Onychomycosis is an insidious disease, because 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, flake off, the inflammation spreads to the skin, nearby areas become inflamed. To take timely action, you need to know what nail fungus looks like.
Almost two-thirds of the world's population have to deal with manifestations of a fungal infection. Onychomycosis or nail damage is not just a cosmetic problem; in the later stages, the disease begins to cause physical discomfort.
Onychomycosis is difficult to treat, this disease responds better to treatment if you start taking measures at an early stage. And for this you need to know what the nails affected by the fungus look like.
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 basis of the nail plate. The fungal spores enter the intercellular space and begin to multiply rapidly.
If the infection is left untreated, the disease affects the nails and, if left untreated, spreads to nearby skin areas.
Infection
Fungal spores are present in the environment. They are very resistant to external influences, the spores do not die even at sub-zero temperatures. But nevertheless, active reproduction of fungi is possible only in a warm and humid environment. Therefore, people are most at risk when visiting public baths, swimming pools, gymnasiums.
If among the visitors there is a person infected with onychomycosis, then on the things with which he was in contact there are fungal spores, which remain active for a long time. And these spores affect the skin and nails of healthy people. To "catch" an infection, it is enough to walk barefoot on the ground, on which there are fungal spores.
Advice! Wooden surfaces are particularly dangerous - floors, racks in shower rooms, benches. The fact is that the tree has a porous structure, and even complete disinfection is not able to destroy the spores of pathogenic microorganisms.
But, of course, not all "encounters" with fungi end in illness. In most cases, the body's immune system successfully fights the infection. But if the body is weakened or the person does not adhere to basic hygiene measures, the likelihood of developing onychomycosis increases.
Factors contributing to the development of the disease
In order for the fungus to start 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 the elderly is observed more often than in young people. Risk factors:
- non-compliance with hygiene rules, wearing shoes that are too tight, clothes and shoes made of synthetic materials;
- the presence of any damage to the skin, even a small scratch, is the "gateway" for infection;
- pathology of the endocrine system;
- chronic diseases that weaken the immune system;
- long-term use of drugs, especially hormones, cytostatics and antibiotics.
Advice! You can get onychomycosis in a beauty salon by doing a manicure or pedicure. If the master does not pay attention to the sterilization of the instruments, the files of a cutter can become a source of infection.
Agents responsible for the disease
To date, around fifty varieties of fungi have been identified which can cause onychomycosis. For this reason, you should not self-medicate. Medicines that are effective against one type of nail fungus may be unnecessary if the disease is triggered by pathogens of another type.
The complexity of the treatment lies in the fact that the infection is localized not on the surface of the nail, but under the nail plate. Therefore, the use of external drugs does not always give the expected effect. If left untreated, the disease will continue to progress. In addition, the more the disease is triggered, the more difficult it will be to cure it.
Onychomycosis often appears on the legs. The infection can affect the nail of the first toe, but over time it can spread to other nails. Fungi on the hands are much less common, but this disease should not be considered rare.
Clinical
Symptoms depend on the form 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 said to be normotrophic. At this stage, the manifestations are weak, so that many patients do not pay attention to them. Most often you can see the following signs:
- loss of transparency;
- the appearance of yellowish spots, most often on the outer edge;
- sometimes it feels like a "void" has formed between the nail and the nail bed.
This lesion is said to be distal-lateral and is the most frequent. If no treatment has been done, 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. In addition, the deeper the infection penetrates into the nail plate, the thicker the nail becomes.
At a later stage, complete damage to the nail plate is noted, signs of dystrophy appear. Gradually, the matrix is also involved in the process - the place from which the nail grows. At this point, even removing the nail does not give any results, as the patient's nail plate is already starting to grow.
Surface shape
At the initial stage, whitish spots appear on the nails in this form. Over time, they grow, capturing the entire surface of the nail. The plaque becomes loose, rough. If you scratch the nail 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 one, less often on the little finger.
Proximal subunge
In this form, the affected nails look like this:
- the tissues surrounding the nail turn red and inflamed;
- the roller swells, becomes painful;
- the cuticle begins to separate from the nail;
- dystrophic changes in the nail appear, first furrows appear on the plaque, then brittleness appears, and at an advanced stage the plaque disappears.
Mushroom varieties
Manifestations of the disease also depend on the type of pathogen. Of course, it is only possible to accurately determine the type of pathogen after testing. The external signs are also different, but the symptoms still go undiagnosed:
- Dermatophyte. Fungi of the genus dermatophytes feed on keratin, that is, they "attack" the hair, nails and the upper stratum corneum. About 40 varieties of fungi of this type are known, but onychomycosis causes only a dozen varieties of pathogens. The source of infection is a sick person, you can get infected through direct contact or when using common objects. Scratches and spots appear on the affected nails first, then the edge of the nail gradually turns yellow and gradually lies behind the nail bed. The larger the area of the stain, the greater the degree of infestation.
- Yeast fungi. 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, the fungi begin to multiply, causing inflammation. When the nails are damaged, the plaque gradually thins, turns yellow, then turns brown and trails behind the nail bed. With this type of infection, the nail folds are severely affected, they turn red, swell and become painful.
Advice! Usually, the fungal infection develops gradually. Often the disease lasts for years without entering an advanced stage. But when the nail plate is affected by yeast fungi, the disease progresses very quickly.
- Mussels. The infection caused by mold is localized on top of the plaque, without penetrating deep into the plaque. 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. At first, dark dots appear on the nails, which gradually turn into spots, and over time the entire plaque changes color.
If onychomycosis is left untreated, the pathogens spread to the skin of the feet, causing skin yeast infection. In this case, symptoms such as itching, cracks in the skin appear. It becomes painful for the patient to put on their shoes and to walk.
What should I do?
What to do if you notice signs of a fungal infectionSelf-medication is not worth it. A dermatologist should be consulted. The specialist will order tests and make an accurate diagnosis. Parents of children should be especially careful. Of course, in children nail fungus is not observed too often, but nevertheless, such a 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 at an early stage, then it will be possible to do this with the use of local remedies - ointments, solutions. But you will need 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. These drugs are taken orally, from the digestive tract, the active substances are absorbed into the bloodstream and are carried throughout the body with the bloodstream. Thus, 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 himself will have to establish a regimen of rest, sleep more and walk daily. You should also watch your diet. The "favorite food" of mushrooms is sugar. Therefore, you should minimize the amount of sweets in your diet as much as possible.
So, it will be useful for each person to know what the nail fungus looks like on the hands and toes. Such knowledge will help to quickly detect 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 negatively affect the liver.