Fungus on the feet: causes, symptoms, treatment and prevention

Fungi on the feet are considered quite a common disease. Everyone is prone to yeast infection. Infection occurs by touching an infected area of the skin or a particle of a damaged nail. A doctor should treat the fungus on the feet. He will select an effective remedy that will quickly eliminate the disease.

Causes of the fungus

A fungus on the legs, which must be treated by an experienced specialist, can occur for the following reasons:

1. Pool, shower or sauna water are breeding grounds for various infections. When you visit such places, you should bring your personal shoes. It is not recommended to walk barefoot on the ground.
2. A humid environment is ideal for rapid growth and multiplication of the fungus.
3. Dried mushroom particles can exist for several years. As soon as they enter a favorable environment, they will begin to actively develop.
4. This disease is often caused by metabolic disorders or problems with the endocrine system.
5. Often, the disease manifests itself in people with deformed feet or impaired blood circulation.

Fungal symptoms

Symptoms of the disease are determined by its type. There are several forms:

• scaly;
• dyshidrotic;
• intrigue;
• onychomycosis of the feet;
• candidiasis.

Scaly form

At first, the disease occurs on one leg. If you do not start treatment on time, it passes to the second foot. Symptoms of the disease should be taken into account:

• the appearance of redness on the skin;
• peeling of the blanket;
• itching (not always associated with the disease).

Often times, a person with a scaly infection does not bother. Therefore, with this form, a doctor is not consulted until the infection has spread to both legs.

Dyshidrotic form

This disease is characterized by the appearance of small bubbles (2 to 8 mm in diameter) on the arch of the foot. As a rule, they form where the leg does not touch the ground when walking. After a while, small foci merge into large ones and open. The result is erosion on the skin.

The process spreads from the arch of the foot to the inner side of the leg. At the site of the opening of the bubbles, a large focus of erosion occurs, then diaper rash. Often a person feels itchy and sore in the places where the bubbles form.

After the erosion heals and dries, peeling will occur in this area. If you do not start treatment on time, the dyshidrotic form of the disease will develop into scaly.

Intertrigue form

This disease can occur on its own or against the background of the scaly form of the fungus. Typically, the process begins with cracks in the skin between the fourth and fifth toes.

Symptoms of the disease should be taken into account:

• the appearance of a white border resulting from exfoliation of the epidermis;
• the appearance of oozing sores between the fingers;
• burning sensation and pain;
• constant itching.

The intertriguous form of fungal infection of the legs has a chronic course. In winter, the disease subsides, and in summer it gets worse. Lack of proper treatment contributes to the loss of the protective properties of the skin and the penetration of strep infection into the body. As a result, a pustular inflammatory process develops.

Onychomycosis of the feet

This disease is a lesion of the platinum nail. The disease develops from the free edge of the nail. First of all, yellow spots and stripes appear on the plate.

With hypertrophic onychomycosis, the nail becomes thicker and turns yellow. It crumbles and flakes easily. The skin below is thickened.

In the atrophic form of the disease, the nail plate gradually thins and collapses. A layer of keratinized skin forms below.

Candidal lesion

In this form, lesions are often located between the third and fourth, as well as between the fourth and fifth toes. Symptoms of the disease are as follows:

• the skin is edematous and red in color;
• abscesses or blisters appear near the focus;
• an edge of the exfoliated top layer of skin forms around the redness.

You should see your doctor as soon as you notice the first signs. They can be itching, burning, painful, or peeling of the skin. After an examination, a specialist will diagnose and prescribe treatment. If you ignore the symptoms, the infection will affect the entire foot, including the nail plate. In this case, it will be difficult to cure the fungus on the legs. Therefore, it is not worth starting the disease.

How to treat foot fungus

A doctor can choose an effective course. It is necessary to consult a specialist and express the symptoms that bother you. An experienced specialist will quickly determine how to treat a foot fungus.

Medicines

Many different products can be found in drugstores.

Specialty drugs are antifungal agents that inhibit the growth of the fungus. They are available as tablets and capsules, ointments and gel, suspension, syrup and solution. The dosage, dosage regimen and duration of treatment are determined by the attending physician.

Folk remedies

Fungal diseases are chronic and do not represent a great danger to human health.

Traditional methods of treatment are effective only in the early stages. During this period, the symptoms of the disease are not yet observed, it may be difficult to recognize the fungus. That is why folk remedies are best used in addition to drug treatment.

The most common method of getting rid of fungus is to use a vinegar bath. It has a striking antiseptic effect. The bath is done like this:

1. Wash your feet with lukewarm water and dry them with a towel.
2. Pour a solution of wine vinegar into a basin.
3. Lower your legs and hold the pelvis for 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Bring your legs out and put on socks soaked in a vinegar solution.

Treatment is best done at bedtime. Then the socks should be taken off in the morning.

Baking soda and sea salt baths are also effective in treating the feet. They are made like this:

1. Dissolve a tablespoon of salt and soda in a sufficient volume of water.
2. Lower the feet into the solution.
3. After 15 minutes, wash your feet with lukewarm water.

It is better to wash the feet with a decoction of herbs. For this, calendula, medicinal verbena, oak bark are suitable. The broth is made as follows:

1. The ingredients are mixed in equal amounts.
2. 3 tablespoons of the mixture are poured into a glass of water.
3. The container is put on a small fire.
4. Heats up within 20 minutes.
5. The solution is filtered and cooled.
6. The broth is used for rinsing the feet and for lotions.

You can prepare an ointment for the affected areas of the feet. For this, pork fat and sifted ashes are taken. The ingredients are mixed until smooth. The ointment is applied to the clean skin of the feet in the morning and evening.

Disease prevention

Any disease is easier to prevent than to cure. Therefore, avoid wearing closed-toe shoes all the time. Excessive sweating of the feet often leads to the development of fungal diseases.

It should be borne in mind that the fungus easily tolerates low temperatures. After entering a normal environment, it becomes active and begins to develop rapidly. Therefore, freezing is not a prophylaxis or a method of controlling bacteria.

Boiling can kill the fungus. To prevent disease, it is necessary to wash clothes at a high temperature and then iron them.

To avoid fungal infections, you should use only your own clothes and shoes, carefully sterilize pedicure and manicure tools. By adhering to simple rules, you can protect yourself from a disease that is so difficult to cure.