In addition to onychomycosis, there are many other causes and diseases due to which the usual appearance of nails can change.
Thick, cloudy white nails can be the result of psoriasis or unsuccessful use of harsh cosmetics. Detachment and delamination of the nail plate occurs with both injuries and trophic disorders of the lower extremities with varicose veins or endocrine diseases. Onychomycosis very often begins not with changes in the nail plate itself, but with redness, itching and peeling of the skin surrounding the nail. If a person does not pay attention to these symptoms, the fungus begins to develop, penetrating into the deeper tissues, including. under the nail bed. Fungal damage to the nail plate usually starts from its free edge, which thickens, turns gray-yellow, easily breaks down and crumbles. But even in this case, it is possible to accurately determine the presence of a fungus only with the help of laboratory research - microscopy.
The fungus appears only in elderly people and chronic patients.
In patients with chronic diseases (diabetes mellitus, peripheral vascular disease, etc. ), nail fungus is indeed more common, but only because all these diseases reduce the activity of general and local immunity, adversely affect skin resistanceto any infection. Old age, in itself, may not be the cause of fungal diseases, but the older a person gets, the more health problems accumulate, which contribute to the development of fungal infections. At the same time, completely healthy young people are not protected from onychomycosis. Sports enthusiasts can suffer from nail fungus. calluses, microtraumas of the skin of the feet and sweating create ideal conditions for the development of fungi. Fungi can occur in those who have to spend most of the day on foot, in closed shoes that do not allow excess moisture to evaporate. Smoking, frequent stress and excessive love of sweets increase the risk of developing fungal infections.
Mushrooms are usually contracted in a pool, sauna or beach.
In a sauna, pool or beach, the risk of encountering a fungus is really very high, as in any other place with high temperature and humidity, in which the spores of onychomycosis pathogens remain stable for along time. But this is far from the only possibility of infecting onychomycosis. The causative agents of fungal infections can come into the skin of a person visiting a gym, beauty salon, shoe store, public transportation, or simply wearing someone else’s slippers. But contact with the fungus or its spores does not always lead to the development of infection, much depends on the condition of the skin and the body as a whole. And only if the fungus enters the optimal environment for development and finds a weak place in the immune defense of the human body, it can cause damage to the skin and nails. Risk factors for the development of onychomycosis are considered dry calluses and cracks in the skin of the feet, increased sweating of the feet, wearing tight and "non-breathable" shoes, as well as synthetic socks.
Fungal spores are everywhere, there is no effective protection against them.
Fungal spores can be found almost everywhere, even at home, so it is impossible to completely rule out contact with it. And yet, even a person at high risk for developing mycoses has the opportunity to protect themselves from the onset of this infection. First of all, you should carefully follow the rules of personal hygiene: use only your shoes, towels, etc. Equally important is to carefully monitor the condition of the skin of the feet and nails - remove dry calluses in time, treat cracks, scratches and cut the nails correctly. It will not be superfluous to prevent excessive foot sweating, including the use of anti-sweat products for the feet. If the risk of onychomycosis is very high, then you can prophylactically cover your nails (once a week) with a special antifungal varnish. You can also, after consulting your doctor, start taking immunity-boosting drugs - interferon inducers, herbal adaptogen-based medicines, multivitamin complexes.
Mushrooms are forever. You can not get rid of it completely.
Onychomycosis is a common infectious disease that ends as soon as its pathogen is removed from the body. This can only be prevented by the wrong treatment or mistakes made by the patient himself. The peculiarity of onychomycosis is that the fungus is located under the nail plate (in the nail bed). Not every LP can penetrate so deeply. Therefore, today it is recommended to use either special forms of external agents or systemic antifungal therapy for the treatment of onychomycosis. Moreover, treatment should be continued even if all symptoms of fungal infection have disappeared. You can stop taking the medication only after you have performed 3 repeated examinations (microscopy) that the fungus is no longer in the tissues. In addition, the use of antifungal agents should be combined with proper nail and foot care. this reduces the risk of new returns.
It is useless to treat the fungus with external agents.
Modern forms of external preparations make it possible to create a high concentration of an antifungal agent in the affected area. At the same time, external agents are not absorbed into the systemic circulation, have a wider spectrum of action and a lower risk of developing resistance. Unfortunately, not all external remedies are able to penetrate the thickness of the nail, especially the nail bed tissue, where most of the pathogens are located. Therefore, topical therapy is recommended to be combined with the removal of nail plate or the use of keratolytic agents - preparations of urea or salicylic acid. This is especially important if onychomycosis is associated with hyperkeratosis of the nails. Usually, monotherapy with external agents is used in cases where the nails of 1-2 fingers, or 1/3 of the surface of the nail plates are affected. In other cases, external agents are used in combination with systemic antifungal drugs.
Antifungal tablets are very dangerous and toxic.
Due to the long duration of the course of antifungal therapy (in some cases up to 12 months), there is indeed a risk of side effects and toxic effects on the liver. But today, methods have been developed that allow you to reduce this risk to a minimum. Thus, for example, some antifungal drugs are used in the mode of pulse therapy: d. m. th. short courses, 5-7-10 days, with a break of 21 days. There are systemic antifungals that can only be taken 1-2 times a week. There are antifungals with a high safety profile, which, when taken in therapeutic doses, do not have a negative effect on liver cells even with prolonged continuous use. Therefore, the most important thing is not to take systemic antifungal agents without the appointment and supervision of a doctor. Only a dermatologist should prescribe such funds.
If you choose the right medicine, the fungus can be cured within a week.
It is possible to stop the development of a fungal infection in a short time only if the infection has occurred recently and the causative agent of onychomycosis has not had time to penetrate deep into the tissues surrounding the nail. But, unfortunately, few of the patients seek medical help at this stage, more often the treatment of onychomycosis begins in later stages, when the nail plate (or even some) is severely affected and the process of dystrophy or hyperkeratosis is actively continuing insurrounding tissues. In such a situation, no single remedy will help to quickly solve the fungus problem, even if the treatment is combined with complete removal of the affected nail plate, although it takes about 3 months to restore the nail. In a relatively short time, about 4-6 weeks, you can only reduce the most obvious symptoms of onychomycosis. But the causative agent of the infection, especially in the form of spores, still remains in the tissues. And only after you have completed the course of treatment prescribed by the doctor, you can get rid of this unpleasant disease.