strangely through shoes: fingering around the apartment in their mother’s shoes, the baby risks catching the mother’s fungus. Intact, healthy nails are virtually vulnerable to fungal infection, but nails altered as a result of injury, for example, become easy prey for the fungus.
The condition of the organization as a whole plays an important role. The risk of developing the disease is increased if the vascular tone of the legs is disturbed, such as in case of 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, because in such cases, defeating the fungus can be particularly severe.
Flat feet and too tight shoes contribute to skin and nail damage. Stockings and socks made of synthetic fibers, poor ventilation of the shoes create too microclimate on the skin of the feet. Frequent manual contact with household detergents and cleaners will damage your nails. All of this increases the risk of disease, but sometimes the danger lies in caring for the appearance: false nails can create favorable conditions for the onychomycosis of the hand.
Prophylaxis
You need to be careful to avoid trouble. Visiting the pool, spa, gym and even the sunny beach can be a hassle. The pathogens of onychomycosis are extremely resistant to external factors. The spores of the fungus are resistant to drying, up to 100 heating and freezing down to minus 60 ° C. They are able to survive the "attack" of disinfectants commonly used in public places, resulting in a constant threat to our health. In beach sand, fungi remain viable for months. And it seems, where else can you walk barefoot if not on the beach? This is not exactly what you need to do - there are slippers to visit the beaches and swimming pools. But most often (up to 65% of cases) the infection occurs in the family. After all, direct contact with a sick person, the shoes and clothing he or she wears, and household items, such as a bathroom rug or a shared towel, nail scissors, and so on, can become infected. mushroom infected flakes. They adhere easily to wet feet. Therefore, if one family member owns this harmful "treasure, " you need to be especially vigilant.
The tub should be thoroughly disinfected with all detergents and rinsed with hot water as loose nails or flakes may remain on the surface.
A dishcloth or sponge should be treated regularly in 5% chloramine solution (soak for at least one hour). Used underwear should be boiled with washing powder for 20-30 minutes or kept in 5% chloroamino acid for one hour as it is available without a prescription at the pharmacy.
Abrasions and abrasions associated with sweating or, conversely, dry skin greatly facilitate the task of infection. To cope with excessive sweating and foot diaper rash, dust helpsboric acid and talc. . .
It is useful to treat your feet with drying solutions.
You can use special ointments, vitamin creams and other similar products to avoid excessive dryness of the skin. Use a cream to prevent corns.
Following simple rules will save you from the disease:
- walking on the beach in slippers only;
- when visiting a spa, sauna or swimming pool, use closed rubber slippers that protect against splashes;
- after washing, wipe your feet dry, especially the interdigital folds, and treat with a prophylactic antifungal cream or special powder;
- do not wear other shoes;
- change socks and stockings daily.