The prevalence of mycoid diseases has made them recognizable and easily treatable diseases in their early stages. But the signs of foot fungus itself, which indicate the beginning of an infection, are not familiar to everyone. After all, there are only about fifty types of fungi. But there is also a broad category of skin diseases - epidermicosis. Therefore, to prevent the disease from developing into a condition dangerous to the body's health, it is necessary to study its characteristics.
General signs
Fungal skin infections rank first among diseases that affect the epidermis. The signs are quite recognizable. The main difficulty in the diagnostic process is determining the exact type of fungal infection. This is necessary because each of them is resistant to a certain group of antifungal drugs. Therefore, to carry out treatment, a mandatory visit to the doctor is necessary. Accurate identification of the mycoid group is impossible without special biological research.
The following signs may be a reason to contact a specialist:
- Cracks in the epidermis between the toes. This area is considered the most at risk of fungal infection. Additional evidence of infection may include excessively dry skin, flaky feet and pain.
- Significant thickening and roughness of the skin layer. The same symptoms are observed when a dry corn or callus forms. But in some cases, the cause of these changes is fungus.
- Destruction of the skin, blisters. Such injuries are often first diagnosed on one leg and then appear on the other.
- Epidermal redness, itching or burning sensation. This set of symptoms is considered one of the main signals that confirm a fungal infection. The difficulty of diagnosis in this case lies in the fact that each type of mycoid causes a set of symptoms.
- Change in the color of the nail plate.
- The appearance of an unpleasant odor in the infected area.
It is important to detect the first signs of fungus in time, because this disease is very difficult to treat, and it is easily infected.
Mycoid infections are relatively easy to penetrate the body, infecting internal organs and systems. This explains the frequent recurrence of the disease in the complete absence of external provoking factors.
Medical classification
Mycosis fungoides is classified according to its characteristics into four main forms.
For each form of toenail fungus, the symptoms vary depending on the type of fungus:
- Squamous.
- Dyshidrotic.
- Intertriginous.
- "Classic" onychomycosis.
The squamous or scaly form of fungal infection is considered one of the early stages of infection. Skin lesions in this case were first observed on one leg. Over time, a second infection occurs. The main symptom of the scaly form is redness of the skin, which then develops into keratinization of the inflamed tissue area. Without treatment, the squamous form develops into a dyshidrotic form.
The dyshidrotic form of mycoid infection has a clear characteristic feature - the appearance of small bubbles in the affected area. After opening, the blister becomes inflamed, forming a stable focus of erosion on the upper layer of the skin. Patients usually experience severe itching; in fairly advanced cases, it gives way to pain. The skin begins to peel and erosion forms frequently. This form of the disease can develop into the first squamous form without any system. Because of this, some experts believe that the mentioned forms of mycosis fungoides are two forms of the same type of infection.
The intertriginous form of infectious fungal infection is the most common. Manifestations of this disease include the appearance of cracks in the skin of the feet, visible to the naked eye, and the formation of white skin areas that peel off at the edges. For the interdigital area, the characteristic sign of the intertriginous form is the formation of weeping spots and erosion of the epidermis. Patients always experience itching in the infected area. The treatment of this form of infection is complex and long, because the disease most often takes a chronic form.
Onychomycosis is an infectious infection, the symptoms of which are given special attention. Depending on the pathological features, the type of damage to the nail plate and the type of disease changes. There are three main types of onychomycosis:
- Hypertrophic - the nail plate gradually collapses, its color changes to yellowish, and characteristic spots appear. Pain in the affected area appears after nail deformation.
- Normotrophic - the destruction or change in the shape of the nail plate does not occur, spots or lines of yellowish and white color appear on it.
- Atrophic is the most dangerous form for the nail plate, where it is badly damaged, deformed and often peels off from the nail bed.
Each form of onychomycosis has its own general treatment regimen. But to completely get rid of the infection without consequences for the body and to exclude relapses, it is recommended to carry out treatment on the recommendation and under the supervision of a doctor.
Treatment methods
In most cases, it is possible to completely get rid of the detected disease within a maximum of a month. This is a very important point in treatment, because itching, tissue damage and other manifestations disappear, patients sometimes stop treatment, believing that the disease has been defeated. But residual infection can easily trigger a relapse.
The treatment procedure should be stopped only after the doctor's permission and after passing the necessary tests. This is especially true for advanced forms of the disease. The fungus is "set" firmly in the body and sometimes it can take at least six months to get rid of it. But the external manifestations of foot fungus in the form of various damage to the skin or nails disappear earlier, creating the illusion of health. By stopping therapy in this case, the patient is almost guaranteed to trigger a relapse.
Foot treatment for mycoid infection is carried out comprehensively. To get rid of this disease, local antifungal drugs and tablets are used to eliminate infectious agents that have penetrated into the body. To eliminate itching, pain, brittle nails and accelerate tissue regeneration, certain drugs may be prescribed. It is not recommended to combine them independently with the main therapeutic group, so as not to provoke an allergic reaction or body poisoning due to the simultaneous use of incompatible drugs.
Treating toenail fungus in the early stages is quite easy. Usually, two weeks of therapy is sufficient to eliminate the symptoms of mycoid infection.
Duration of treatment
Combined infection of the skin and nail plate requires recovery therapy for one to three months. This term is considered the standard for pharmaceutical products that are most effective from a medical point of view.
Pregnancy requires a mandatory visit to the doctor to choose a method of eliminating mycoid infection. Potent drugs and therapies that require the use of similar drugs are prescribed only under the supervision of a doctor with strict adherence to dosage. Many antibacterial tablets that effectively destroy fungi can cause significant harm to the fetus. Therefore, if possible, during pregnancy, patients are recommended to be treated using traditional medicine recipes. Many of them allow you to overcome the disease, but on the condition that the disease has not reached a complex level. Only classical medicine can help to cope with the advanced form.
Modern medicines allow you to fully restore your feet to health within two weeks, provided that signs of infection are detected in time.
Preventive measures
Preventing disease is always easier and safer for health than treating it, even using the most gentle methods. In the case of fungal infections, prevention is one of the mandatory norms of life, because it is very easy to get infected. Therefore, to reduce the risk of contracting this disease, it is recommended to follow some simple rules:
- try to eat right, eat healthy food whenever possible;
- do not use other people's goods and personal hygiene products;
- use basic protective equipment in public places, such as clean replacement shoes and antibacterial agents;
- wash your feet and change your socks regularly;
- lead a healthy lifestyle;
- Bathe regularly to improve foot health;
- Disinfect shoes regularly.
Prevention of fungal infections is important not only to prevent them, but also if the disease occurs. In this situation, compliance with hygiene and sanitation standards helps to speed up healing and prevent other people's fungal infections.