In addition to onychomycosis, there are many other causes and diseases that cause the normal appearance of nails to change.
Thick and cloudy white nails can be the result of psoriasis or unsuccessful use of cosmetics. Detachment and fusion of the nail plate occurs both with injury and with trophic disorders of the lower extremities with varicose veins or endocrine disease. Onychomycosis often begins not with changes in the nail plate itself, but with redness, itching and peeling of the skin around the nail. If a person does not notice these symptoms, the fungus begins to grow, penetrating into deeper tissues, including. under the nail bed. Fungal damage to the nail plate usually starts from its free edge, which thickens, becomes gray-yellow, brittle and crumbles. But even in this case, it is possible to determine the presence of fungi accurately only with the help of laboratory research - microscopy.
The fungus only appears in the elderly and chronic patients.
In patients with chronic diseases (diabetes mellitus, peripheral vascular disease, etc. ), nail fungus is actually more common, but only on the grounds that all these diseases reduce the activity of general and local immunity, negatively affecting the skin's resistance to anyinfection . Old age, by itself, cannot be the cause of fungal diseases, but the older a person gets, the more health problems he or she accumulates, which contribute to the development of fungal infections. At the same time, completely healthy young people are not protected from onychomycosis. Sports fans can suffer from nail fungus. calluses, microtraum on the skin of the feet and sweating create conditions conducive to the development of fungi. Fungus can occur in those who have to spend most of the day on their feet, in closed shoes that do not let excess moisture evaporate. Smoking, frequent stress, and excessive sweetness increase the risk of fungal infections.
The fungus is usually infected in swimming pools, saunas, or beaches.
In saunas, swimming pools or on the beach, the risk of exposure to the fungus is very high, as in other places with high temperatures and humidity, where the spores of the onychomycosis pathogen remain able to survive for a long time. But this is not the only chance of getting onychomycosis. The causative agent of a fungal infection can invade the skin of someone visiting a gym, beauty salon, shoe store, public transportation, or just wearing someone else’s slippers. But contact with fungi or spores does not always lead to the development of infection, much depends on the condition of the skin and the body as a whole. And only if the fungus enters the optimal environment for growing and finds a weak point in the human body’s immune defenses, it can cause damage to the skin and nails. Risk factors for the development of onychomycosis are considered to be dry calluses and cracks on the skin of the feet, increased sweating on the feet, wearing tight shoes and "not breathing", as well as synthetic socks.
Fungal spores are everywhere, there is no effective protection against them.
Fungal spores can indeed be found almost anywhere, even at home, so it is impossible to completely get rid of contact with it. However, even a person at high risk of mycoses has the opportunity to protect themselves from getting this infection. First of all, you must follow the rules of personal hygiene carefully: only use your shoes, towels, etc. It’s just as important to monitor the condition of the skin of the feet and nails carefully - get rid of dry calluses in a timely manner, overcome cracks, abrasions, and cut nails properly. It will not be excessive to avoid excessive foot sweating, including the use of antiperspirant products for the feet. If the risk of onychomycosis is very high, then you can do prophylaxis (once a week) covering the nails with a special antifungal varnish. You can also, after consulting your doctor, start taking drugs that enhance immunity - interferon triggers, drugs based on plant adaptogens, multivitamin complexes.
Fungus forever. You can't get rid of it completely.
Onychomycosis is a common infectious disease that ends as soon as the pathogen is removed from the body. This can only be prevented by the wrong 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 every LP can penetrate that deep. Therefore, today it is recommended to use either a special form of external agent or systemic antifungal therapy for the treatment of onychomycosis. Moreover, treatment must be continued even if all symptoms of the fungal infection have disappeared. You can stop taking the medicine only after 3 repeated examinations (microscopy) show that the fungus is no longer present in the tissue. In addition, the use of antifungal agents must be combined with proper nail and foot care. this reduces the risk of new relapses.
It is not useful to treat the fungus with external agents.
Modern forms of external preparations make it possible to create high concentrations of antifungal agents in the affected area. At the same time, external agents are not absorbed into the systemic circulation, have a broader spectrum of action and are at low risk for developing resistance. Unfortunately, not all external remedies are able to penetrate the thickness of the nail, especially into the tissue of the nail bed, where most of the pathogens are located. Therefore, local therapy is recommended to be combined with the removal of nail plates or the use of keratolytic agents - the preparation of urea or salicylic acid. This is especially important if onychomycosis is accompanied by nail hyperkeratosis. Typically, monotherapy with external agents is used in cases where the nails of 1-2 fingers, or 1/3 of the surface of the nail plate are affected. In other cases, external agents are used in conjunction with systemic antifungal medications.
Antifungal pills are very dangerous and toxic.
Due to the long duration of antifungal therapy (in some cases up to 12 months), there is actually 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 the mode of pulse therapy: that is, a short course, 5-7-10 days, with a break of 21 days. There are systemic antifungals that can only be taken 1-2 times a week. There are antimycotics with a high safety profile, which, 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 within a week.
It is possible to stop the progression of a fungal infection in a short time only if the infection has occurred recently and the causative agent of onychomycosis does not have time to penetrate deep into the tissue around the nail. But, unfortunately, a small number of patients seek medical help at this stage, often treatment of onychomycosis begins at a later stage, when the nail plate (or even some) is severely affected and the process of dystrophy or hyperkeratosis is actively underway in the surrounding tissues. In such a situation, no single medication can help solve the fungal problem quickly, even if the treatment is combined with complete removal of the affected nail plate, as it takes about 3 months to restore the nail. In a relatively short time, around 4-6 weeks, you 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 tissue. And only after completing the treatment prescribed by a doctor, you can get rid of this unpleasant disease.