This article will focus on such an unpleasant but unfortunately quite common phenomenon, such as toenail fungus. The symptoms and causes of this disease are known to medical science and can be easily diagnosed at all stages. However, it can only be detected with a careful attitude towards one's own health. How to identify toenail fungus? How to treat it? Are the advertised ointments effective?
What Causes Nail Fungus?
Nail fungus is a fairly common disease. The disease spreads especially successfully in places with a temperate and tropical climate, that is, where it is humid and warm. However, paradoxically, residents of cold countries get sick more often from nail fungus. This is due to the fact that in harsh weather, you constantly have to wear warm shoes with socks. The foot sweats, the sock gets wet, and the person is forced to remain in this state for a long time without the opportunity to change shoes. This is the best way to promote the formation of nail fungus. Before we talk about how to identify toenail fungus, let's find out who is most susceptible to this disease.
Nail fungus as an occupational disease
People whose feet cannot breathe during the day due to tight shoes are at risk. These are miners, power plant workers, gardeners and representatives of other occupational specialties. The fungus can be "collected" by working in the laundry, in the pool, in the hotel, in the restaurant.
What diseases can serve as a prerequisite?
Often, not only representatives of the above professions suffer from this ailment, but also people who have type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus. Also, deformity of the feet and varicose veins can be a prerequisite for the formation of fungus inthe ones. Among the causes of this infection is insufficient nutrition of the nails due to blockage or obstruction of the blood vessels. That is why the creams that are advertised today, as well as the nail polishes supposedly designed to protect against fungus, will be completely useless in the fight against diseases. After all, it is often caused by internal ailments and external influences will not eradicate the problems.
Who is at risk?
Several decades ago, nail fungus was diagnosed in most cases in older people. However, every year the number of patients suffering from nail fungus increases and the disease itself is getting younger and younger.
Official data shows that nail fungus develops two to three times more often in men. At the same time, it is women who go to a dermatologist much more often with this problem. The fairer sex cares more about their health and finds nothing shameful in consulting a doctor.
Next, we will consider why it is so important to get recommendations on treating fungus from a dermatologist, and we will also talk about how you can determine nail fungus and what symptoms it has at each stage of its development.
What does nail fungus look like?
This disease is not fatal, but, of course, it is necessary to get rid of it. Fortunately, recognizing the onset of a disease is easy for anyone. How to identify foot fungus? Check out the suggestions below. First, take a closer look at your nails.
The first thing to consider is this nail color. The nail affected by the fungus turns a dull and dull yellow color. Depending on the stage of the disease, the affected can be the edge of the nail plate, the base or the entire nail.
Pay attention to the thickness of the nail.
Answering the question of how to determine nail fungus, changes in the nail plate should also be mentioned. Despite the fact that due to the disease, the nail becomes thinner, visually and by sensations it seems to become thicker and swollen.
How to identify nail fungus? To detect the presence of an infection, a visual examination of the nail plate is not sufficient. Mix potassium permanganate and water in a ratio of 1 to 5, soak the nails in the resulting solution for half a minute. The healthy nail will be colored and brown. Part of the affected plaque will remain white.
Stages of the disease
The disease progresses in four stages. The earlier treatment begins, the more likely you are to get rid of nail fungus permanently.
The first stage is characterized by damage to the edge of the nail. As mentioned above, the color of the plate changes, bumps appear. The nail grows of poor quality, hollow, and therefore breaks and crumbles.
An increase in the area of injury will become a sign of the second stage. In addition, it should be noted that sometimes the second stage can start as if the first was overlooked. The defeat of the nail plate will start not from the edge, but at the base of the nail. It will be more troublesome to recover from nail fungus in the second stage than in the first.
How to identify stage 3 toenail fungus? In medicine, it is called a white surface fungus and it appears that the entire plaque is affected. It has a dense white color, strongly crumbles at the edges.
The fourth stage is called total dystrophic fungus. The nail has a yellowish-gray color, exudes a peculiar unpleasant odor and crumbles strongly. In the fourth stage, you can often see the exposed part of the skin under the broken nail, as it has grown due to the fungus, in most cases it comes off.
The reason for contacting a dermatologist is often independent identification of the fourth stage of the nail fungus. Don't look in forums or the Internet for advice on how to effectively treat nail fungus. It is better to consult a specialist at the first symptoms of the disease.
What to expect from a visit to the doctor?
Probably, in each of us there is a fear of doctors. However, don't be afraid to contact a dermatologist if he suspects that he has nail fungus. The specialist will perform an external examination, and will also take a scraping of the upper stratum corneum of the nail to send it to the laboratory for diagnosis. A detailed analysis will reveal what became the causative agent of the disease, determine the type of fungus, and also tell the doctor what kind of treatment should be prescribed.
Treating a nail fungus takes a long time. It can last from one month to three. After the course of treatment, you will need to retest, even if the above symptoms are not observed.
A few words about effective treatment.
So now we know how to identify toenail fungus. The methods are given above. Now it is worth saying a few words about the treatment that you can do yourself. The Naftifine drug has proven itself quite well. However, you do not need to use an ointment, but a solution. This medicine can also be used in case of fungal foot infection.
How to use Naftifin? If you have a fungus in the first stage of the disease, lubricate the affected surface of the nail twice a day. Keep your nails dry and well washed. In the next stages of the disease, you can not do without taking pills. However, in this case, the use of Naftifin should not be discontinued: this will enhance the effect of the effects of the drugs.
Before applying the product, thoroughly clean the affected nail surface with a manicure device. However, you must be very careful when doing this. After perfect manipulations, it is necessary to apply the Naftifin solution on the clean area. Repeat 2 times a day.
summarizing
The article provides an answer to the question of how to identify toenail fungus. However, it is worth remembering that self-medication does not always lead to a full recovery. If the thickness or color of your nails changes, you should see a doctor.
Depending on the degree of damage to the nail plate, the fungus can be divided into four stages. If in the first stage the disease does not cause alarm, since it does not deform the nail plate much, in the fourth stage you can easily lose the nails. Don't hesitate to contact a dermatologist.
Self-medicating is strongly discouraged, succumbing to advertising exhortations about the efficacy of a particular drug. Cream or any other agent applied to the nail plate from the outside will not remove the disease-causing agent and therefore will be ineffective. As a result, it will only delay the treatment process, masking the manifestation of the disease. It is also worth not forgetting that the nail fungus not only looks unsightly, but is also a kind of beacon that indicates the presence of disorders in the body.