The sun, the sea, the wonderful beach. . . In the summer you are well rested and your skin is covered with a magnificent tan. But what is this unpleasant crack on the leg between the fingers and why did the nail turn yellow? Take a closer look. Maybe this is not just a cosmetic defect?
The first signs of a fungus
A parasitic fungus that has settled on the skin is capable of poisoning anyone's life. And above all, many problems and pain are caused by the fungus that has settled on the skin of the foot and nails. Women who have become victims of such a fungus are primarily concerned with the external side of the problem - cracking, flaky skin, crumbling yellow nails - but, according to doctors, the aesthetic problem is far from the main one.
This is a serious disease that needs long-term care. The disease first manifests itself on the skin of the feet, most often in the interdigital folds. Peeling appears between the fingers, accompanied by burning and itching. Then bubbles appear, which burst, forming ulcers and cracks. If you don't 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 fills it and penetrates the nail bed. Over time, the affected area catches the nails not only on the feet, but also on the hands. There is also a defeat of the internal organs, fortunately, quite rarely.
Demonstrationstoenail fungusdepend on the type of infection, as well as the degree and depth of the fungus. After moving to the nail plate, dermatophytes usually declare themselves with yellow spots or longitudinal stripes on the sides of the toenail. In some cases, the disease can be guessed by the appearance of bright yellow stripes or spots in the center of the nail plate. On the hands, the nails are also "decorated" with similar, but lighter stripes - whitish or greyish.
Yeast fungi thin the nail plate from the sides, while it lags behind the nail bed and becomes yellowish in color. Often the disease begins with the folds of the nails, usually on the hands. The rollers thicken, swell and turn red, silvery scales appear along the edge, the skin of the nail gradually disappears. A bacterial infection can join the process, in which case suppuration is also possible. The nutrition of the fabric in the roller area is disturbed, as a result of which transverse grooves appear. . . . . . .
Mold fungi can cause onychomycosis only against the background of an already existing nutritional disorder of the nails, which has arisen due to 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 shouldn't diagnose yourself on your own, especially since nail damage can be caused by multiple fungi at once. Additionally, fungus is a common, but not the only, cause of severe nail problems.
See a doctor immediately!
If you notice signs of a fungus, don't hope it will all go away on its own. The longer the fungus lives on the nails, the harder it is to treat and the worse for the whole body. Prolonged onychomycosis can provoke an allergic reaction, weaken the immune system and lead to an exacerbation of chronic diseases. Therefore, the most correct thing at the first suspicion is to consult a mycologist or a dermatologist. The doctor will not only conduct an examination, assess the thickness, structure of the nail, but also perform tissue scrapings 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 prevalence of the process, the form of the lesion, the presence of concomitant diseases, the growth rate of the nails, etc. In our time there are highly effective drugs of general and local action type for treatment. In the initial forms of the disease, when the area of the nail lesion is insignificant, you can limit yourself to local treatment - applying on the nail bed 2 times a day an antifungal (antifungal) drug of a broad spectrum of action in the form of an ointment, creamor solution.
Before applying the medicine, a special preparation of the nails is carried out. First, a soap and soda bath - the basin is half filled with warm (40-50 degrees C) water, in which 1 tbsp is dissolved. L. soda and 50 g of laundry soap. Feet or fingers that need treatment are soaked in the solution for 10-15 minutes. Subsequently, the softened horny layers on the nails are treated with a nail clipper and filed with a file. Duration of treatment - until healthy and unchanged nails grow back.
Important! Do not use the same manicure accessories for sick and healthy nails.
Topical medications include clotrimazole medications. They are applied to the affected nails with a dispenser and left for a day under a waterproof plaster. A 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, then the drug is rubbed into the nail bed. Duration of treatment, as in the case of other drugs, until healthy nails grow back.
In the initial forms of lesions, special antifungal varnishes can be used for local treatment, which are applied to the nails 1-2 times a week. The treatment takes about 6-8 months for the nails and about a year for the toenails. Manicure can also be applied to antifungal varnish.
If local treatment no longer helps or the nails are completely affected by the fungus, then general antifungals are prescribed (they are also called systemic). Such drugs are taken orally. They can be used in combination with antifungal paints. However, it is very important to make sure that you have no contraindications to general antifungals. For example, kidney and liver disease. Systemic drugs are often contraindicated in children, plus they have severe limitations in their simultaneous use with some other drugs. For example, some of them are not compatible with hormonal contraceptives. If you are breastfeeding your baby, you will have to wait a while while using these medications.
