There are a huge number of fungi in the world, but only some of them can infect the human body. Diseases caused by these microorganisms are called mycoses. People call these diseases fungi. The skin of the legs is most often affected. According to medical research, mycosis is the second most common skin disease. You must start the fight against foot fungus as soon as possible. By seeking medical help in time, a person will not only quickly get rid of the problem, but also protect his loved ones from infection.
Signs of foot fungus (symptoms)
In the early stages of the disease, the patient may not be bothered by anything. People attribute mild discomfort on the skin of the legs to many other reasons and do not rush to seek medical help. The first obvious symptoms appear when the fungus has spread significantly. The patient experiences:
- redness of the skin of the feet;
- unpleasant smell from the feet;
- itching and burning;
- peeling skin.
Signs of the disease can vary greatly depending on the form. The most common is the intertriginous type. It causes the following symptoms of athlete's foot:
- burning sensation on the feet;
- the appearance of cracks on the skin;
- peeling of the epidermis.
In place of deep cracks, erosive areas may appear. They bring serious discomfort to the patient, because they cause severe pain while walking. After that, the skin of the legs becomes very loose, which leads to a significant decrease in local immunity. As a result, secondary infections join the fungal infection, which causes:
- extensive inflammation of the skin of the feet;
- fertilization of affected areas;
- swelling and pain in the legs.
Fungi can also affect the nails. This type of disease is called onychomycosis. Its appearance will be indicated by a change in the color of the plate, by its thickening or thinning. If left untreated, the fungus leads to damage to all nails or their complete loss.
Causes of disease
The disease is caused by several types of parasitic fungi. Most often, the disease occurs when it is affected by dermatophytes or red trichophyton. Determining how to treat foot fungus is possible only after identifying the causative agent. All of them develop very well and reproduce quickly in a moist and warm environment. In this regard, you can become infected when visiting the following public places:
- saunas;
- swimming pools;
- soul;
- baths
Infection can also occur through contact with a sick person or their personal belongings. For example, people who use foreigners are at risk of developing foot fungus:
- towels;
- pumice stones;
- wash cloths;
- socks;
- manicure scissors.
Another factor that affects the rapid spread of the disease is the lack of proper foot hygiene. People who wear wet shoes or socks often suffer from fungus. High sensitivity to mycoses is observed in those who suffer from:
- increased sweating of the feet;
- endocrine diseases;
- reduced immunity;
- diabetes mellitus;
- varicose veins.
Which doctor should I contact?
It is very difficult to fight the disease on your own. A patient with such a problem needs the help of a qualified specialist. A dermatologist will tell you how to cure foot fungus.
At the first examination, specialists will carefully examine the affected areas of the foot. An experienced physician will only need a visual assessment of the skin to make a diagnosis. But the doctor also needs to know how the disease appeared. To do this, he will interview the patient. The patient will need to answer the following questions:
- How long ago did the first signs of foot fungus appear?
- Have you had this problem before?
- Are there chronic diseases?
- Has the person had contact with sick people?
- Have you visited saunas, steam baths or swimming pools?
- Do your relatives have fungal infections of the feet?
Based on the information obtained from the patient, the doctor can determine the true causes of the disease. To understand how to deal with the disease, you need to know what exactly causes it. This is where the overview helps. The patient is prescribed scraping of the skin from the affected area of the foot. After laboratory tests, experts accurately determine the cause of the disease.
How to treat the disease?
The sooner a person asks for help, the faster the therapy will be. The doctor determines the method of treating foot fungus after receiving the results of the diagnostic examination. Experts suggest fighting the disease with drugs. The patient is prescribed antifungal drugs that:
- stop the development of pathogens;
- destroy fungi;
- have an anti-inflammatory effect;
- relieve unpleasant symptoms.
Such products are offered in the form of ointments, gels, sprays, tablets or suspensions for oral administration. Special varnishes or patches can be used for toenail fungus, which also have an antifungal effect. The specialist selects medicines for the patient on a strictly individual basis, because many of them have a number of contraindications. It is forbidden to take certain medicines for:
- pregnant women;
- breastfeeding mothers;
- kids.
For a quick recovery, it is very important to strengthen the immune system. For this, patients are prescribed vitamin-mineral complexes and immunostimulants. In advanced cases, when the secondary infection is associated with a fungal infection, patients are prescribed antibiotics.
How to cure foot fungus forever?
Many patients complain that the disease returns after some time after the end of therapy. The reason for this is an incompletely cured primary infection. A common mistake many people make is to stop therapy when improvements occur. It is very important to continue using the medicine during the entire period prescribed by your doctor. Even if the disease does not appear externally, it is not a fact that the entire infection has already been defeated. To prevent re-injury to your legs, you need to:
- Strictly follow the recommendations of experts.
- Do not replace medicines with analogues yourself.
- Apply products regularly, without interruption.
During treatment, the patient must wear closed slippers at home. You should not allow other family members to wear them, as the infection can be transmitted through them. When treating foot fungus, it is also forbidden to walk barefoot on the floor, share washcloths, pumice stones or other baths with other people. It is very important during therapy:
- Wash the patient's clothing separately from other clothing.
- Carry out wet cleaning of the house every day.
- Treat the sick person's shoes with antifungal agents.
You also need to take foot hygiene seriously. They must be washed at least 2 times a day. At the same time, they should be treated with warm water. It is important to change your socks often and wear comfortable shoes that are not tight. After recovery, be sure to throw away the slippers, towels, washcloths and socks that the person used during the illness.
Prevention
By knowing what causes foot fungus, you can easily prevent it. To avoid this disease, you just need to follow the following prevention rules:
- When visiting baths, saunas or swimming pools, use only disposable or personal slippers.
- Do not wear wet or damp shoes.
- If there is a sick person in the house, use only personal toiletries.
Some diseases also increase the risk of fungus. Therefore, by removing them in time, the occurrence of the disease can be avoided. People suffering from:
- flat feet;
- corns;
- hyperhidrosis of the feet.
It is important for people to know that at low temperatures fungi survive for a long time. Therefore, freezing is not terrible for him. However, the pathogen dies when exposed to high temperatures. Therefore, cooking can be used for preventive purposes. If you treat the patient's clothes and shoes like this, the fungus in them will die.