This article will talk about such an unpleasant, but, alas, quite common phenomenon as toenail fungus. The symptoms and causes of this disease are known to medical science and are easily diagnosed at all stages. However, it can only be detected if you pay close attention to your own health. How to recognize toenail fungus? How to treat it? Are the advertised ointments effective?
What causes nail fungus?
Nail fungus is a fairly common disease. The disease spreads particularly successfully in places with a temperate and tropical climate, that is, where it is humid and warm. However, paradoxically, the inhabitants of cold countries most often suffer from nail fungus. This is due to the fact that in the harsh climate you must constantly wear warm shoes and socks. The foot sweats, the sock gets wet, and one is forced to remain in this condition for a long time without having the opportunity to change shoes. This is the best way to promote nail fungus. Before we talk about how to identify toenail fungus, let's find out who is more susceptible to this disease.
Nail fungus as an occupational disease
At risk are people whose skin on the feet cannot breathe during the day due to tight shoes. These are miners, power plant workers, gardeners and representatives of other working professions. You can "catch" the fungus while working in a laundry room, swimming pool, hotel or restaurant.
What diseases can serve as a prerequisite
Often, not only representatives of the above professions suffer from this disease, but also people who have diabetes mellitus of group 1 or 2. In addition, a prerequisite for the formation of nail fungus can be deformation of the legs, varicose veins. Among the causes of this infection is insufficient nutrition of the nail due to blockage or blockage of the blood vessels. That is why the creams that are advertised today, as well as the nail polishes that are supposed to save you from fungus, will be completely useless in the fight against the disease. After all, it is often caused by internal diseases and external influence will not eradicate the problem.
Who is at risk?
A few decades ago, nail fungus was mostly diagnosed in the elderly. However, every year the number of patients suffering from nail fungus is increasing, and the disease itself is becoming younger and younger.
Official data shows that nail fungus develops two to three times more often in men. However, women much more often turn to a dermatologist with this problem. Women of the fairer sex are more concerned about their health and find nothing shameful in consulting a doctor.
Next, we'll look at why it's so important to get a fungal nail treatment recommendation from a dermatologist, and we'll also talk about how you can identify nail fungus and what symptoms it has at each stage of its development.
What does nail fungus look like?
This disease is not fatal, but, of course, it is necessary to get rid of it. Fortunately, it is not difficult for anyone to recognize the onset of the disease. How to recognize the fungus on your feet? Tips are given below. First of all, take a closer look at your nails.
The first thing you should pay attention to is this nail color. The nail affected by fungus becomes dark yellow and opaque. Depending on the stage of the disease, the edge of the nail plate, the base or the entire nail may be affected.
Pay attention to the thickness of the nail
When answering the question of how to recognize nail fungus, changes in the nail plate should also be mentioned. Despite the fact that due to the disease, the nail becomes thinner, visually and in sensations it seems that it becomes thicker and swells.
How to recognize nail fungus? To establish the presence of infection, a visual examination of the nail plate is not enough. Mix potassium permanganate and water in a ratio of 1 to 5, immerse your nails in the resulting solution for half a minute. The healthy nail is colored and turns brown. Part of the affected plaque will remain white.
Stages of the disease
The disease proceeds in four stages. The sooner you start treatment, the better your chances of getting rid of nail fungus for good.
The first stage is characterized by damage to the edge of the nail. As mentioned above, the color of the plate changes and bumps appear. The nail grows with poor quality, hollow, because of which it breaks and crumbles.
A sign of the second stage will be an increase in the affected area. In addition, it should be noted that sometimes the second stage can begin, as if bypassing the first. Damage to the nail plate will start not from the edge, but from the base of the nail. Cure of nail fungus in the second stage will be more problematic than in the first.
How to recognize toenail fungus in the third stage? In medicine, it is called a white superficial fungus and it looks as if the entire plate is affected. It has a solid white color and crumbles heavily at the edges.
The fourth stage is called total dystrophic fungus. The nail has a yellowish-gray color, emits a peculiar unpleasant smell and is very crumbly. In the fourth stage, you can often see an exposed part of the skin under the broken nail, as it has grown due to the fungus and in most cases breaks off.
The reason for visiting a dermatologist is often the independent identification of the fourth stage of nail fungus. You should not search forums or the Internet for advice on how to effectively treat nail fungus. It is better to consult a specialist at the first symptoms of the disease.
What to expect when you go to the doctor?
Probably all of us have a fear of doctors. However, don't be afraid to consult a dermatologist if you suspect you have nail fungus. The specialist will conduct an external examination and take a scraping of the upper keratinized layer of the nail to send it to the laboratory for diagnosis. A detailed analysis will reveal what caused the disease, determine the type of fungus and tell the doctor what type of treatment should be prescribed.
Treatment of nail fungus takes a long time. It can last from one month to three. After the course of treatment, you will need to be examined again, even if the above symptoms are not observed.
A few words about effective treatment
So now we know how to identify toenail fungus. The methods are given above. Now it is worth saying a few words about the treatment that you can do yourself. The drug based on naftifine has proven itself quite well. However, you should use not an ointment, but a solution. This medicine can also be used for foot fungus.
How to use the solution? If you have a fungus in the first stage of the disease, then lubricate the affected nail surface twice a day. Nails should be dry and well washed. In the later stages of the disease, you cannot do without pills. But even in this case, the use of the solution with naftifine should not be stopped: this will enhance the effect of the drugs.
Before applying the product, you should thoroughly clean the affected nail surface with a manicure tool. However, you must be extremely careful. After completing the manipulations, it is necessary to apply a solution containing the active ingredient naftifine to the cleaned area. Repeat 2 times a day.
People who are familiar with this infectious disease also speak positively about nail fungus removal kits. Which of these products to use, a solution or a nail removal kit, is up to you. But without the help of a dermatologist, it will not be possible to get rid of nail fungus forever and completely.
Let's summarize
The article answers the question of how to recognize toenail fungus. However, it is worth remembering that self-medication does not always lead to full recovery. If there are changes in the thickness or color of your nails, you should consult a doctor.
According to the degree of damage to the nail plate, the fungus can be divided into four stages. If at the first stage the disease does not cause alarm, as it does not severely deform the nail plate, then at the fourth stage you can easily lose your nails. Do not hesitate to contact a dermatologist.
It is strongly recommended not to self-medicate by succumbing to advertising exhortations about the effectiveness of a particular drug. A cream or other product applied to the nail plate from the outside will not get rid of the causative agent of the disease and will therefore be ineffective. As a result, you will only delay the treatment process by masking the manifestation of the disease. It is also worth remembering that nail fungus not only looks unaesthetic, but is also a kind of beacon indicating the presence of disorders in the body.