Treatment of fungal diseases

Dermatologists and mycologists try not to use formal approaches to the treatment of fungus, which consist in the standard prescription of ointments and tablets and lead to the chronic course of fungal infections and the development of serious complications that reduce thequality of life :

1. Fungal eczema.
2. Persistent hair loss.
3. Destruction of the nail plates and scarring of the nail bed.
4. Chronic inflammation of the glans penis and vagina, which constantly bothers men and women and makes sex life impossible.

A method of completely getting rid of a fungal disease, which helps to achieve the following goals:

1. Destruction of the pathogenic fungus at the focus of skin lesions.
2. Protection of healthy skin (nails, mucous membranes) against the spread of fungal infections.
3. Relapse prevention.
4. Restoration of the normal structure of the skin, hair and mucous membranes while maintaining their elasticity and beauty.
5. Removal from the body of waste products of the fungus, which cause chronic intoxication and allergization.
6. Restore the sensitivity of the skin and mucous membranes of the genital organs to normalize sexual life.

It would seem that this is all logical and as it should be. But in practice, very rarely, dermatologists adhere to all the rules for the treatment of fungal diseases, often limiting themselves to external therapy. Yes, and many patients just want to "anoint something" instead of undergoing a full treatment.

What diseases are treated at the clinic:

• Onychomycosis is a fungal infection of the fingernails and toenails.
• Fungal lesions of the skin of the foot, hand.
• Smooth skin fungus.
• Fungal diseases of the inguinal, axillary folds, under the mammary glands, intergluteal folds.
• Pityriasis versicolor.
• Scalp fungus, dandruff.
• The fungus that causes seborrheic dermatitis.
• Candidiasis, thrush of the penis and vagina.
• Fungal prostatitis.
• Candidiasis of the oral mucosa and tongue.
• Fungal diseases of the outer ear.

The treatment of the fungus, of course, depends on its type and the localization of the process. Let's distinguish the general stages of therapy:

• Compulsory analysis of scrapings for a fungus with the determination, if possible, of its type, sensitivity to drugs, quantity.
• Blood, biochemical and immune system status tests.
• Removal of the affected area of the nail plate, hair with a laser, hardware or surgically.
• Drug treatment: Antifungal medication intravenously or in the form of tablets. Lasts from 10 days to 4 months (with onychomycosis). Injection of antifungals has been shown to be the best and can reduce the duration of treatment for a fungal disease and reduce the impact on the liver. External treatment with ointments, creams and antifungal solutions in a certain order. Preparations that improve the growth of nail plates, hair, restoring the integumentary epithelium of the skin and mucous membranes. Local treatment in the form of baths on the penis and in the vagina, restoration of normal microflora of the genitals with fungal disease of the genitals. Immunotherapy and elimination of fungal toxins and allergens.
• Physiotherapy: ultraviolet irradiation with medical quartz, treatment of the affected areas with an infrared or ultrasonic laser.
• And in the end - control tests for fungi.

The treatment of fungal diseases may seem too long and complicated. True, but only for a doctor! The treatment regimens are designed in such a way that the patient does not feel much discomfort during the treatment and everything goes quite smoothly for him.

The treatment of skin fungus usually does not take time and lasts about 10-20 days. The treatment of hair and nails is longer and reaches several months.

But it's not even about the duration of the therapy. Treatment of fungal diseases should be carried out by a professional, dermatovenereologist, mycologist who knows all the methods listed above and actively applies them in practice. Specialists in this field receive daily in clinics.

Foot mycosis treatment

The treatment of mycosis of the feet has been carried out simultaneously with the therapy of other fungal diseases for more than 13 years.

The method of treating fungus of the skin of the foot, developed and used in the clinic, has long proven its effectiveness, despite the well-known difficulties in the treatment of fungal diseases.

What do patients who have completed a full course with a diagnosis of mycosis of the foot receive accordingly:

• Complete destruction of the pathogenic fungus on the soles of the feet, in the interdigital spaces, on the back of the foot, in the thickness of the nail plates.
• Elimination of itching and unpleasant odor of the feet.
• Healing of cracks and inflammatory changes in the skin of the foot.
• Restoration of skin elasticity, elimination of hyperkeratosis - thickening of the skin on the sole of the foot, especially in the heel area.
• Elimination of excessive sweating - hyperhidrosis of the feet.
• Growth of healthy nails.

That is, if during the initial appointment, the dermatovenereologist, mycologist and the patient himself see a picture of thickened soles, with cracks, exfoliated epithelium between the fingers, congestive redness of the skin of the foot, constantly wet and twisted shoes and socks , darkened nails, then after a full course of fungal therapy on the feet there is a pleasant feeling of comfort in this part of the body, the skin becomes smooth, the smell disappears, the nailsare gradually restored.

