The so-called fungus on the nails (onychomycosis) is one of the most common infectious dermatological diseases and at the same time one of the most difficult to treat. The lack of obvious signs of infection in the initial stage of the disease is the reason for late diagnosis of onychomycosis and, as a result, delay in treatment.
Types of mushrooms
Onychomycosis is caused by pathogenic fungi of the genus Trichophyton, which penetrate the tissues of the nail plate and nail bed, gradually destroying them and causing negative changes in local immunity.
Depending on the clinical manifestations of nail fungus, three forms of the disease are distinguished:
- Normotrophic - in this case, the nail plate maintains its normal thickness, but is painted in unusual colors (cloudy white, yellow-gray, gray-brown, etc. ) for a healthy nail.
- The hypertrophic form is characterized by excessive thickening of the nail, it rises above the surface of the nail bed and strongly protrudes beyond its boundaries. Deformation of the plate is often observed with this form - it becomes convex, increases in width and causes pain when walking, as it turns into soft tissues.
- The atrophic form is manifested by the thinning of the nail, which acquires a cloudy color (sometimes with gray-yellow spots, stripes or "air bubbles"). It is important to remember that only a specialist knows how to identify toenail fungus. It will be very difficult to get rid of advanced nail fungus without surgery.
If you find any signs of fungus on the nails, hands or other formations, you should urgently consult a dermatologist.
Symptoms
Manifestations of onychomycosis can be divided into three groups, which differ depending on the severity of damage to the nail plate.
- I stage (preliminary). At this stage of the disease, the nail retains its normal thickness and color, but the surface becomes dull and loses its shine. The skin around the cuticle and nail may appear extremely dry and keratinize quickly. At the same stage, scaly spots and itching of varying severity can be observed in the interdigital spaces - from light and episodic to severe and permanent.
- II stage (advanced). In the second stage, visual signs of infection appear on the nail. The nail plate begins to thicken, but at the same time it becomes fragile - when cutting the nail, it is clear that it "collapses" and uneven edges remain at the cut place. White, yellow, gray or brown spots or stripes appear on the nail, and the surface of the nail acquires an uneven relief. Nail thickening can develop to such an extent that any manipulation with it (manicure, pedicure) causes pain. At this stage, an unpleasant smell appears from the affected nails (especially with onychomycosis on the feet), which cannot be eliminated with the help of hygiene procedures.
- III stage (severe). At this stage of onychomycosis, the nail completely loses its functions and qualities, and the fungal infection spreads to the nail bed and soft tissues under the nail. This stage is most often characterized by the death and loss of the nail.
Causes of fungus
Onychomycosis has only one cause: infection with pathogenic fungi and their growth and reproduction in nail tissues.
But the almost ubiquitous fungus affects only some people. The reason for this is simple: infection requires not only pathogens, but also favorable conditions for infection.
These include:
- Decreased local immunity. Skin and nails have their own resources to prevent infection. However, tight and uncomfortable shoes, frequent or regular skin injuries, excessively thorough and deep pedicure / manicure, contact with aggressive substances weaken the protective functions of the skin and nails, which facilitates the penetration and reproduction of fungi.
- Occupational or daily activities involving prolonged exposure of hands/feet to wet environments. It doesn't have to come in direct contact with water or other liquids - wearing rubber shoes and gloves creates warm and humid conditions that are favorable for pathogenic fungi.
- Failure to follow the rules of personal hygiene causes subungual fungi. Wearing other people's shoes, not having personal shoes when visiting public pools and saunas, not changing socks and stockings on time, etc.
Nail fungus: treatment
The treatment of onychomycosis is complicated by the characteristics of the nails, their density does not allow drugs to penetrate into the deep layers.
Therefore, with fungal infections of the nails, an artificial reduction in nail thickness is often used with the help of special nail files. This frees the surface of the nail plate from the densest outer layer, which increases the deep absorption of the active ingredients of the drugs.
With a deep injury of the nail with the participation of the tissues of the nail bed in the process, it is recommended to surgically remove the nail plate, which is performed under local anesthesia. After that, treatment is prescribed according to the severity of the disease.
To date, the only way to get rid of onychomycosis is the use of drugs from the group of antimycotics. These drugs selectively affect pathogenic fungi, stopping their activity and reproduction and causing the death of pathogens.
Systemic antimycotics for oral administration or agents (ointments, creams, solutions) that are effective when applied locally can be prescribed, depending on the degree of spread of fungi to the tissues surrounding the nail and whether the pathogen has entered the bloodstream.