Nail fungus, like all other fungal diseases, 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 to form a colony.
Toenails are the places that most often suffer from fungal infections.According to medical statistics, nail fungus affects approximately 15% of the world's population.It should be noted that men are more susceptible to this disease.Doctors attribute this phenomenon to the fact that women are more scrupulous about hygiene rules.In addition, the fungus affects older people much more often, which is probably due to their somewhat reduced immunity and the presence of chronic diseases.
Regardless of the type of fungus that causes nail disease, it will have similar symptoms and require the same treatment.Since fungal nail infection does not pose a threat to life, most patients are in no hurry to receive treatment, considering the problem to be only cosmetic.This approach is fundamentally wrong, because due to prolonged exposure to the fungus, the immune system begins to suffer, which opens the door to many diseases.
How does a fungal infection occur?
It is very easy to become infected with fungus.This is why this disease has become 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 member of the family to another.For this reason, even if 1 person in the family faces this disease, everyone should have their nails treated.
What predisposes to the development of nail fungus
Some people are more susceptible to fungal diseases, while others are less so.This is due to the fact that there are certain predisposing factors for the disease.These provocateurs of the disease include:
- diabetes mellitus - since this disease damages the capillaries, the metabolism of the nail fold tissues is disrupted, which causes a rapid weakening of local immunity;
- mechanical injury to the nail plate - with poorly cut, cracked and broken nails, the nutrition of the nail plate begins to be partially disrupted, which significantly reduces its ability to resist fungi;
- 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 surrounding tissues, leading to damage to the nails;
- decline in immunity - with a decrease in protective forces, which can occur for many reasons, the body is not able to resist the pathogenic fungus and it easily penetrates the nail tissue.
It is in the presence of provoking factors that in the vast majority of cases the development of a fungal infection of the nails occurs.
How does the fungus manifest?
It is quite easy to determine the presence of nail fungus, since the symptoms of this disease are very obvious and it is not easy to confuse it with something else.You can suspect a fungal infection of the nail plate when the following signs appear:
- change in color of the nail plate - in the presence of fungus, the color of the nail changes from healthy yellow to yellow, grayish or brown, depending on the type of fungus that caused the disease;
- rough surface of the nail - roughness caused by a fungus is easily determined not only by touch, but also by eye.This symptom appears due to the fact that uneven destruction of the upper layer of the nail plate occurs;
- nail delamination - the nail begins to peel off from the edge and gradually the process reaches the very base of the plate.On examination, the border of the nail delamination zone is clearly visible;
- white spots under the nail - this is what the places look like where the nail began to peel off from the base.As the nail plate grows under the influence of the fungus, a cavity is formed between it and the subungual tissues, which resembles a white spot;
- dullness of nail plates - the shine of the nail gradually disappears and no specific damage to its surface is observed.This symptom is caused by the peeling of the top layer of the nail, which is thin and called skin.It contains fats and moisture, which is why there is shine;
- a large number of nails - the appearance of these very painful dry peelings 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;
- detachment of the nail plate - due to the fact that the fungus affects the growth zone of the nail, the plate begins to peel off gradually, first from the base, 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 treatment using medications or folk remedies.Both are very effective and the patient must therefore make their own decision as to which method of treatment should be preferred.
Medicines for nail fungus
If the nail plate is not yet very strongly affected by the fungus, you can do without it.To treat a nail, you must use medications prescribed by your doctor.
Drug treatment for nail fungus is very long and can last up to 1 year.It is necessary to apply medicinal formulations strictly according to the rules and without omissions, otherwise all efforts spent on eliminating the fungus will be in vain.
When the fungus has affected the thickness of the nail, it makes no sense to treat the nail plate and you have to use drugs designed to remove it.If these products are used correctly, the diseased nail can be removed with little or no pain.
In this case, there are medications that soften and peel off the nail plate from the tissues underneath.The removal of the nail is carried out several times and causes almost no discomfort for the patient.
Folk remedies for the treatment of nail fungus
Traditional medicine can only be used in the treatment of nail fungus if the disease has not gone too far.Ideally, these therapeutic methods should be started at the first symptoms of the disease.
- Iodine is destructive for almost all types of nail fungus and therefore can be successfully used in the fight against the disease, although doctors do not take this therapeutic method very seriously.Using an iodine solution is simple.To achieve the desired effect, it is enough to lubricate the diseased nail with iodine in the morning and evening.Healthy nails should also be treated with iodine, but only once every 2 days.This treatment is continued until a healthy nail begins to grow.
- Kombucha can also be used as a treatment.A small piece will be enough to eliminate nail fungus.Such a piece must be separated from the fungus and freed from its films.Then it is ground into a pulp, which is rubbed into the sore nail in the morning and evening.This treatment lasts at least 45 days.
- Copper sulfate is also used in the fight against nail fungus.For medicinal purposes, you need to take 1 level teaspoon of copper sulfate and dissolve it in 1 liter of boiled water.The resulting composition is very concentrated, and therefore, for processing, 1 tablespoon is added 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.Treatment continues until a healthy nail begins to grow.
- A salt and vinegar bath is helpful in the early stages of nail fungus.In order 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 done twice a day.The duration of a procedure is 15 minutes.If there are sores on the skin of the legs, it is better to refuse such treatment, as this may lead to their degeneration into ulcers.
- Celandine is also recommended for the treatment of nail fungus.In summer, when you can easily find a fresh plant, it will be useful to use its juice.In order to obtain the medicinal composition, the stems of the plant are scrolled through a meat grinder, then the juice is squeezed out of the resulting mass through gauze.Prepare 200 ml of juice.Then the same volume of 70% alcohol is poured into the juice.After infusing the medicine for 1 day, it is used to lubricate the affected nail 4 times a day.For the beneficial effect to be maximum, the legs are pre-cooked by steam.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 boiled water until a thick, well-mixed paste is obtained.After that, the medicine is applied to the affected nail in a thick layer and sprinkled with lemon juice.Following the chemical reaction, a slight burning sensation will be felt and abundant foam will be observed.After 5 minutes of exposure, the soda is washed off.This procedure is repeated daily until a healthy nail develops.
Nail fungus prevention
If you do not forget the rules for preventing nail fungus, it is quite possible to protect yourself from this disorder.To prevent the disease, you must follow the following recommendations:
- respect hygiene rules;
- do not wear wet shoes;
- wash slippers at least once a month with antibacterial detergent;
- use iodine nail treatment as a preventative measure once a month;
- wear only your own shoes;
- use flip flops when in the sauna and swimming pool;
- regularly do manicures and pedicures according to all the rules;
- change socks every day;
- air your shoes daily;
- use an ultraviolet shoe dryer.
By strictly following preventive measures, fungal diseases can be avoided even if there is a sick person in the family.It is very important to inform your child from early childhood about the rules of hygiene and the dangers of breaking them.The fact is that many children get nail fungus from trying on adult shoes of guests or parents, as well as from exchanging shoes with friends in kindergarten.Understanding why this is dangerous to your health will help protect your baby from nail fungus from an early age.