Fungus on the feet is a very unpleasant and very common infectious disease.According to statistics, every fifth person in the world experiences the symptoms of a fungal infection at least once in their life.The widespread spread of the fungus is prevented only by the body's defenses, as well as the achievements of modern medicine.Mycosis can be cured;It is only important to detect the disease in time and start the correct therapy.
Fungal cause
Fungal skin diseases (mycoses) most often occur against the background of reduced immunity.The human body, unable to protect itself from dangerous infectious agents, is susceptible to various types of diseases.In this case, not only internal organs suffer.
Changes in local immunity lead to increased skin permeability.The skin can no longer perform its protective function, and pathogenic agents get inside, causing the development of inflammation.Fungus growing on the feet is an unpleasant phenomenon that can ruin the life of any person.
They trigger fungal diseases and any damage to the skin.Tenderness, scratches and wounds, not to mention open wounds - all these are entry points for any infection.
And if a healthy person can still cope with the fungus, then with reduced immunity, any wound can cause illness.The fungus penetrates the skin, multiplies and causes significant discomfort by its existence.
In advanced cases, the toe fungus can spread to the skin of the feet and legs, causing serious illness.
Factors that provoke the development of mycosis:
- leg vascular disease;
- metabolic disease (diabetes mellitus);
- excess weight;
- wear tight shoes;
- leg injury;
- Damage to the skin around the nail during a pedicure.
Athlete's foot is a common problem for people who visit public baths and saunas.Hot and humid rooms are ideal environments for fungi to multiply and spread to human skin.
You can pick up the infection in the swimming pool, as well as on the beach.In any place where you have to walk barefoot or use other people's (public) shoes, the risk of infection with fungi increases several times.
It has been observed that fungal diseases of the skin of the feet and nails are more common in people who are overweight.Mycoses also occur against the background of diabetes mellitus and other metabolic diseases.
The thing is that with such a pathology, the blood circulation of the lower legs suffers.Any small scratch in diabetes takes a long time to heal and is an ideal entry point for a fungal infection.
Fungus between the toes is also a common companion of older people due to age-related decline in immunity.
Symptoms of fungal infection
What does interdigital fungus look like?The signs of this disease are difficult to confuse with something else, and an experienced doctor only needs someone to see the patient to make a diagnosis.Common symptoms allow you to recognize the fungus at the earliest stage of its appearance:
- cracks or sores between the toes;
- excessive peeling (yellow or white scale);
- areas of peeling skin between the fingers;
- itching;
- wet
Symptoms of the disease can be very different.In some people, the fungus between the toes appears as a weeping sore.
In some cases, ulcers and cracks may be covered with the usual white or yellowish scale.Peeling can be quite severe or slightly noticeable.
Often, areas of loose, dead skin appear between the toes.A typical sign of a yeast infection is itching, but the severity can vary.
For some people, itching becomes a very painful companion to this disease, while for others, the fungus only causes mild discomfort.The skin with mycosis is usually red, there may be traces of scratching.
All these signs make it possible to accurately recognize athlete's foot and distinguish it from other skin diseases.
Fungal infections between the toes are quite often combined with nail infections.Common nail fungus looks like this:
- nail thickening;
- nail color change (from pale pink to yellow, gray or brown);
- peeling nails;
- fragility of the nail plate;
- Itching and pain around the nail.
A special form of fungus
In some cases, foot fungus leads to the appearance of not only cracks and weeping ulcers.As the fungal infection progresses, small blisters filled with clear or cloudy fluid may appear.
The skin swells and becomes red.Over time, the bubbles burst, and in their place shallow depressions appear.Ulcers hurt a lot and heal quite slowly.Atypical scar formation.
This form of fungal infection is usually called vesicular-erosive.With the form of the disease eliminated, the skin does not change much.In the chronic course of this disease, the skin peels only in certain areas.
Peeling and rough skin come first.Gradually, the skin becomes rougher and acquires a characteristic yellowish color.Over time, the process can spread to the lower, thigh and gluteal areas.
