How to accurately recognize toenail fungus and when to start treatment?

Now, not only women, but most men also take care of the beauty of their nails.But only healthy nails can be beautiful, so it will be useful for everyone to know how to recognize toenail fungus.The sooner a person notices the signs of the disease, the easier it is to undergo treatment.But it is difficult to cure the advanced form of onychomycosis.This disease often recurs and is difficult to treat.

Onychomycosis is a common disease.Most often, the fungus affects the toenails, but the disease can also appear on the fingers.Hand onychomycosis is especially common in women.Symptoms of toenails and fingernails are more or less the same.Symptoms depend on the type of pathogen and where the infection was introduced.

Species

How to identify toenail fungus?This disease is quite dangerous, because the symptoms depend on the type of pathogen that causes the disease.There are several dozen types of fungi that can cause onychomycosis.But they can be divided into three groups, depending on the nature of the pathogen.

Yeast

This type of fungus most often affects the fingers, but can appear on the feet.The infected nail plate becomes loose and peels off from the base of the nail.In addition to the nails, the skin is also affected, and the ridge surrounding the plate becomes inflamed.They become red, painful, and in advanced stages, when you press the roller, the white content comes out from under it.

Dermatophytes

This type of filamentous fungus most often affects toenails.The disease manifests itself gradually.In the first stage, spots or stripes appear that have a yellowish color.At first these spots are small, but gradually they grow, occupying the entire surface of the nail.

mould

Mold is very common, but it causes onychomycosis quite rarely.When affected by this type of pathogen, nails change color.The spots have unusual colors - black, green, dirty gray.

Form

This disease can occur in several forms.Symptoms of the disease depend on the form of onychomycosis:

• Lateral-distal.This is the most common case;the first change in the nail can be seen in the part of the nail that grows in one of the corners (sometimes in both corners at once).
• proximal.In this case, the first changes appear on the inner edge of the nail.

• Superficial.Unlike the previous form, with the superficial type of onychomycosis the pathogen does not penetrate deep into the plate.The symptoms are unusual, spots appear in the middle of the plate, the nail itself becomes looser, the entire surface begins to peel off, and scales peel off from it.

Clinical manifestations

Fungal nail disease does not cause discomfort in the first stage.The patient does not feel pain or any unpleasant sensations.However, attentive people may notice that the appearance of the nails has changed.The main symptoms of the disease:

• loss of natural shine, tarnishing;
• the appearance of spots or stripes, the color of which is different from the color of a healthy plate;
• grooves may appear on the surface;
• deformable plates;
• nails may begin to thicken or, conversely, become thin and atrophic;
• the plate delaminates, begins to collapse, and subsequently lags behind the skin;

• in advanced stages, physical discomfort also appears, pain appears when pressure is applied;
• when secondary infection occurs, inflammation and pus may develop.

Advice!Onychomycosis can occur separately, but often this disease is accompanied by foot skin mycosis.Redness, diaper rash, and cracks appear between the fingers.Feet begin to emit an unpleasant odor.

Fungus or not?

Unfortunately, fungal nail disease does not have specific symptoms.A similar clinical picture may occur with other dermatological problems.For example, with psoriasis.To accurately state whether there is a fungal disease on the nails or toenails, it is necessary to perform tests in the laboratory.

For analysis, take a piece of nail (in the distal form) or make a scraping from the surface of the plate.The procedure for collecting material is safe and painless.Next, the biological material is sent to the laboratory.

Microscopic examination reveals the presence of a fungal infection, but does not determine the type of pathogen.To make an accurate diagnosis, it is necessary to place the collected material (nail particles) in a nutrient medium and in favorable conditions.

Advice!The most suitable conditions for the growth of fungi are warmth and humidity.

The results of the analysis will be available only after 5 days.At this time, the fungal colony will grow so large that it is possible to determine the type of pathogen by its appearance.In addition, this study allows us to determine which antimycotic agents are most effective in destroying this fungus.

To do this, the filter paper is moistened with a solution of an antifungal agent, after which it is applied to the fungal colony.After some time, the paper was removed and they saw where the growth of microorganisms would be stopped most effectively.

Home method

It happens that for some reason you cannot get into the laboratory.Is it possible to determine the presence of a fungal infection at home?Of course, home diagnostic methods are far from perfect;they cannot be compared to laboratory research methods.

However, even this simple method, in most cases, can detect the presence of a fungal infection.Many people have a bottle of maroon crystals of potassium permanganate in their home.This product solution has antiseptic properties and is used in medicine and gardening.

This solution will also help in the home diagnosis of onychomycosis.To run diagnostics, you must:

• prepare a strong dark purple solution in a small container;
• pour warm water into a basin or other container in such an amount that you can fully immerse your nails in it;
• add the previously prepared strong solution drop by drop to the water, reaching a soft purple solution;

Advice!Never add dry crystals to your bath water.If the crystals are insoluble, they can cause burns if they come into contact with the skin.

• immerse the limb in the solution so that the nail is completely covered with the solution;

• hold for about ten minutes;
• then remove the limb from the solution and examine the nail, the healthy nail plate will turn brown, the patient will remain unchanged.

Advice!Before diagnosing using potassium permanganate, make sure that the potassium permanganate solution does not cause you to develop allergies.

How to prevent infection?

Everyone is at risk of getting onychomycosis, but some people are at risk.These are:

• parents;
• people who often come into contact with water (dishwashers, clothes washers, etc.);
• patients with diabetes mellitus;
• patients with very weak immunity.

In addition, non-compliance with hygiene rules contributes to infection.In particular, using things together with patients.Therefore, never wear other people's shoes, use your own towel, do not walk barefoot in public baths, wear rubber slippers.

The risk of getting onychomycosis is highest in the following places:

• public places where people take water procedures - showers, baths, water parks, swimming pools;
• shoe store;
• nail service salon.

In addition, you can easily get infected at home if one of your family members has onychomycosis.The use of active preventive and protective measures will help prevent infection and prevent the development of the disease.

Everyone should know the answer to the question of how to identify nail fungus.Knowing what a diseased nail looks like will help you notice negative changes in time.If onychomycosis is detected at an early stage, then curing the disease will be easier.But at an advanced stage, treatment will be difficult and long;the course of treatment may take a year or more.