Like all other fungal diseases, nail fungus is a contagious disease.Pathogenic microscopic fungi are very easily transmitted from a sick person to a healthy person and quickly penetrate the nail plates and form a colony.
Toenails are the most common places where fungal infections occur.According to medical statistics, nail fungus occurs in about 15% of the world's population.It is found that men are more susceptible to this disease.Doctors attribute this phenomenon to the fact that women adhere to hygiene rules more strictly.In addition, the fungus affects older people much more often, which is most likely due to their somewhat reduced immunity and the presence of chronic diseases.
Regardless of what type of fungus the nail disease is caused by, it presents similar symptoms and requires the same treatment.Due to the fact that a fungal nail infection does not pose a threat to life, most patients are in no hurry to undergo treatment since the problem is purely cosmetic.This approach is fundamentally wrong, because with prolonged exposure to the fungus, the immune system begins to suffer and this opens the door to many diseases.
How does a fungal infection occur?
It is very easy to become infected with fungi.That is why this disease is so widespread.Most often the disease is caused by the following reasons:
- violation of personal hygiene rules;
- wearing someone else's shoes;
- wearing someone else's socks;
- being barefoot in the gym;
- being barefoot in the pool;
- being barefoot in a public bath.
The fungus is transmitted particularly quickly from one family member to another.For this reason, everyone should have their nails treated, even if only one person in the family suffers from this disease.
What predisposes the development of nail fungus?
Some people are more susceptible to fungal diseases, others less so.This is because there are certain factors that promote the disease.These provocateurs of the disease include:
- Diabetes mellitus – since this disease damages the capillaries, the metabolism in the tissues of the nail fold is disrupted, which leads to a rapid weakening of local immunity;
- mechanical injury to the nail plate – with improperly cut, cracked and broken nails, the nutrition of the nail plate begins to be partially disrupted, as a result of which its resistance to fungi is significantly reduced;
- Vascular disease – in this case the fungus develops for the same reason as in diabetes;
- Fungal infections of the skin – if a fungus is present on the skin, if left untreated it will gradually spread to the surrounding tissues and cause damage to the nails;
- Decrease in immunity - with a decrease in defense forces, which can occur for many reasons, the body cannot resist the pathogenic fungus and it easily penetrates the nail tissue.
In the presence of provoking factors, a fungal nail infection develops in the vast majority of cases.
How does the fungus manifest itself?
It is quite easy to determine the presence of nail fungus, as the symptoms of this disease are very obvious and it is not easy to confuse them with something else.You may suspect a fungal infection of the nail plate if the following signs appear:
- Change in the color of the nail plate - in the presence of a fungus, the color of the nail changes from healthy to yellow, gray or brown, depending on what type of fungus caused the disease;
- rough surface of the nail - the roughness caused by a fungus can be easily determined not only by touch, but also by eye.This symptom occurs because the top layer of the nail plate is destroyed unevenly;
- Delamination of the nail – the nail begins to peel off from the edge and gradually the process reaches the base of the plate.On examination, the edge of the nail detachment area is clearly visible;
- White spots under the nail - this is what the places look like where the nail begins to peel off from the base.As the nail plate grows under the influence of the fungus, a cavity that looks like a white spot forms between it and the subcutaneous tissue;
- Dullness of the nail plates – the shine of the nail gradually disappears and no specific damage to its surface is observed.This symptom occurs due to the peeling of the top layer of the nail, which is thin and called the skin.It contains fats and moisture, which is why shine is created;
- a large number of nails - the appearance of these very painful dry peels on the skin is observed due to the fact that the fungus also affects the nail fold.Because of this, the skin begins to die and peel quickly;
- Delamination of the nail plate - as the fungus affects the nail growth area, the plate begins to peel off gradually, first from the base and then evenly to the edge;
- Destruction of the nail plate – the diseased nail becomes brittle, begins to crumble and deform.This happens due to the growth of fungi in the thickness of the nail.
When the first symptoms of nail fungus appear, you should start therapy with medications or folk remedies.Both are very effective and therefore the patient should decide for himself which treatment method he prefers.
Medication for nail fungus
If the nail plate is not yet heavily affected by the fungus, removal is not necessary.To treat a nail, you need to take medication prescribed by your doctor.