Diagnostics
To recognize the fungus on the feet, it is enough to carefully examine the skin of the feet, the space between the toes and nails.The typical signs of this disease leave no doubt about the diagnosis.
To find out the type of fungus that lives on the skin, you need to take a scraping from the affected area and send the material to the laboratory.Bacterial seeding of the material makes it possible to accurately determine the causative agent of the disease.
The results of the examination will be ready in a few days, after which the doctor can treat the fungal infection.
Local therapy
The treatment of fungus between the toes begins with the selection of antifungal drugs.All the means that can be used to treat the infection are divided into general and local drugs.
Local therapy is used in the early stages of the disease, when the fungal infection only involves the skin between the toes.Also, topical preparations are widely used for combined nail lesions.
A wide selection of drugs allows you to choose the right drug for almost any condition.Dermatologists should prescribe antimycotic drugs.
Changing oneself in this situation can cause the situation to worsen, because the wrong medicine can accelerate the development of the disease.In addition, many antifungal drugs have a large number of contraindications and can cause serious harm to health.
What medicines help against athlete's foot?When the interdigital folds are affected, it is better to use creams and ointments.It should be remembered that the skin in this area is quite thin.Careless actions can injure the space between the fingers and lead to the spread of infection.
Ointment or cream should be used carefully, in a thin layer over cracks and ulcers.When processing, you should cover not only the area affected by the fungus, but also the skin 2-3 cm around the spot.
This is necessary to destroy the elements of the fungus in areas of the skin that are still healthy.What is better to use for foot fungus: ointment or cream?The choice depends only on the form of the disease.Ointment recommended for application to dry and wrinkled skin.
It penetrates deeply into the affected area and is effective against fungus that has become chronic.Ointment can also be used under a bandage so that the medicine penetrates into the deeper layers of the skin.
Fungal infections should be treated with creams in severe disease severity.Itching, weeping, ulcers and erosion are direct indications to apply the cream.The cream is quickly absorbed into the skin, leaving almost no traces of clothing.
Preparations in the form of creams do not penetrate the inner layer of the skin and are not used for severe roughness and peeling of the skin.Many medications that eliminate toenail fungus are available in two forms at once.
Dermatologists advise the use of ointment at night to increase the effect of the product on dry areas and thicken the skin.This cream can be used during the day to get rid of ulcers and tears, as well as under clothes.
Unlike creams, ointments are absorbed much more easily and often leave difficult to wash marks on laundry.What medicines can be used to treat fungus between the fingers?
The choice of drug will depend on the pathogen identified.
Many drugs can treat not only fungal, but also bacterial infections, so they can be used for mixed wounds on the skin of the feet.
Systemic therapy
Treatment of foot fungus may not only be with local medicines.In some cases, doctors prescribe drugs that affect the entire body as a whole.
Systemic therapy may be necessary if several interdigital spaces are affected at once, as well as if the process spreads to the nails and feet.
In their practice, dermatologists most often use antifungal drugs that effectively relieve itching and inflammation and help eliminate the main symptoms of fungal infections.
- Dysbacteriosis;
- dyspeptic disorders (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea);
- headache;
- heart rhythm disorders;
- liver and kidney damage;
- Allergic reaction.
Long-term treatment of athlete's foot with systemic drugs can cause serious damage to the functioning of the whole body.
That is why it is very important that such drugs are only prescribed by a doctor after a full examination.The duration of therapy and the dosage of the drug are selected taking into account the course of the infection and the presence of various concomitant pathologies in the patient.
One important thing: the course of treatment with systemic antifungal drugs must be completed!Do not interrupt the medication unless necessary.
Incomplete therapy can lead to the development of drug resistance.In the future, it will be difficult to get rid of the mutated fungus and achieve recovery.
People's recovery
Is it possible to treat foot fungus with folk remedies?It is believed that alternative therapy methods can really relieve itching and eliminate other symptoms of fungal infections of the skin and nails.
