Onychomycosis is an insidious disease, as many people do not recognize the first symptoms and turn to specialists when the disease is actively progressing. At this stage, it is impossible not to notice the signs, the nails begin to collapse, peel off, the inflammation spreads to the skin, the nearby areas become inflamed. To take timely action, you need to know what toenail fungus looks like.
Almost two thirds of the world's population has to cope with the manifestations of a fungal infection. Onychomycosis or nail damage is not just an aesthetic problem; in the later stages, the disease begins to cause physical discomfort.
It is difficult to treat onychomycosis, this disease responds best to treatment if you start taking measures in the early stages. And for this you need to know how the nails affected by the fungus look.
Description of the disease
A fungal disease that affects the nails is called onychomycosis. The fungus penetrates deep into the plaque and destroys the keratin, the base of the nail plate. The fungal spores enter the intercellular space and begin to multiply rapidly.
If the infection is not treated, the disease affects the nails and, in the absence of proper therapy, spreads to nearby areas of the skin.
Infection
Fungal spores are present in the environment. They are very resistant to external influences, spores do not die even at sub-zero temperatures. However, the active reproduction of fungi is only possible in a warm and humid environment, therefore, people are at a higher risk when visiting public baths, swimming pools and gyms.
If among the visitors there is a person infected with onychomycosis, in the things with which she was in contact, fungal spores remain, which remain active for a long time. And these spores affect the skin and nails of healthy people. To "get" an infection, just walk barefoot on the ground, where there are fungal spores.
Advice! Wooden surfaces are especially dangerous: floors, grates in showers, benches. The fact is that the tree has a porous structure, and even complete disinfection cannot destroy the spores of pathogenic microorganisms.
But, of course, not all fungal "encounters" end with disease. In most cases, the body's immune system successfully fights off the infection. But if the body is weakened or the person does not observe basic hygiene measures, then the probability of developing onychomycosis increases.
Factors that contribute to the development of the disease.
For the fungus to begin its licensing activity, certain conditions must be met. Most often, the elderly are susceptible to the disease, they have a weakened immune system, therefore, onychomycosis in older people is observed more often than in young people. Risk factor's:
- non-compliance with hygiene rules, wearing too tight shoes, clothes and shoes made of synthetic materials;
- the presence of any damage to the skin, even a small scratch, is the "gateway" to infection;
- endocrine system pathology;
- chronic diseases that weaken the immune system;
- Long-term use of medications, especially hormones, cytostatics, and antibiotics.
Advice! You can get onychomycosis at a beauty salon by doing a manicure or pedicure. If the teacher does not pay due attention to the sterilization of the instruments, the files of a cutter can become a source of infection.
Causative agents of the disease.
To date, about fifty varieties of fungi have been identified that can cause onychomycosis. For this reason, you should not self-medicate. Medications that are effective for one type of nail fungus may be useless if the disease is caused by pathogens of another type.
The complexity of the treatment lies in the fact that the infection is not localized on the surface of the nail, but under the nail plate. Therefore, the use of external drugs does not always produce the expected effect. If left untreated, the disease will continue to progress. Also, the more the disease starts, the more difficult it will be to cure.
Onychomycosis usually appears on the legs. The infection can affect the nail of the first toe, but over time it can spread to other nails. The fungus on the hands is much less common, but this disease should not be considered rare.
Clinic
Symptoms depend on the shape and stage of the lesion, therefore, it is impossible to unequivocally answer the question of what the fungus looks like on the nails.
The most common case
The initial stage is called normotrophic. At this stage, the manifestations are faint, so many patients do not pay attention to them. Very often, you can see the following signs:
- loss of transparency;
- the appearance of yellowish spots, most often on the outer edge;
- sometimes there is the feeling that a "gap" has formed between the nail and the nail bed.
This injury is called distal-lateral and is the most common. If no treatment was done, then the process begins to progress. Subungual keratosis appears. This phenomenon is characterized by increased growth of horny cells, as a result of which the nail becomes thicker.
Advice! Hyperkeratosis is a normal reaction of the nail to an infection. Also, the deeper the infection penetrates the nail plate, the thicker the nail becomes.