The drug treatment for nail fungus is very lengthy and can take up to a year.It is necessary to apply medicinal formulations strictly according to the rules and without omissions, otherwise all efforts to eliminate the fungus will be in vain.
If the fungus has affected the thickness of the nail, treatment of the nail plate makes no sense and you will have to use medications to remove it.If these products are used correctly, the diseased nail can be removed painlessly or almost painlessly.
In this case, there are medications that soften the nail plate and separate it from the underlying tissue.The nail is removed several times and causes almost no discomfort to the patient.
Folk remedies for treating nail fungus
Traditional medicine can be used in the treatment of nail fungus only if the disease has not progressed too far.Ideally, such therapy methods should be started as soon as the first symptoms of the disease appear.
- Iodine is harmful to almost all types of nail fungus and therefore can be successfully used in the fight against the disease, although doctors do not take this method of therapy very seriously.Using iodine solution is easy.To achieve the desired effect, it is enough to lubricate the diseased nail with iodine in the morning and evening.Even healthy nails should be treated with iodine, but only every 2 days.This treatment continues until a healthy nail begins to grow.
- Kombucha can also be used for treatment.A small piece of it is enough to remove nail fungus.Such a piece should be split off from the fungus and freed from films.It is then crushed into a paste that is rubbed into the sore nail morning and evening.This treatment lasts at least 45 days.
- Copper sulfate is also used to combat nail fungus.For medicinal purposes, you need to take 1 level teaspoon of copper sulfate and dissolve it in 1 liter of boiling water.The resulting composition is very concentrated, so for treatment it is added 1 tablespoon per 1.5 liters of water at a temperature of 50 degrees.A foot bath with this composition is used once a day.The duration of the procedure is 15 minutes.Therapy continues until a healthy nail begins to grow.
- A bath with salt and vinegar is useful right at the start of a nail fungal infection.To prepare the composition for the bath, you need to dissolve 4 tablespoons of 9 percent vinegar and 100 g of salt in 4 liters of very warm water.The bath is carried out 2 times a day.The duration of an intervention is 15 minutes.If there are wounds on the skin of the legs, it is better to refuse such treatment, as this can lead to their degeneration into ulcers.
- Celandine is also recommended for treating nail fungus.In the summer season, when you can easily find a fresh plant, it makes sense to use its juice.To obtain the medicinal composition, the stems of the plant are rolled through a meat grinder, and then the juice is squeezed out of the resulting mass through gauze.Prepare 200 ml of juice.The same amount of alcohol with an alcohol content of 70% is then added to the juice.After a day of infusion of the drug, the affected nail is lubricated with it four times a day.In order to maximize the beneficial effect, the legs are pre-steamed.Treatment is carried out until a healthy nail plate fully grows.
- Baking soda is another way to combat nail fungus.For therapeutic purposes, it is best to use baking soda paste.To prepare it, 1 teaspoon of the substance is diluted with boiling water to form a thick paste and mixed well.After that, the drug is applied in a thick layer to the affected nail and sprinkled with lemon juice.The chemical reaction causes a slight burning sensation and creates plenty of foam.After 5 minutes of exposure, the soda is washed off.This process is repeated daily until a healthy nail grows.
Prevention of nail fungus
If you do not forget about the rules for preventing nail fungus, it is quite possible to protect yourself from this problem.To prevent the disease, you must follow the following recommendations:
- observe the hygiene rules;
- do not wear wet shoes;
- Wash slippers with antibacterial washing powder at least once a month.
- Use an iodine treatment on nails once a month as a preventive measure.
- Wear only your own shoes;
- Use flip-flops when in the sauna or swimming pool.
- Regularly carry out manicure and pedicure according to all the rules.
- change socks daily;
- Air your shoes daily;
- Use a UV shoe dryer.
By strictly adhering to preventive measures, fungal disease can be prevented even if there is a sick person in the family.It is very important to educate your child in early childhood about the rules of hygiene and the dangers of violating them.The thing is that many children get nail fungus when they try on adult shoes from guests or parents, or when they exchange shoes with friends in kindergarten.By understanding why this is dangerous to health, you can protect your baby from nail fungus at a young age.