Symptoms and treatment of athlete's foot

A fungal infection very often affects the toes or nails. This disease affects adults and children. To avoid the pathology becoming chronic, you should know the signs of foot fungus and what such a disease looks like.

The main signs of the disease

Among all skin diseases, athlete's foot is the most common. You can get infected by the disease by ignoring the basic rules of hygiene. Sometimes it is very difficult to cure the fungus.

For each person, toenail fungus begins and develops in its own way. Here are the most common signs of athlete's foot:

• characteristic cracks appear between the fingers;
• You can tell that a fungus has appeared by the characteristic itching on your feet and between the toes;
• the skin of the feet is very dry, often flakes and becomes rough;
• bubbles appear between the fingers, which burst when destroyed;
• the infection can spread to neighboring areas;
• reddish spots appear on the skin, which cause significant discomfort;
• Toenail fungus can also be identified by the unpleasant smell.

When the first symptoms of the disease appear, you should immediately consult a dermatologist. If you do not do this in advance, it will be much more difficult to treat the fungus.

Signs of fungi depending on the type of pathogen

This disease develops due to various types of pathogens. The symptoms of a foot injury will vary in each case.

1. If toenail fungus develops on the foot, the nail gradually becomes thinner and peels off from the bed. The skin on the legs is hyperemic (gets a red tint).
2. With the development of epidermophytes, the nail turns yellow and is covered with spots. The skin on the feet peels and emits an unpleasant smell. A characteristic symptom of this type of fungus is increased dryness of the skin.
3. When the fungus appears, the nail plate can suddenly change its color. The skin becomes red if the pathogen gradually spreads throughout the leg. A person is bothered by itching and the skin may crack. In this case, pain and other unpleasant sensations appear while walking.

Only a doctor can determine the type of pathogen. This cannot be done at home. And if you practice self-medication, you can only harm yourself. Your feet will suffer from this and the skin fungus will spread more and more.

Signs of some forms of fungi

Depending on the affected area and the degree of development, several forms of pathology are distinguished. Everyone's symptoms are different. By knowing the early signs of foot disease, you can start treatment for mycosis at the right time.

1. Interdigital dermatophytosis is the most common stage of the disease. It becomes more active in spring and summer, when the feet sweat more. Cracks and sores appear between the fingers. You can notice the presence of scales on their skin. The leg looks absolutely healthy. Often a person feels itching.
2. The deleted form appears to the least pronounced extent. Peeling is visible between the fingers. At this stage of the disease, a sharp unpleasant smell spreads from the feet: it appears due to increased bacterial activity.

The disease can appear in different forms. Let's familiarize ourselves with their signs so that we know how to identify foot fungus and, if it develops, start treatment. It should be remembered that in the advanced stages of the disease the nail is completely destroyed. It is almost impossible to restore it.

Squamous type

This fungus is characterized by intense peeling of the epidermis. Moreover, it is the skin areas between the toes and the side of the foot that are most intensely affected. There are no signs of the inflammatory process. In the photo of the first signs of fungus on the legs, areas of hyperemia are observed. Scaly mushrooms look like this:

• stratum corneum thickens;
• the skin shines, sometimes becomes thick;
• the pattern on the skin becomes more distinct;
• the fungus gradually spreads to the fingers, all over the leg and affects the nails;
• sometimes lamellar scales appear on the epidermis;
• The patient does not feel other unpleasant sensations.

Dyshidrotic type

With this fungus, small blisters filled with liquid appear on the skin. They are usually found on the side of the leg. Then they gradually move to the inner side of the toes. How to recognize dyshidrotic foot fungus:

• the bubble is usually single, but if there are many of them, they merge into one big one;
• if left untreated, the fluid in the blisters gradually darkens;
• If the bladder ruptures, a crusted erosion appears in its place.

With this type of foot fungus, there is a very high risk of bacterial infection. The infection enters the body through open skin lesions.

