The so-called nail fungus (onychomycosis) is one of the most common infectious skin diseases and, at the same time, one of the most difficult to treat. The absence of obvious symptoms of infection in the early stage of the disease is the reason for the late diagnosis of onychomycosis and, as a result, delays in treatment.
types of fungi
Onychomycosis is caused by pathogenic fungi of the genus Trichophyton, which penetrate the tissues of the nail plate and nail bed, gradually destroying them and causing negative changes in local immunity.
Depending on the clinical manifestations of the nail fungus, three forms of the disease are distinguished:
- Normotrophic - in this case, the nail plate maintains its normal thickness, but is painted in unusual colors for a healthy nail (cloudy white, yellow-gray, gray-brown, etc. ).
- The hypertrophic form is characterized by excessive thickening of the nail, which rises above the surface of the nail bed and protrudes strongly beyond its edges. Often with this form, deformation of the plate is observed - it becomes pronounced irregular, grows in width and causes pain when walking, as it grows into soft tissues.
- The atrophic form is manifested by the thinning of the nail, which acquires a cloudy color (sometimes with spots, stripes or "air bubbles") yellowish-gray. It is important to remember that only a specialist knows how to identify nail fungus. Eliminating advanced nail fungus without surgery will be very difficult.
If you find any signs of fungus on the nails, hands or other formations, you should urgently see a dermatologist.
Symptoms
The manifestations of onychomycosis can be divided into three groups, which differ depending on the severity of damage to the nail plate.
- I stage (initial). At this stage of the development of the disease, the nail retains its normal thickness and color, but its surface becomes dull and loses its shine. The cuticle and skin around the nail may appear overly dry and become keratinized quickly. At the same stage, scaly patches in the interdigital spaces and itching of varying severity can be observed - from mild and episodic to severe and permanent.
- II stage (developed). In the second stage, visual signs of infection appear on the nail. The nail plate begins to thicken, but at the same time it becomes brittle - when cutting the nail, it is obvious that it "falls apart", and jagged edges remain at the place of the cut. White, yellow, gray or brown spots or streaks appear on the nail, and the nail surface acquires an uneven relief. Nail thickening can develop to the extent that any manipulation of the nail (manicure, pedicure) causes a person pain. At this stage, an unpleasant odor appears on the affected nails (especially with onychomycosis on the legs), which cannot be eliminated with the help of hygiene procedures.
- III stage (severe). At this stage of onychomycosis, the nail completely loses its functions and qualities, and the fungal infection spreads to the nail fold and soft tissues under the nail. This stage is most often characterized by the death of the nail and its loss.
Causes of fungus
There is only one reason for onychomycosis: infection by pathogenic fungi and their growth and reproduction in nail tissues.
But the fungus, present almost everywhere, affects only a few people. The reason for this is simple: infection requires not just a pathogen, but conditions conducive to infection.
These include:
- Decreased local immunity. The skin and nails have their own resources to prevent infection. But when wearing tight and uncomfortable shoes, frequent or regular skin lesions, excessively deep and deep pedicure / manicure, contact with aggressive substances, the protective functions of the skin and nails weaken, which facilitates the penetration of the fungus and its reproduction.
- Occupational or daily activities that involve prolonged exposure of hands/feet to humid environments. This doesn't have to be direct contact with water or other liquids - wearing rubber shoes and gloves creates warm, humid conditions favorable to pathogenic fungi.
- Failure to comply with personal hygiene rules causes subungual fungi. Wearing someone else's shoes, lack of individual shoes when visiting public pools and saunas, untimely exchange of socks and socks for new ones, etc.
Nail fungus: treatment
The treatment of onychomycosis is complicated by the peculiarities of the nails themselves, the density of which does not allow medicinal substances to penetrate their deep layers.
Therefore, with fungal nail infections, artificial nail thickness reduction is often used with the help of special files. This frees the surface of the nail plate from the denser outer layer, which increases the ability of the active substances in the drugs to be absorbed deeply.
With a deep nail injury with involvement of the nail bed tissues in the process, surgical removal of the nail plate, which is performed under local anesthesia, is advisable. After that, treatment is prescribed according to the severity of the disease.
So far, the only way to get rid of onychomycosis is the use of drugs from the antimycotic group. These drugs act selectively on pathogenic fungi, interrupting their activity and reproduction and causing the death of the pathogens.
Depending on the degree of spread of the fungus to the tissues around the nail and whether the pathogen has invaded the bloodstream, systemic antimycotics for oral administration or agents effective when applied topically (ointments, creams, solutions) may be prescribed.