Treatment steps for foot fungus

1. The diagnostic stage includes the study of scrapings from the skin and nail plates for a pathogenic fungus with the determination of the group of pathogens, which is important for choosing an antifungal drug. To complete the picture, information is needed about changes in the patient's metabolism, which may cause excessive sweating of the skin of the feet and a decrease in local resistance to fungal infections. This is where blood tests help us.
2. The treatment of mycosis of the feet itself takes place in several stages, which depend on the initial clinical picture and the type of fungus. Removal of thick keratinized layers of the skin and affected areas of the nail plates. This is achieved with the help of special ointments, procedures or equipment and laser removal of pathological areas. The duration of the stage is from 1 to 7 days. When the skin has cleared up, it becomes possible to use an external antifungal treatment that delivers the medicine directly to the skin of the foot.
3. Antimycotics of systemic action, that is, antifungal drugs administered by injection or in tablets. Of course, the intravenous drip of these drugs has proven to be more effective. In addition, it was found to be safer for the liver and reduced the duration of treatment, which is 7-14 days for skin lesions and up to 4 months in association with nail lesions.
4. Physiotherapy treatment of foot fungus includes exposure to medical ultraviolet rays, which have a detrimental effect on foot fungus, and infrared laser therapy, which further improves blood supply to affected areas, speeds up recovery fromskin and nail growth. The duration of the procedure is 3-10 minutes.
5. If, as a result of the diagnosis, problems with internal organs, a lack of microelements and other substances necessary for the administration of antifungal drugs to the skin, regeneration of the skin, activation ofthe fight against the pathogenic fungus, are identified , then additional auxiliary drugs are prescribed to correct these changes: immunomodulators, ozone therapy, vitamins, hepatoprotectors, iron, calcium and vitamin complexes with microelements.
6. Excessive sweating and odor often disappear with this foot fungus treatment. But sometimes it is necessary to prescribe drugs that block the sweat glands in the skin of the foot, to carry out sessions of laser therapy and cryomassage with liquid nitrogen.
7. After treatment, it is necessary to check whether the fungus on the feet has been destroyed. Repeat analyzes of scrapings for fungi are performed. But generally, the result is close to 100%.

A very important step in the treatment of foot fungus is the appointment of further prevention of relapses, which includes skin care products and the treatment of shoes on which spores of the fungus may remain.

The treatment of foot fungus is very diverse. It is impossible to describe all treatment options in a single article. The doctors of the clinic's dermatovenereologists, after examination and based on the results of laboratory diagnostics, will be able to determine the most suitable technique for your particular case of skin mycosis of the foot and carry out full-fledged treatment.

Treatment of nail fungus

Treatment of nail fungus is one of the main areas of clinical work in specialized centers, for the development of which specialists deal in detail with each stage of the treatment of onychomycosis.

It has long been known that the treatment of fungal diseases is a serious problem, even more serious than the treatment of bacterial infections. The uncontrolled use of various antifungal ointments, tablets, solutions and varnishes has led to the growth of a large number of drug-resistant fungi. And the number of such drugs is very limited, unlike antibiotics. Therefore, in order to achieve the maximum effect of treatment for patients, we had to use a scientific and practical approach in the treatment of nail and hand fungus, and not limit ourselves to the formal prescription of external treatment. for onychomycosis.

What results will you see after a full course:

• Restoration of the color and structure of the nail plate.
• Normalization of nail growth and shape.
• The disappearance of nail fungus, confirmed by the laboratory.
• Unpleasant odors and excessive sweating of the feet will disappear.
• The inflammatory process in the skin of the periungual ridges, the interdigital spaces and the soles of the feet or the palms of the hands will disappear. That is, the redness, itching, peeling and weeping caused by a fungal disease will disappear.

Treatment of nail fungus on the hands lasts 2-3 months, on the legs up to 3-4 months. But everything, of course, is individual and depends on the type of pathogenic fungus, the rate of nail growth in a given person, the presence of concomitant pathology of internal organs and blood vessels. For example, in diseases of the veins or arteries of the lower limbs, when the supply of drugs and nutrients to the nail is disturbed, the duration of treatment is much longer, and the result is very difficult to achieve.

Cure control is carried out with fingernail fungus after 6 months, with toenail fungus after 1 year.

The clinic employs dermatovenerologists who are trained in all methods of nail removal and professionally select the optimal treatment for each patient diagnosed with fingernail and foot nail fungus.

How is nail fungus treated in clinic

Nail fungus is a chronic disease, therefore the treatment involves several stages, and it is always preceded by a detailed diagnosis that reveals the type of fungus and the possibility of complex treatment, which, unfortunately, cannot be prescribed at allthe world.