Kombucha is considered a good remedy for mycosis.This plant was brought from Japan in the last century, and has been very popular for many years.
A small piece of kombucha is rubbed into the space between the fingers twice a day for a month.If necessary, treatment can be repeated after a two-week break.
Propolis and tea tree oil are also used to get rid of fungus.Treatment of foot fungus is also possible with the help of ordinary soda diluted in hot water (at the rate of 1 tablespoon of soda per 3 liters of water).
The cooled solution is used to treat the affected areas of the skin and nails twice a day.It should be remembered that treating fungus with folk remedies is only possible in the early stages of the disease.In advanced cases, when the fungus affects the entire skin of the feet and nails, you should definitely consult a doctor.
How to treat fungus with homemade products
- Garlic.
You need to cut half a clove of garlic, roll it in salt and rub it on the skin problem area.Another option for using garlic is to grind the cloves into a pulp and make a compress from it on the affected area or simply rub it with the mixture.
- Onions.
Roll the onion into a paste, then spread it on the sore spots on the surface of the skin.If there are cuts or blisters on the skin, you can add vaseline to the onion mixture (one to one ratio).Squeezed onion juice is also used to treat infections.You need to wipe the infected skin area with this liquid.
- Chicken eggs.
To prepare the medicine, you need to pour vinegar over raw eggs and leave them in a dark place to incubate until the shell dissolves.Next, you need to get rid of the film, and add butter (1 teaspoon) to the resulting mixture of yellow, white and vinegar.
The resulting mass must be mixed with an ointment consistency.Apply ointment to clean, steam feet, wrap with film and gauze.Ointment must be stored in the refrigerator.
- Natural ground coffee.
This is another effective remedy in the fight against foot fungus.Before going to bed, it is recommended to take a strong coffee bath.Such a procedure will help get rid of unpleasant or painful sensations and heal irritation.
- Wine vinegar.
Apply wine vinegar to the affected area and let it sit until the vinegar dries on its own;No need to rinse with water.
- Apple cider vinegar.
In combination with sea salt, apple cider vinegar will help get rid of annoying ailments.To do this, you need to prepare a bath, including: 100 grams of sea salt, 4 tablespoons of vinegar and 5 liters of water.By repeating such a bath every day, you can overcome this disease.
- Baking soda.
You need to wet the soda with water until it becomes a thin paste, which should be applied to the area affected by the fungus for 20 minutes, then rinse your feet with warm water, wipe and apply baby powder.
In addition, soda can be used in the form of cold baths.To do this, you need to mix a tablespoon of soda and table salt and dissolve everything in water.It is recommended to take such a bath before going to bed, and then rinse the solution with clean water.
Treatment of toe fungus with herbs
- Calendula flowers.
To prepare the infusion, pour 250 g of dried flowers into a glass of boiling water and leave for half an hour.
- Celandine.
A decoction for foot baths is prepared from Celandine;For this, you need to make 4 tablespoons of the plant in 1 liter of water, boil for 5 minutes.Such a bath should be done for three weeks.
- Burdock leaves.
Fresh burdock leaves need to be pounded so that the juice appears on the surface.Wrap a crumpled sheet around your foot and place it over a sock overnight.The course of treatment is 3 weeks.
When the disease has been defeated, you should take care of personal hygiene items and shoes so that the infection does not spread again.You can treat the inside of shoes with vinegar (30% solution) or antiseptic.
So, despite the persistence and vitality of the fungus, there are many ways that will help get rid of it forever, you just need to show a little patience and not be lazy to repeat the daily procedure.
Prevention of fungal infections
Treating the fungus between the toes with traditional or folk remedies is a long and complex process.Is it possible to prevent the development of fungi?
The following recommendations will help prevent foot skin infections.Do not forget about the rules of personal hygiene.Always wear flip-flops in the pool, sauna or beach.Monitor the condition of the skin on your feet.
Moisturize your skin with a special cream to prevent dryness and cracking.Strengthen your immune system and take care of your health.When the first signs of fungus appear between your fingers, consult a doctor.