Pregnancy also means a ban on systemic antifungals. Therefore, women of childbearing potential who receive them must use contraception throughout the entire course of treatment. In some cases, you need to go to the removal of the nail plate, followed by treatment. After that, a new nail grows, although its surface may be uneven at first. Whatever treatment your doctor prescribes, you turn into a disinfectant for a while. The doctor will write a prescription according to which the necessary solution will be prepared for you at the pharmacy.
Before starting the course, they will have to process all available shoes, all socks, gloves, etc. And then, once a month, until the healthy nails grow back, they will have to process the clothes and shoes that were supposed to be worn during 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 put into gloves, socks, stockings, etc. All this is hidden in a dense plastic bag overnight, then dried well and ventilated for 2-3 days.
So, as a result of persistent treatment, the external manifestations of the disease have disappeared, and finally healthy nails will grow. But that's not all, now the control tests are coming to the end of the treatment, after 2 weeks and after 2 months. Is the mushroom gone? So, everything is in order, the only question is how not to get sick again.
Risk group
In medical practice, fungal nail infection is referred to as onychomycosis, where "onyx" means a 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 of all nail diseases reaches 40%. The main causative agents of the disease are dermatophyte fungi (fungal parasites of the skin, hair and nails). But there are other culprits of bad luck: various yeasts and molds. Both men and women become victims of onychomycosis with equal success.
The risk of getting sick increases with age. For example, after 70 years, one in two people suffer from onychomycosis. Fortunately, children suffer from onychomycosis much less often, since tissue regeneration, the replacement of the old with new ones, occurs very quickly. A child's nails also grow much faster than an adult's, while the fungus, on the contrary, develops rather slowly. Yet it is impossible to completely exclude a child from the risk group. Babies usually get infected by parents and, strangely, through shoes: by showing off around the apartment as the mother, the child runs the risk of catching the mother's fungus. An undamaged and healthy nail is practically invulnerable to fungal infections, but altered nails, for example due to an injury, become easy prey for the fungus.
The state of the organism as a whole plays an important role. The risk of getting sick increases if the vascular tone of the legs is disturbed, for example, with heart failure or varicose veins. The same can be said of endocrine system disorders. Diabetes mellitus is a good reason to carefully monitor the condition of the nails, because in such cases the defeat of the fungus can be particularly serious.
Flat feet and shoes that are too tight can injure your skin and nails. Socks and socks made of synthetic fibers, poor ventilation in the shoes create a too humid microclimate on the skin of the feet. Frequent hand contact with household cleaners and cleaning products will damage your nails. All this increases the risk of getting sick, but sometimes the danger lies precisely in the care of one's appearance: false nails can create favorable conditions for the development of onychomycosis on the hands.
Prophylaxis
To avoid problems, you need to be careful. A visit to the swimming pool, bathhouse, gym, and even a sunny beach can turn into problems. The causative agents of onychomycosis are remarkably resistant to external factors. The spores of the fungus can withstand drying, heating up to 100 degrees and freezing down to minus 60 degrees C. They are able to survive the "attack" of disinfectants, which are usually used in public places, as a result, represent a constant threat to our health. In the sand of the beach, the mushrooms remain viable for months. And, apparently, where else can you walk barefoot, if not on the beach?! This is exactly what you don't need to do - 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 they wear, as well as through household items, be it a carpet in the bathroom, a common towel, nail scissors, etc. flakes infected with fungi. They easily stick to wet feet. Therefore, if one of the family members possesses this harmful "treasure", it is necessary to be especially vigilant.
The tub must be thoroughly disinfected with any detergent and rinsed with a jet of hot water, as pieces of detached nails or flakes of skin may remain on the surface.
A cloth or sponge should be regularly worked in a 5% solution of chloramine (soak for at least one hour). Used linen should be boiled with detergent for 20-30 minutes or stored for an hour in a 5% solution of chloramine, as it is sold in pharmacies without a prescription.
Abrasions and abrasions associated with sweating or, conversely, dry skin, greatly facilitate the task of infection. To cope with excessive sweating and diaper rash of the feet will help the dust fromboric acid and talc. . .
It is useful to treat the legs with drying solutions.
To avoid excessive dryness of the skin, you can use a special ointment, creams containing vitamins and other similar products. Use creams to prevent corns.
Compliance with simple rules will save you from the disease:
- walk on the beach only in slippers;
- when visiting a bathhouse, sauna or swimming pool, use closed rubber slippers that protect against splashes;
- after washing, dry the feet, especially the interdigital folds and treat them with a prophylactic antifungal cream or special powder;
- do not wear someone else's shoes;
- change socks and stockings every day.