At a later stage, complete damage to the nail plate is observed, signs of dystrophy appear. Gradually, the matrix also participates in the process: the place from which the nail grows. At this stage, even nail removal is unsuccessful as the patient's nail plate is already beginning to grow.
Surface shape
In the initial stage, whitish spots appear on the nails in this form. Over time, they grow and capture the entire surface of the nail. The plate becomes loose, becomes rough. If the nail is scratched with a hard object, the scales begin to separate.
Advice! This form of fungal disease occurs only on the toes, most often on the big and less often on the little finger.
Proximal subungual
In this way, the affected nails look like this:
- the tissues surrounding the nail become red and inflamed;
- the roller swells, becomes painful;
- the cuticle begins to separate from the nail;
- Dystrophic changes appear in the nail, first grooves appear in the plaque, then brittleness appears, and at an advanced stage, the plaque disappears.
Varieties of mushrooms.
The manifestations of the disease also depend on the type of pathogen. Of course, it is possible to accurately determine the type of pathogen only after testing. The external signs are also different, but still, the symptoms are not diagnosed:
- Dermatophyte. Fungi of the genus dermatophytes feed on keratin, that is, they "attack" hair, nails and the upper stratum corneum. About 40 varieties of fungi of this type are known, but onychomycosis causes only about a dozen varieties of pathogens. The source of infection is a sick person, you can become infected through direct contact or by using common objects. First, streaks and spots appear on the affected nails, then the edge of the nail gradually turns yellow and gradually lags behind the nail bed. The larger the area of the stain, the greater the degree of infestation.
- Yeast mushrooms. These are pathologies caused by fungi of the genus Candida. The causative agent of this type is opportunistic. That is, in a certain amount, fungi are present on the surface of the skin and nails, but with a decrease in immunity, fungi begin to multiply and cause inflammation. When the nails are damaged, the plate gradually becomes thinner, turns yellow, and then turns brown and lags behind the nail bed. With this type of infection, the nail folds are severely affected, they become red, swollen, and painful.
Advice! Usually the yeast infection develops gradually. Often the disease lasts for years without progressing to an advanced stage. But when the nail plate is affected by yeast fungus, the disease progresses very quickly.
- MoldsThe infection caused by molds is localized in the upper part of the plate, without penetrating deeply into the plate. Therefore, this type of onychomycosis is easier to treat than others. The first signs of damage are a change in the color of the nail plate. In addition, the nail acquires an unnatural color, it can turn green or black. In the initial stages, dark spots appear on the nails, which gradually turn into spots, and over time the entire plaque changes color.
If onychomycosis is not treated, pathogens transfer to the skin of the feet and cause cutaneous mycosis. In this case, symptoms such as itching, cracks on the skin appear. It becomes painful for the patient to put on shoes and walk.
That I have to do?
What should you do if you notice signs of a yeast infection? Self-medication is not worth it. A dermatologist should be consulted. The specialist will prescribe tests and make an accurate diagnosis. Parents of children should be especially careful. Of course, in children, nail fungus is not seen too often, but nevertheless this disease occurs at any age.
Remember that the earlier treatment is started, the easier it will be to cope with the disease. If the fungal infection begins to be treated in the early stages, then it will be possible to do it with the use of local remedies - ointments, solutions. But it will have to be treated persistently, for several weeks.
In advanced stages, it is necessary to apply not only ointments, but also drugs of systemic action, that is, tablets. Such drugs are taken orally, from the digestive tract, the active substances are absorbed into the bloodstream and transported throughout the body with the bloodstream. Therefore, the infection will be destroyed from the inside.
At any stage of the disease, it will be very useful to work on strengthening the immune system. Immunomodulators, if necessary, will be prescribed by a specialist. And the patient alone will have to establish a regimen of rest, sleep more, and walk every day. He also needs to control his diet. The "favorite food" of mushrooms is sugar. Therefore, you should minimize the amount of sweets in your diet as much as possible.
Therefore, it will be helpful for all people to know what the nail fungus looks like on the hands and toes. Such knowledge will help to timely detect the signs of the disease and start treatment in the early stages. This will allow you to quickly cope with the disease and do without the use of systemic drugs that adversely affect the liver.