Trade type

This type of mushroom is the most common. At first, the person does not feel any symptoms. Up to a certain point, the skin on the toes does not change. Then cracks and seams appear. The skin is not affected, but may sweat.

Candidiasis of the feet

The characteristic symptoms of this fungal infection are as follows:

• the lesion is the 3rd or 4th finger;
• the skin is red and swollen;
• There is a blister around the lesion where there is a peeling layer of skin;
• There are pustules and blisters nearby.

If a bacterial infection enters the affected area, this leads to an increase in local temperature. Swelling is observed on the skin of the legs. In severe cases, a person experiences general hyperthermia.

Signs of fungal nail infection

A person's toenails can also be affected. The disease can be distinguished by the following symptoms.

1. Visible change in the color of the nail plate. Depending on the type of pathology the patient has, the nail takes on a variety of shades. Sometimes it can change only in a part of the nail plate.
2. Nail crushing. This happens only in advanced stages. If the nail is completely infected, it is destroyed.
3. Changes in the structure of the nail.

There are several types of onychomycosis, a fungal nail infection.

1. Atrophic appearance. The nail plate looks very thin. It darkens, sometimes taking on a gray-brown color. Thoi gradually peels himself off his bed. The skin underneath becomes keratinized and loosens.
2. With the normotrophic form of the foot fungus, the plaque changes its shade. Spots appear on it - white, yellow, green and even black. The structure of the nail is not affected.
3. In the hypertrophic form, the plate gradually thickens and becomes porous. The affected area looks very ugly and in some cases causes pain while walking. It crumbles on the sides and collapses without treatment.

Some types of onychomycosis

Depending on the degree of spread of the disease, its forms are distinguished.

1. Lateral onychomycosis is more common. A small yellow spot first appears on the free edge of the nail. In the future, you will notice how it grows, and the nail plate thickens. While walking, a person feels discomfort. The spread of an unpleasant smell is noticeable. Lateral onychomycosis is difficult to treat.
2. Superficial onychomycosis is characterized by damage to only the upper layers of the plaque. It does not thicken, but becomes chalky over time.
3. The rarest form of the disease is subungual onychomycosis. The skin thickens noticeably in the nail fold. Thoi turns white and loses its transparency.

General principles of treatment

Any treatment of pathology begins with diagnosis. Only then can a suitable medicine be prescribed. Self-medication usually leads to worsening of the condition of the legs. Let's get acquainted with the most common methods of therapy.

1. At the first signs of fungal infection, special varnishes, plasters, ointments and sprays are used. They should be used for a long time and according to the instructions.
2. If local therapy is ineffective, complex antifungal drugs are prescribed. They are used orally.
3. Surgical removal of the affected nail.
4. Laser therapy.
5. In advanced forms of the disease, systemic drugs are prescribed.

You can avoid the occurrence of an unpleasant disease by following the rules of hygiene. You should avoid using other people's personal hygiene products (towels, slippers). When the first signs of the disease appear, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Types of mycosis

Fungal infections of the feet usually appear between the toes. It is caused by several types of fungi. This problem is more common in adults, as children's sweat can disarm the fungus.

Fungal lesions can be of different types:

• candidiasis - occurs when the body's resistance decreases, more often in women;
• epidermophytosis is an exclusively "male" disease that develops due to excessive sweating;
• Rubromycosis is a highly contagious form that can occur even in young children.

Signs and forms of the disease

Signs of fungal infection may vary depending on the age of the patient, the state of the immune system and the nature of the blood circulation.

In a person with a strong immune system, the fungus can stay on the skin for several months without appearing. Slight itching and mild redness of the skin may occur.

The best treatment and medicines

Advanced mycosis is treated with fungicidal tablets and antifungal ointments. The latter are used after washing and drying the feet.

Folk remedies are recommended to be used only in the initial stage of the disease, as well as to relieve itching. They should be used with extreme caution as some rely on cauterizing the skin and can cause burns.

