General signs of fungus on the legs: medical classification, treatment methods, prevention

The prevalence of mycoid diseases has made them recognizable and easily treatable pathologies in their early stages. But the very signs of foot fungus, which indicate the onset of infection, are not familiar to everyone. After all, there are about fifty varieties of mushrooms alone. But there is also a large category of skin diseases: epidermicosis. Therefore, in order to prevent the disease from developing into a state dangerous for the health of the body, it is necessary to study its characteristics.

General signs

Fungal skin infections are the number one disorder affecting the epidermis. Its signs are quite recognizable. The main difficulty in the diagnostic process is to establish the exact type of fungal infection. This is necessary since each of them is resistant to a certain group of antifungal drugs. Therefore, to carry out the treatment, a mandatory visit to the doctor is necessary. Accurate identification of the mycoid group is impossible without special biological research.

The following signs may be a reason to contact a specialist:

• Cracks in the epidermis between the toes. It is this area considered most at risk for fungal infection. Additional evidence of infection may include excessive dryness of the skin, peeling of the feet, and pain.
• Noticeable thickening and roughening of the skin layer. Similar symptoms are observed when a dry corn or callus forms. But in some cases the cause of this change is a fungus.
• Destruction of the skin, blisters. Such lesions are often diagnosed first on one leg and later appear on the other.
• Redness of the skin, itching or burning sensation. This set of symptoms is considered one of the main signs confirming a fungal infection. The difficulty of diagnosis in this case lies in the fact that each type of mycoid causes such a set of symptoms.
• Change in color of the nail plate.
• The appearance of an unpleasant odor in the infected area.

It is important to detect the first signs of fungus in time, since the disease is very difficult to treat and it is easy to get infected.

Mycoid infection penetrates the body quite easily, infecting internal organs and systems. This explains the frequent relapses of the disease in the complete absence of external provoking factors.

Medical classification

Mycosis Fungoides is classified according to its characteristics into four main forms.

For each form of foot fungus, the symptoms vary depending on what it is:

1. Scaly.
2. Dyshidrotic.
3. Intertriginous.
4. "Classic" onychomycosis.

The scaly or scaly form of the fungal infection is considered one of the initial stages of the infection. Skin lesions in this case are first observed on one foot. Over time, a second infection occurs. The main symptom of the scaly form is redness of the skin, which subsequently develops into keratinization of the inflamed tissue areas. Without treatment, the scaly form develops into a dyshidrotic form.

The dyshidrotic form of mycoid infection has a pronounced feature - the appearance of small bubbles in the affected area. After opening, the blisters become inflamed, forming a stable focus of erosion of the upper layers of the skin. The patient usually feels severe itching; in fairly advanced cases, it gives way to pain. The skin begins to peel off and erosions form regularly. This form of the disease can develop into the early scaly form without any system. For this reason, some experts believe that the forms of mycosismgoid fungi mentioned are two forms of the same type of infection.

The intertriginous form of the infectious fungal infection is the most common. Manifestations of the disease include the appearance of cracks on the skin of the feet, visible to the naked eye, and the formation of exfoliated areas of white skin on the edges. For the interdigital area, a characteristic sign of the intertriginous form is the formation of weeping spots and erosion of the epidermis. The patient constantly feels itching in the infected area. The treatment of this form of infection is complex and long, since the disease often takes a chronic form.

Onychomycosis is an infectious infection, the symptoms of which special attention is paid. Depending on the characteristics of the pathology, the type of damage to the nail plate and the type of disease change. There are three main types of onychomycosis:

1. Hypertrophic: the nail plate gradually collapses, its color becomes yellowish and characteristic spots appear. Pain in the affected area appears after deformation of the nail.
2. Normotrophic: there is no destruction or change in the shape of the nail plate, yellowish and white spots or lines appear on it.
3. The atrophic form is the most dangerous form for the nail plate, in which it is severely destroyed, deformed and often detaches from the nail bed.

Each form of onychomycosis has its own general treatment regimen. But to completely eliminate the infection without consequences for the body and exclude a relapse, it is recommended to carry out treatment on the recommendation and under the supervision of a doctor.

Treatment methods

In most cases, it is possible to completely eliminate the detected disease in time within a maximum month. This is a very important point in treatment, as itching, tissue damage and other manifestations disappear, the patient sometimes stops treatment, believing that the disease has been defeated. But remnants of the infection can easily trigger a relapse.

Treatment procedures should be stopped only after the doctor's permission and after passing the necessary tests. This is especially true for advanced forms of the disease. The fungus is firmly "fixed" in the body and sometimes it can take at least six months to get rid of it. But the external manifestation of fungi on the feet in the form of various damage to the skin or nails disappears much earlier, creating the illusion of health. By stopping therapy in this case, the patient is almost guaranteed to cause a relapse.

Treatment of feet for mycoid infection is carried out comprehensively. To get rid of the disease, local antifungal drugs and tablets are used to eliminate the infectious agent that has penetrated inside the body. To eliminate itching, pain, brittle nails and accelerate tissue regeneration, certain medications can be prescribed. It is not recommended to independently combine them with the main therapeutic group, so as not to provoke an allergic reaction or poisoning of the body due to the simultaneous use of incompatible drugs.

Treating foot fungus at an early stage is quite simple. Usually, two weeks of therapy is enough to eliminate the symptoms of mycoid infection.

Duration of treatment

Combined infection of the skin and nail plate requires rehabilitation therapy for one to three months. These terms are considered standards for the most medically effective pharmaceutical products.

Pregnancy requires a mandatory visit to the doctor to choose a method to eliminate the mycoid infection. Strong drugs and therapies that require the use of similar drugs are prescribed only under the supervision of a doctor in compliance with strict dosages. Many antibacterial tablets that effectively destroy fungi can cause noticeable harm to the fetus. Therefore, whenever possible, during pregnancy, patients are recommended to be treated using traditional medicine recipes. Many of them allow you to cope with the disease, but under the condition that the disease has not reached a complex stage. Only classical medicine can help cope with the advanced form.

Modern drugs allow you to completely restore the health of your legs within two weeks, provided that signs of infection were detected in time.

Preventive measures

Preventing a disease is always easier and safer for your health than treating it, even using the most delicate method. In the case of a fungal infection, prevention is one of the obligatory life norms, since it is very easy to get the infection. Therefore, to reduce the risk of contracting the disease, it is recommended to follow some simple rules:

• try to eat well, eating healthy foods when possible;
• do not use other people's things and personal hygiene products;
• use basic protective equipment in public places, such as replacement shoes and antibacterial hygiene agents;
• wash your feet and change your socks regularly;
• lead a healthy lifestyle;
• Take regular baths to improve foot health;
• periodically disinfect your shoes.

Prevention of fungal infections is important not only to prevent them, but also in case the disease occurs. In this situation, compliance with sanitary and hygienic rules helps to speed up recovery and prevent infection of others with the fungus.