Onychomycosis is an insidious disease, because many people do not recognize the first symptoms and turn to experts when the disease is actively progressing. At this stage it is impossible not to notice the signs, the nails begin to collapse, peel, the inflammation spreads to the skin, the areas located nearby become inflamed. To take timely action, you need to know what toenail fungus looks like.
Nearly two-thirds of the world’s population has to face the manifestations of a fungal infection. Onychomycosis or nail damage is not just an aesthetic problem; in later stages the disease begins to cause physical discomfort.
It is difficult to treat onychomycosis, this disease responds better to treatment if you start taking measures in the early stages. And for that you need to know what the nails affected by the fungus look like.
Description of the disease
The fungal disease that affects the nails is called onychomycosis. The fungus penetrates deep into the plate and destroys keratin - the basis of the nail plate. Fungal spores enter the intercellular space and begin to multiply rapidly.
If the infection is not treated, the disease affects the nails, and in the absence of proper therapy it spreads to nearby areas of the skin.
Infection
Fungal spores are present in the environment. They are very resistant to external influences, spores do not die even at sub-zero temperatures. But regardless of that, active reproduction of fungi is possible only in a warm and humid environment, so people are at the greatest risk when they visit public baths, swimming pools, gyms.
If there is a person infected with onychomycosis among the visitors, then on the things he was in contact with, fungal spores remain that remain active for a long time. And these spores affect the skin and nails of healthy people. To "catch" the infection, it is enough to walk barefoot on the floor, where there are spores of the fungus.
Tip! Especially dangerous are wooden surfaces - floors, grilles in showers, benches. The fact is that the wood has a porous structure, and even thorough disinfection is not able to destroy the spores of pathogenic microorganisms.
But, of course, not every "encounter" with fungal disease ends. In most cases, the body's immune system successfully fights the infection. But if the body is weakened or the person does not follow basic hygiene measures, then the likelihood of developing onychomycosis increases.
Factors contributing to the development of the disease
In order for a mushroom to start its licensing activity, certain conditions must be met. Older people are most often susceptible to the disease, they have a weakened immune system, so onychomycosis is more often observed in older people than in young people. Risk factors:
- non-compliance with hygiene rules, wearing too tight shoes, clothes and shoes made of synthetic materials;
- the presence of any damage to the skin, even small scratches, are the "door" to infection;
- endocrine system pathology;
- chronic diseases that weaken the immune system;
- long-term use of drugs, especially hormones, cytostatics, and antibiotics.
Tip! You can get onychomycosis in a beauty salon with a manicure or pedicure. If the master does not pay the necessary attention to the sterilization of the instruments, the files from the cutter can become a source of infection.
Pathogens
To date, about fifty species of fungi have been identified that can cause onychomycosis. For this reason, you should not self-medicate. Medications that are effective for one type of nail fungus can be useless if the disease is triggered by pathogens of another type.
The complexity of treatment lies in the fact that the infection is localized not on the surface of the nail, but below the nail plate. Therefore, the use of external drugs does not always give the expected effect. If left untreated, the disease will continue to progress. Moreover, the more the disease is triggered, the harder it will be to cure.
Onychomycosis often occurs on the feet. The infection can affect the nail of the first finger, but over time it can spread to other nails. Fungi on the hands are much rarer, but this disease should not be considered rare.
Clinic
The symptoms depend on the shape and stage of the lesion, so it is impossible to unambiguously answer the question of what a nail fungus looks like.
The most common case
The initial phase is called normotrophic. At this stage, the manifestations are suppressed, so many patients do not pay attention to them. You can usually see the following characters:
- loss of transparency;
- appearance of yellowish spots, most often on the outer edge;
- sometimes there is a feeling that a gap has been created between the nail and the nail bed.
This lesion is called distal-lateral and is the most common. If no treatment is carried out, then the process begins to progress. Subungual keratosis occurs. This phenomenon is characterized by increased growth of horny cells, as a result of which the nail becomes thicker.
Tip! Hyperkeratosis is a normal reaction of the nail to infection. Moreover, the deeper the infection penetrates the nail plate, the thicker the nail becomes.