As for traditional medicine, they are used at the patient's own risk. Special care should be taken when using formulations containing vinegar, celandine or manganese, as this can cause skin burns.

In parallel with drug treatment, you can use baths with oak bark, chamomile or sage. A soda bath effectively reduces itching.

Preventive measures

Although there are effective and inexpensive treatments for athlete's foot on the market, it is best not to let the problem develop. Prevention of fungal infection consists of:

• in daily hygiene;
• wearing individual shoes (especially in public showers, baths and swimming pools);
• regularly treating the inside of shoes with ammonia;
• daily change of socks;
• strengthening and maintaining immunity.

These are basic and simple measures that anyone can do. But if the infection occurs, then in order to prevent recurrence, it is necessary to treat the foot fungus with medicines for another 14 days after the complete disappearance of all the symptoms of mycosis.

Toenail fungus: symptoms and treatment, photo of toenail fungus

Athlete's foot is one of the most common diseases in dermatological practice. It mainly occurs in cultures where it is customary to wear shoes most of the time and affects up to 70% of the adult population.

Most often, foot fungus is observed in the elderly, as well as in those whose immunity is significantly weakened, for example, with diabetes, AIDS, blood circulation disorders of the lower extremities and other diseases of this type.

Often, the term "fungus or athlete's foot" refers to damage from fungal mycelium on the skin of the soles of the feet, nails and interdigital spaces.

Pathogens

Among the many types of fungi, the main causative agents of mycosis of the feet are as follows:

• Trichophyton rubrum,
• Trichophyton mentagrophytes,
• Epidermophyton floccosum.

Other causative agents of fungal foot infections, which are not so common:

• Trichophyton tonsurans is the causative agent of mycosis in children in America,
• candida,
• Scythalidium hyalinum,
• Scythalidium dimidiatum.

All pathogens of fungal infections are adapted to parasitize in the stratum corneum of the skin, producing special enzymes that break down keratin. In addition, their membranes (cell walls) contain mannan - special substances that suppress local immunity and contribute to the development of chronic inflammation.

Routes of infection and factors contributing to disease

It is believed that some types of fungal foot pathogens are able to maintain their viability in flakes of exfoliated skin for a year. To become infected with the fungus, it is enough for such skins with the pathogen to stick to the legs and then fall into conditions suitable for reproduction: moisture and heat.

The most common fungal infections of the feet occur:

1. In public places: baths, beach beds, swimming pools, saunas, even just beach sand.
2. In the family: shared house shoes, lack of individual towels for the feet, low level of hygiene.
3. Habits: exchanging shoes, socks, wearing someone else's shoes (for example, the host's house slippers during the visit).

Factors contributing to infection:

1. A decrease in local defense forces as a result of blood circulation disorders (for example, with vasculitis, obliterative atherosclerosis of the lower extremities), some chronic diseases (HIV, other immunodeficiency conditions, diabetes mellitus, etc. ).
2. Prolonged sweating of the feet in athletes during long training, in summer when wearing closed or poorly ventilated shoes.
3. Cracks and macerations on the skin of the feet.

In general, men get sick more often than women; with age, the frequency of fungal foot infections increases. The risk group for fungal foot infections are:

• miners,
• military personnel,
• bath doctors,
• regular use of baths and saunas,
• the athletes.

Types of disease

According to the location of the pathological focus of the skin on the foot affected by the fungus:

1. Interdigital mycosis (dermatophytosis). It is most often observed in the form of chronic (squamous) or acute (intertriginous) forms.
2. Mycosis of the feet. It is most often manifested as skin and keratinization of the skin of the foot.
3. Dyshidrotic dermatophytosis. Blisters and blisters form on the skin of the feet, often reminiscent of allergic dermatitis.
4. Deep mycosis. In this case, not only the surface layers are affected, but also the deep ones of the skin.
5. Onychomycosis. Toenail fungus infection.

