In addition to onychomycosis, there are many other causes and diseases due to which the usual appearance of the nails can change.
Thick, cloudy white nails can be the result of psoriasis or the unsuccessful use of harsh cosmetics. Detachment and delamination of the nail plate occur with both lesions and trophic disorders of the lower extremities with varicose veins or endocrine diseases. Onychomycosis often begins not with changes in the nail plate, but with redness, itching, and peeling of the skin around the nail. If a person does not pay attention to these symptoms, the fungus begins to develop, penetrates into deeper tissues, incl. under the nail bed. Fungal damage to the nail plate usually starts from its free edge, which thickens, turns grayish-yellow, easily breaks and crumbles. But even in this case, it is possible to accurately determine the presence of a fungus only with the help of laboratory research - microscopy.
The fungus appears only in elderly people and chronic patients.
In patients with chronic diseases (diabetes mellitus, peripheral vascular diseases, etc. ), nail fungus is really more common, but only for the reason that all these diseases reduce the activity of general and local immunity, negatively affect the resistance of the skin to any infection. . Old age, in itself, cannot be the cause of fungal diseases, but the older a person becomes, the more health problems he accumulates, which contributes to the development of fungal infections. At the same time, completely healthy young people are not protected against onychomycosis. Sports enthusiasts can suffer from nail fungus. corns, microtraumas on the skin of the feet and sweating create ideal conditions for the development of fungi. The fungus can occur in those who have to spend most of the day on their feet, wearing closed shoes that do not allow excess moisture to evaporate. Smoking, frequent stress, and an excessive love of sweets increase the risk of developing yeast infections.
The fungus is usually contracted in a pool, sauna, or beach.
In a sauna, swimming pool or on the beach, the risk of encountering a fungus is really very high, as in any other place with high temperature and humidity of the air, in which the spores of onychomycosis pathogens remain viable for a long time. But this is far from the only chance of getting onychomycosis. The causative agents of fungal infections can come into contact with the skin of a person visiting a gym, a beauty salon, a shoe store, public transport or simply wearing someone else's shoes. But contact with the fungus or its spores does not always lead to the development of an infection, much depends on the state of the skin and the body in general. And only if the fungus enters the optimal environment for development and finds a weak point in the immune defense of the human body, it can cause damage to the skin and nails. Risk factors for the development of onychomycosis are considered dry calluses and cracks in the skin of the feet, increased sweating of the feet, wearing tight shoes that "do not breathe", as well as synthetic socks.
Fungi spores are everywhere, there is no effective protection against them.
In fact, fungal spores can be found almost everywhere, even in the home, so it is impossible to completely exclude contact with them. And yet, even a person at high risk of developing mycosis has the opportunity to protect themselves from developing this infection. First of all, you need to carefully follow the rules of personal hygiene: use only your own shoes, towels, etc. It is equally important to carefully monitor the condition of the skin of the feet and nails: remove dry calluses in time, treat cracks, abrasions and cut nails correctly. It will not be superfluous to prevent excessive sweating of the feet, including the use of antiperspirant products for the feet. If the risk of onychomycosis is very high, you can cover your nails prophylactically (once a week) with a special antifungal varnish. You can also, after consulting your doctor, start taking drugs that increase immunity: interferon inducers, drugs based on plant adaptogens, multivitamin complexes.
The mushroom is forever. You can't get rid of it completely.
Onychomycosis is a common infectious disease that ends as soon as its pathogen is cleared from the body. This can only be prevented with incorrect treatment or mistakes made by the patient himself. The peculiarity of onychomycosis is that the fungus is located under the nail plate (in the nail bed). Not all LPs can penetrate that deeply. Therefore, today it is recommended to use special forms of external agents or systemic antifungal therapy for the treatment of onychomycosis. Also, the treatment should continue even if all the symptoms of the yeast infection have disappeared. You can stop taking medicine only after 3 repeat examinations (microscopy) show that the fungus is no longer in the tissues. Also, the use of antifungal agents should be combined with proper nail and foot care. This reduces the risk of further relapses.
It is useless to treat the fungus with external agents.
Modern forms of external preparations make it possible to create a high concentration of an antifungal agent in the affected area. At the same time, external agents are not absorbed into the systemic circulation, they have a broader spectrum of action and a low risk of developing resistance. Unfortunately, not all external drugs can penetrate the thickness of the nail, especially the nail bed tissue, where most of the pathogens are found. Therefore, it is recommended to combine local therapy with the removal of the nail plate or the use of keratolytic agents - urea or salicylic acid preparations. This is especially important if the onychomycosis is accompanied by hyperkeratosis of the nail. Generally, monotherapy with external agents is used in cases where the nails of 1-2 fingers or 1/3 of the surface of the nail plates are affected. In other cases, external agents are used in combination with systemic antifungal drugs.
Antifungal pills are very dangerous and toxic.
Due to the long duration of the course of antifungal therapy (in some cases up to 12 months), there really is a risk of side effects and toxic effects on the liver. But today, methods have been developed that allow you to reduce this danger to a minimum. So, for example, some antifungal drugs are used in pulse therapy mode: p. Eg Short courses of 5-7-10 days, with a break of 21 days. There are systemic antifungals that can be taken only 1-2 times a week. There are antifungals with a high safety profile that, when taken in therapeutic doses, do not have a negative effect on liver cells even with prolonged continuous use. Therefore, the most important thing is not to take systemic antifungal agents without the appointment and supervision of a doctor. Only a dermatologist should prescribe such funds.
If you choose the right medicine, the fungus can be cured in a week.
It is possible to stop the development of a fungal infection in a short time only if the infection has occurred recently, and the causative agent of onychomycosis did not have time to penetrate deeply into the tissues surrounding the nail. But unfortunately few of the patients seek medical help at this stage, most of the time the treatment of onychomycosis begins in the later stages, when the nail plate (or even several) is severely affected and the process of dystrophy or hyperkeratosis continues actively. in the surrounding tissues. In such a situation, not a single drug will help to quickly solve the problem of the fungus, even if the treatment is combined with the complete removal of the affected nail plate, because it will take about 3 months to restore the nail. In a relatively short time, around 4-6 weeks, it can only reduce the most noticeable symptoms of onychomycosis. But the causative agent of the infection, especially in the form of spores, still remains in the tissues. And only after completing the course of treatment prescribed by the doctor, you can get rid of this unpleasant disease.