Treatment steps for nail fungus:

1. Appointment mycologist.
2. Diagnostic.
3. Direct processing.

During the first appointment, the doctor will assess the damage to the nail plates and surrounding skin, whether he is also involved in the pathological process, which is often the case. He will examine other areas of the skin, mucous membranes, hair, because there are cases where a patient is referred for a suspected fungus, and finally the diagnosis looks like onychodystrophy, that is, thesymptoms are similar to the disease, but without an infectious agent. It is associated with metabolic disorders, hormonal levels, chronic skin diseases, and damage to the nail matrix and bed.

Then a plan of diagnostic measures is drawn up, particles from the nail plates and blood are taken for examination.

Diagnosis of onychomycosis of fingers and toes

No.	Analysis	Target	Execution period
a.	Scraping nail plates and nail bed for fungus	Determine the type of fungus to select the most effective drug	1 to 3 days
2.	Mushroom seedlings	Determination of the type of fungus and its sensitivity to antifungal drugs	7 to 10 days
3.	PCR diagnosis for Candida	Identification of yeast infections caused by yeast-like fungi	1 to 2 days
4.	blood chemistry	Determination of the state of liver and kidney function when planning systemic antimycotic treatment. It is also possible to detect metabolic disorders that have led to a change in the nails.	One day
5.	Hospital complex (syphilis, HIV, hepatitis, coagulogram)	If you plan to remove the nail plates or the affected part of the nails	One day

Here is a complete list of the main diagnostic measures, but not everyone is assigned all of these studies by a mycologist. In superficial forms, for example, when it is not necessary to remove plaques and prescribe antifungal drugs orally or drip, it is not necessary to carry out blood tests.

Cultures are also performed quite rarely due to their low sensitivity.

Therefore, those who treat toenail or hand nail fungus should always first consult a dermatologist or mycologist, and then start taking tests, applying ointments and drinking pills, and not vice versa.

Correct sampling of material from affected areas is also of great importance in identifying the fungus. Its detection in a particular patient is 90% dependent on this. Not only the hard parts of the nail plate are taken for research, but also the loose mass of the nail bed, which contains the maximum amount of the pathogen.

But even with this approach, the laboratory does not always immediately determine the presence of a mycosis.

With obvious signs of onychomycosis, the analysis is repeated three times with negative results.

Thus, the diagnosis was made, the fungus was detected, its type was identified, the condition of the internal organs was examined, and therapy began.

Treatment of nail fungus by a mycologist

Everything here depends on the clinical situation. Superficial forms of mycosis can be cured using external agents such as varnishes, solutions containing drugs harmful to fungi, and laser treatment of plaques. Total nail damage requires the removal of the affected areas and the administration of oral or intravenous medication.

We will look at the stages of treating an advanced form of nail fungus, as this is the most difficult stage of onychomycosis to treat with medication.

Removal of the nail or part of the nail plate affected by the fungus.

As a result, we will immediately rid the body of a huge accumulation of fungi and make the nail bed accessible to the penetration of medicinal substances in order to destroy the microbe that remains there. It also reduces the absorption of fungal waste products into the blood, thereby reducing allergic and toxic effects on humans.

There are several methods for removing fungal plaques. The choice depends on the clinical situation and the doctor who treats nail fungus in this patient, which technique he is most professionally skilled in:

No.	Methodology	How is it done	Advantages	Price
a.	Hardware nail removal	Used most often. The affected part of the nail plate is sawn off with a special cutter at the nail bed and the posterior periungual ridge	Security Minimum discomfort The patient does not lose his ability to work	1000–1500 rubles
2.	Surgical removal	After conduction anesthesia of the finger, the nail plate is completely or partially removed, if necessary. An antibacterial dressing is applied.	The "cleanest" removal of the affected nail, when the fungus is removed, including under the nail ridges, the nail bed is cleared of mycotic layers. It is possible to perform plastic surgery of a curved nail bed.	From 2500 rubles.
3.	Laser nail removal	Anesthesia of the treated finger is also performed. The laser beam burns the area of the nail affected by the fungus with the capture of the nail bed	Maximum removal of fungal masses, but without penetration under the rear roller	From 3000 rubles.

The hardware technique is used more often, as it gives a minimum number of complications, does not damage the growth zone and the nail bed, is affordable, but requires more frequent cleaning of the nail beds, because it does not allow a complete hygiene of the finger of the fungus.

After surgical or laser removal, of course, the amount of remaining fungus is minimal, but the length of the recovery period, possible disability, dressings limit the use of these methods in some patients.

Destruction of the fungus by external means.

