Onychomycosis is an infectious nail disease caused by pathogenic fungi. According to statistics, it occurs in every tenth person on Earth. About a third of all nail pathologies are fungal infections. More than 30% of cases occur in patients over 65 years of age. Toenail fungus is 3-5 times more common than on the hands.
Causes of nail onychomycosis
The disease begins with the infection of the nail plates, which often occurs in public places - swimming pools, saunas and baths. Ladders with spores of the pathogen fall on floors, benches, paths and carpets. Damp and warm environments allow fungi to survive and multiply, especially in unpainted wooden objects. Wearing tight shoes increases the chance of infection.
If one of the family members is sick, then there is a high risk of transmission of the disease through a towel, carpet or shutters in the bathroom. Fingernails are mostly infected when you brush the affected areas of the skin. The risk of the disease increases with repeated injuries to the nails, decreased blood circulation in the extremities and with serious concomitant diseases (diabetes, AIDS, systemic blood diseases).
Symptoms and types of onychomycosis
There are three forms of the disease - atrophic (onycholytic), normotrophic and hypertrophic onychomycosis. The characteristic symptoms are:
- the appearance of white or yellow spots in the thickness of the nail plate;
- inflammatory process in the periungual roller;
- atrophy of the nail with separation from the bed;
- dystrophic processes in the nail plate.
With atrophic onychomycosis, the nail plate becomes gray-brown, atrophies and separates from the bed. Loose layers form in the exposed area. The hypertrophic form is characterized by subcutaneous hyperkeratosis, which causes pain when walking, changes in shape and destruction of the nails. The nail plates become dull and thickened. With normotrophic onychomycosis, the nail does not thicken and retains its shine. Lines and spots appear on the nail plate, changing its color.
Treatment of nail fungus
Onychomycosis begins to be treated immediately after diagnosis, as the infection develops rapidly. Therapy with local antifungal drugs is effective only in the initial stages. With the development of the disease, the use of systemic agents is necessary.
In order for the systemic treatment of toenail fungus to be safe and effective, several rules must be followed:
- Therapy can be started only after confirming the diagnosis and consulting a doctor, as antifungal agents have a number of serious side effects. Self-selection of the dose is unacceptable.
- During treatment with systemic antimycotics, the use of other drugs, except vital ones, should be limited.
- Affected areas of the nail should be removed after softening with keratolytic patches.
- To prevent digestive disorders during the treatment period, foods that can cause bloating are excluded from the diet - black bread, dairy products, cabbage, legumes.
- You should choose comfortable shoes that will not squeeze your foot.
Treatment of nail onychomycosis at home
Traditional medicine offers several prescriptions for drugs that will help speed up healing, but they should only be used in combination with the main treatment.
- Treat affected nails 2 times a day with 5% iodine solution. During application, a slight burning sensation should be observed. With severe pain, the treatment should be stopped.
- To facilitate the separation of infected nails and improve regeneration, a 20% propolis tincture is used, which is applied to the lesions 2-3 times a day.
- Take a small piece of kombucha and stick it to the nail of a washed and steamed toe. Leave on overnight, remove in the morning, rinse with water and remove the softened areas of the nail. Treat the affected areas with an antiseptic. The course of treatment is 2-3 weeks.
- Grind the head of garlic and make compresses, applying the mortar to the infected nails for 10-15 minutes.
Prevention and prognosis of nail onychomycosis
To prevent the disease, you must observe personal hygiene, do not use someone else's clothes, shoes and towels. In baths, swimming pools and saunas, walk only in slippers, avoiding contact with places of possible accumulation of the pathogen (wooden pallets and carpets). You should wear comfortable shoes, avoid damaging your nails and fight excessive sweating of your feet.
The prognosis is favorable, depending on the severity of the disease, complete recovery takes from a few weeks to a year. The effect of the therapy increases when the damaged nails are removed. Re-infection is possible if the rules of personal hygiene are not respected.
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