Depending on the type of pathogen, the main fungal diseases of the feet are:

1. Athlete's disease caused by Trichophyton mcntagrophytes.
2. Rubrophytosis, caused by Trichophyton rubrum.

Rubrophytosis of the feet: types and main symptoms

Rubrophytosis is the most common fungal disease of the feet. It happens in almost 70-90% of cases.

Symptoms

The classic form of rubrophytosis is characterized by redness and moderate thickening (lichenification) of the skin. The affected skin is shiny, with an enlarged pattern, a dry surface with flour-like scales accumulated in the area of furrows and folds.

Usually the disease begins with the third or fourth interdigital folds, which are narrower. The fungus then spreads to other spaces between the toes, the sole of the foot, and the back of the foot.

The following forms are characteristic of rubrofitia:

Frequently encountered:

• squamous form (the main symptom is cracked skin),
• keratinizing form - the presence of "corn", thickenings.
• intertriginous (opreloid),
• dyshidrotic (with the formation of blisters),
• mixed form (diaper rash, blisters).

On foot

Erased squamous rubrophyta has the least pronounced symptoms and continues almost unnoticed by the patient. Its main symptoms:

1. Interdigital spaces: peeling, the presence of flour-like scales, small superficial cracks.
2. There are practically no complaints or minor itching may bother you.

In this form, rubrophytosis can last for quite a long time. However, the progression of the disease is observed gradually, which leads to the appearance of hyperkeratotic and mixed forms. Gradually there are:

• increased dryness of the skin of the feet,
• skin roughening,
• the appearance of rough calluses on the sole and lateral areas of the foot,
• the formation of deep and painful cracks in the heel area.

With rubrophytosis of the legs, 3 main types of skin peeling are observed:

1. With flour.The natural folds and grooves of the skin appear to be dusted with flour.
2. in the form of a ring. Red spots with an edge of exfoliated epithelium.
3. Lamellar-lamellar. In this case, the skin is peeled off in large plates.

In the interdigital spaces

During intense sweating of the feet, wearing poorly ventilated shoes or inadequate handling, the spaces between the toes periodically begin to get wet. The skin becomes swollen, eroded, with deep cracks. The main complaints of patients at this stage are itching, pain, burning.

Without timely and effective treatment, the process gradually worsens, which is manifested by increased pain and itching, which intensify with movement. On the skin of the interdigital spaces and the lateral surfaces of the fingers, large blisters appear, which then turn into erosions, surrounded by a border of white epidermis.

On the nails

Fingernail plates with rubrophytosis:

• thick,
• collapsing,
• yellow-gray or with a brownish tint,
• etched white spots that then spread throughout the nail.

Sometimes they separate from the nail bed, thicken and take on the appearance of a bird's claw or an ingrown nail, which causes additional discomfort for patients.

Complications of rubrophytosis

As a rule, rubrophyta spreads to other parts of the body: hands, smooth skin, vellus hair. The pathogen enters new areas of the skin by means of lymphogen, as well as by contact (for example, transferred by hands when washing feet).

1. Hands - damage to palms and nails.
2. Smooth skin - lesions on the face, inguinal-femoral folds, buttocks, legs.

In this case, mycosis manifests itself as pink-red or pink round spots with a tendency to merge and grow peripherally. Their surface is covered with scales, and along the edges there is an inflammatory ridge with bubbles and small crusts.

If rubrophyta has spread to large folds, itching occurs.

Athlete's foot: types and symptoms

Athlete's foot appears much less often than rubrophytosis and has the same forms of the disease:

1. Deleted.
2. keratinizing.
3. Diaper rash.
4. With the formation of bubbles.
5. Athlete's nails.

Then, bluish-red plaque-like thickenings of the skin appear on the lateral surfaces and soles of the feet. In the center of the rash there are layers of scales, the borders of the lesions are clear. In the spaces between the fingers, the epidermis takes on a white hue.

With athlete's foot, patients are bothered by itching, increased dryness and soreness of the skin.