On the cleaned nail bed following the removal of the nail plate, antifungal solutions are applied daily for several months until the growth of a normal nail and a negative fungal analysis. It is also possible to add antifungal varnishes to the growth edge of the nail plate.

The use of systemic oral and intravenous antifungal drugs. This is the main stage of treatment after nail removal.

It is necessary to ensure the delivery of drugs to the nail matrix, from which a new nail grows, and to the nail bed with blood flow.

Based on the tests, the doctor will select a suitable drug for this patient, as well as the method of administration.

The type of fungus, the condition of the liver and kidneys and the convenience for the patient are taken into account.

For the liver, intravenous administration of drugs that enter the blood and nails, bypassing the intestines and liver, respectively, is the safest.

Treatment is carried out up to 3-4 months with lesions on the feet, and 2-3 months if the fungus is on the hands.

There are several treatment regimens for nail fungus, which include both daily medication and intermittent courses.

At least once a month, a blood test is performed for liver and kidney indicators. If it deviates from the norm, the treatment is stopped.

1. Physiotherapy in the treatment of nail fungus - helps both to destroy the infection and to improve the delivery of drugs, to accelerate the growth of the nail plate. UV radiation from the nail bed has a detrimental effect on the fungus. 10 to 15 sessions of 3 to 5 minutes. Infrared laser - improvement of blood flow in the area of the growth zone and the nail bed, which ensures better delivery of drugs to the affected area and acceleration of the growth of a new plaque impregnated with aantimycotic. Electrophoresis of antifungal drugs is the creation of the maximum possible concentration of drugs directly at the center of the pathological process.
2. Regular cleaning of the nail bed material from layers of hyperkeratosis and fungal residues. For patients with nail fungus, it is important to imagine the whole treatment process and understand that this is a rather long-term event, the success of which largely depends not only on thedoctor who treats nail fungus, but also of themselves. It is important to regularly take medications and apply antifungal solutions, regularly treat shoes, adhere to the schedule of physiotherapy procedures and clean the nail bed.

Which doctor treats nail fungus?

Nail fungus is a serious problem. Everyone who has encountered the defeat of the nail plates with mycosis knows this. It is treated for a long time, far from always with a good effect, and the use of various ointments, creams, solutions in almost 95% of cases does not bring any results.

But, in fact, everything is not so sad if you know which specialist to contact for nail fungus. And then success is guaranteed even when it comes to onychomycosis.

A doctor who treats nail fungus is a mycologist or dermatologist who is experienced in caring for these patients.

Why experience matters, not just theoretical knowledge. The fact is that the treatment of a fungal infection that affects the nail plates lasts more than a month. The result is not immediately visible, it can be very difficult to assess the effectiveness. It is also not easy to choose the whole range of procedures and drugs for a particular patient, which differ in each clinical situation.

There is a lot of information on the Internet about antifungal drugs, various lasers, physiotherapy methods and nail removal. Patients, self-medicating, begin to buy one drug after another and, not having received a result, despair and stop all attempts to get rid of the fungus. The same applies when the treatment is prescribed by a doctor who has no experience in monitoring such patients.

The clinic sees a doctor who daily treats fungus on the legs and arms, there is also a fully equipped mycological room, in which all stages of diagnosis and treatment of onychomycosis are carried out.

Which doctor effectively treats nail fungus

1. This must be a dermatologist or a mycologist.
2. He has experience in the examination and treatment of nail fungus.
3. Knows how to remove affected nail plates, clean the nail bed.
4. Knows the stages of systemic therapy of onychomycosis, introduction to the course of physiotherapy methods.
5. Can change the tactics of treatment over time or add a procedure, drug, with a weak effect of previously prescribed treatment.
6. He has the ability to use all modern methods and equipment necessary in the clinic for the treatment of nail fungus.

The treatment of these mycoses is a planned procedure and not an emergency one. Therefore, after the examination, the doctor who treats nail fungus tells the patient about all possible treatment options, but the choice is always up to the person himself.

The journey, whatever the technique chosen, is very long, and each patient must understand from the beginning the effectiveness of each method:

Treatment of nail fungus with external methods (solutions, varnishes, ointments) - the effectiveness is less than 10%, that is, it helps only with superficial initial forms.

Using an integrated approach, but without removing the affected areas of the nails, is effective up to 60%.

Complex treatment with removal of the affected part of the nail plate and physiotherapy - efficiency up to 90-95%.

Usually, at the first appointment, the doctor who treats nail fungus tells the patient: If patients are willing to undergo a 3-4 month complex treatment for onychomycosis, success can be achieved. Otherwise, it is better not to even start. Money, time will be spent and the result will be doubtful. This is a disease that requires a long and pedantic approach to treatment from both doctor and patient, where even the small details are important.