In the later phase, complete damage to the nail plate is noticed, and signs of dystrophy appear. Gradually, the matrix is included in the process - the place where the nail grows. At this stage, even the removal of the nail does not give results, because the patient's nail plate is already starting to grow.
Surface shape
In the initial stage, whitish spots appear on the nails in this form. Over time, they grow, covering the entire surface of the nail. The plate becomes loose, rough. If you scratch the nail with a hard object, the scales begin to separate.
Tip! This form of fungal disease occurs only on the fingers, most often on the big toe, less often on the little finger.
Proximal subungual
In this form, the affected nails look like this:
- the tissues surrounding the nail become red and inflamed;
- the roller swells, becomes painful;
- the cuticle begins to separate from the nail;
- dystrophic changes appear on the nail, first grooves appear on the plate, then fragility, and in the advanced stage the plate disappears.
Varieties of mushrooms
Manifestations of the disease also depend on the type of pathogen. Of course, it is possible to accurately determine the type of pathogen only after testing. External signs are also different, but still, the symptoms are not diagnosed:
- Dermatophyte. Fungi from the genus Dermatophytes feed on keratin, ie they "attack" the hair, nails and the upper stratum corneum. About 40 species of fungi of this species are known, but onychomycosis is caused by only a dozen species of pathogens. The source of infection is a sick person, and you can become infected through direct contact or the use of common objects. Stripes and spots first appear on the affected nails, and then the edge of the nail gradually turns yellow and gradually lags behind the nail bed. The larger the area of the site, the higher the degree of infection.
- Yeast fungi. These are pathologies caused by fungi of the genus Candida. The cause of this species is opportunistic. That is, in a certain amount, fungi are present on the surface of the skin and nails, but with a decrease in immunity, the fungi begin to multiply, causing inflammation. When the nails are damaged, the plaque gradually becomes thinner, turns yellow, then turns brown and lags behind the nail bed. With this type of infection the nail folds are severely affected, become red, swell and become painful.
Tip! Usually the fungal infection develops gradually. The disease often lasts for years without entering an advanced stage. But when the nail plate is affected by yeast fungi, the disease progresses very quickly.
- Molds. The infection caused by the mold is localized at the top of the plate, without penetrating deep into the plate. Therefore, this type of onychomycosis is easier to treat than others. The first signs of damage are a change in the color of the nail plate. Moreover, the nail takes on an unnatural color, it can become green or black. In the initial stages, dark spots appear on the nails, which gradually develop into spots, and over time, the entire tile changes color.
If onychomycosis is not treated, the pathogens are transmitted to the skin of the feet, causing mycosis of the skin. In this case, symptoms such as itching, cracks on the skin appear. It becomes painful for the patient to put on shoes and walk.
What to do?
What to do if you notice signs of a fungal infection? Self-medication is not worth it. You should visit a dermatologist. The specialist will prescribe tests and make an accurate diagnosis. Parents of children should be especially careful. Of course, in children, nail fungus is not noticed too often, but, despite this, such a disease occurs at any age.
Remember that the earlier you start treatment, the easier it will be to deal with the disease. If the fungal infection begins to heal in the early stages, it will be possible to do so with the use of local remedies - ointments, solutions. But you will need persistently, a few weeks.
In the advanced stages, it is necessary to apply not only ointments, but also systemic drugs, ie tablets. Such drugs are taken orally, from the digestive tract, the active substances are absorbed into the bloodstream and transmitted through the body through the bloodstream. Thus the infection will be destroyed from within.
At any stage of the disease, it will be very useful to work on strengthening the immune system. If necessary, immunomodulators will be prescribed by a specialist. And the patient will have to establish a rest regime on his own, sleep more and walk every day. You also need to monitor your diet. The "favorite food" of the fungus is sugar. Therefore, you need to reduce the amount of sweets in your diet as much as possible.
So, it would be useful for each person to know what nail fungus on the hands and feet looks like. Such knowledge will help to detect the signs of the disease in time and start treatment at the earliest stages. This will allow you to deal with the disease quickly and without the use of systemic drugs that adversely affect the liver.