The opreloid (intertriginous) form of epidermophytosis is characterized by redness, swelling and maceration of the interdigital folds. Cracks are often created and pain is felt.

When the pathogen affects the arch of the foot, a dyshidrotic form can often be observed with the formation of blisters, which after opening look like wet pink or red erosions.

Athlete's foot most commonly occurs in the big toe (I) and little toe (V). In the thickness of the nail, closer to the free edge, yellow spots and lines are formed, which gradually grow and occupy the entire nail. The nail then begins to crumble, sometimes pulling away from the nail bed.

Podvysotskaya acute epidermophytosis

The main symptoms of this form of athlete's foot:

• swelling of the feet, fingers,
• abundance of vesicles,
• weeping erosions,
• maceration of the interdigital folds,
• enlarged inguinal lymph nodes,
• increase in body temperature,
• headache,
• difficulty walking due to pain,
• general weakness.

Onychomycosis of the fingers: symptoms and types

In addition to the causative agents of rubrophytosis and epidermophytosis, onychomycosis can be caused by yeast fungi of the genus Candida, as well as by some other fungi.

The most typical symptoms of onychomycosis, which begin closer to the free edge of the nail:

• stain, loss of natural shine,
• thickening of the nail plate,
• the appearance of subungual hyperkeratosis,
• destruction of the nail, detachment from the nail bed.

With onychomycosis, there are 2 main types of nail damage:

1. Normotrophic: white and yellow lines are visible in the thickness of the nail.
2. Atrophic: thinning, destruction of the nail plate, its detachment.

Diagnosis of fungal infections of the feet

The specialist in the treatment of fungal infections of the feet is the dermatologist, who, if necessary, can involve other specialists in the treatment.

After a conversation with the patient, clarifying the complaints and features of the appearance and course of the disease, the doctor will examine the affected surface and prescribe several types of additional examinations, for example:

1. Microscopic examination with additional treatment of the material with potassium hydroxide.
2. Examining the wood lamp.
3. Inoculation of suspected biological material in special media for the growth of fungi, as well as in media for bacteria.

Treatment

Treatment for any fungal foot infection should be prescribed by a doctor to achieve a complete cure.

In general, the treatment of foot mycoses is based on the following principles of therapy:

1. Fighting the infectious agent. In the initial stages of the disease, local drugs are usually prescribed - antifungal ointments, creams, creams. In severe cases, use systemic antifungal agents.
2. Increasing immunity and improving local blood circulation, treating the underlying disease.
3. Desensitization therapy. Since mycosis of the feet is often accompanied by allergic reactions, antiallergic drugs are prescribed accordingly, which will help improve the patient's condition.

Treatment at home

• To effectively treat athlete's foot, it is necessary to remember that fungi multiply in a moist environment. Excluding moisture, the fungus will not develop and the chances of healing will increase.
• Protect your family members from fungal diseases. You must explain to them that from now on you cannot walk barefoot in the apartment, especially in the bathroom or shower. After taking a bath or shower, it is necessary to treat the bath itself, the tray and the floor with a disinfectant.
• Wash your feet daily with soap, collecting all the fallen parts of the skin with a napkin so that nothing gets under the nails.
• After washing your feet, be sure to dry the spaces between the toes with toilet paper or a hair dryer, and then apply an antifungal agent prescribed by your doctor. The treatment should continue for several months even in cases where the manifestations of mycosis completely disappear.
• Use powder while wearing shoes.
• Wear white cotton socks (clean daily). Used socks should be boiled or soaked in disinfectant for 10 minutes. Shoes should be disinfected using antifungal sprays.

Prevention of mycosis of the feet

Timely treatment of diseases that can reduce the body's defenses or damage blood circulation.

CONCLUSION

Athlete's foot is one of the most common fungal skin infections. In most cases, following simple prevention rules helps to avoid the disease, and timely treatment begins to completely get rid of mycosis.