Onychomycosis is an insidious disease, as many people do not recognize the first symptoms and seek specialists when the disease is actively progressing. At this stage, it is impossible to miss the signs, the nails begin to fall apart, peel off, the inflammation spreads through the skin, the surrounding areas become inflamed. To act in a timely manner, you need to know what nail fungus looks like.
Almost two-thirds of the world's population faces the manifestations of a fungal infection. Onychomycosis or injury to the nails 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 action in the early stages. And for that you need to know how the nails are affected by the fungus.
Description of the disease
A fungal disease that affects the nails is called onychomycosis. The fungus penetrates deep into the plaque and destroys keratin - the base of the nail plate. Fungal spores enter the intercellular space and begin to multiply rapidly.
If the infection is left untreated, the disease affects the nails and, in the absence of proper therapy, spreads to nearby areas of skin.
Infection
Fungal spores are present in the environment. They are very resistant to external influences, spores do not die even in sub-zero temperatures. Even so, the active reproduction of fungi is only possible in hot and humid environments, therefore, people are at greater risk when visiting public baths, swimming pools, gyms.
If among the visitors there is a person infected with onychomycosis, the things with which he has been in contact remain fungus spores, which remain active for a long time. And these spores affect the skin and nails of healthy people. To "catch" an infection, just walk barefoot on the floor where there are mold spores.
Advice! Wooden surfaces are especially dangerous - floors, bathroom railings, benches. The fact is that the tree has a porous structure, and even a thorough disinfection is not able to destroy the spores of pathogenic microorganisms.
But, of course, not every "encounter" with fungi ends with a disease. In most cases, the body's immune system successfully fights the infection. But if the body is weakened or the person does not observe basic hygiene measures, the probability of developing onychomycosis increases.
Factors that contribute to the development of the disease
For the fungus to start its licensing activity, certain conditions must be met. Most of the time, the elderly are susceptible to the disease, they have a weakened immune system, so onychomycosis in older people is seen more often than in younger people. Risk factors:
- failure to observe hygiene standards, use of very tight shoes, clothing and shoes made of synthetic material;
- 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;
- prolonged use of medications, especially hormones, cytostatics and antibiotics.
Advice! You can get onychomycosis at a beauty salon by getting a manicure or pedicure. If the master does not pay proper attention to instrument sterilization, cutter files can become a source of infection.
disease causing agents
To date, about fifty varieties of fungi that can cause onychomycosis have been identified. For this reason, you should not self-medicate. Medicines that are effective for one type of nail fungus may be useless if the disease is triggered by pathogens of another type.
The complexity of the treatment lies in the fact that the infection is not located on the surface of the nail, but under the nail plate. Therefore, the use of external medications does not always give the expected effect. If left untreated, the disease will continue to progress. Furthermore, the more the disease starts, the more difficult it will be to cure it.
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. Hand fungus is much less common, but this disease should not be considered rare.
clinic
Symptoms depend on the shape and stage of the lesion, so it is impossible to unequivocally answer the question of what nail fungus looks like.
the most common case
The initial stage is called normotrophic. At this stage, the manifestations are cloudy, so many patients do not pay attention to them. Most of the time, you can see the following signs:
- loss of transparency;
- the appearance of yellowish spots, most frequently on the outer edge;
- sometimes there is a feeling that a "void" has formed between the nail and the nail bed.
This lesion is called distal-lateral and is the most common. If no treatment has been carried out, the process starts to progress. Subungual keratosis appears. This phenomenon is characterized by increased corneal cell growth, as a result of which the nail thickens.
Advice! Hyperkeratosis is a normal nail reaction to an infection. Also, the deeper the infection penetrates the nail plate, the thicker it becomes.
At a later stage, complete damage to the nail plate is seen, signs of dystrophy appear. Gradually, the matrix is also involved in the process - the place from which the nail grows. At this stage, even the removal of the nail does not work, 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 way. Over time, they grow, capturing the entire surface of the nail. The board becomes loose, rough. If you scratch your nail with a hard object, the scales start to separate.
Advice! This form of fungal disease occurs only in the toes, more often in the big toe and less frequently in the little toe.
Proximal subungual
In this form, the affected nails look like this:
- the tissues around the nail are 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 in the plaque, then fragility appears, and at an advanced stage the plaque disappears.
Varieties of Fungi
Disease manifestations 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 go undiagnosed:
- Dermatophyte. The fungi of the dermatophyte genus feed on keratin, that is, they "attack" the hair, nails and the superior stratum corneum. About 40 varieties of this type of fungus are known, but onychomycosis causes only about a dozen varieties of pathogens. The source of infection is a sick person, you can get infected by direct contact or using common objects. Streaks and blemishes 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 site, the greater the degree of infestation.
- Yeast fungi. They are pathologies caused by fungi of the Candida genus. The causative agent of this type is an opportunist. In other words, a certain amount of fungi are present on the surface of the skin and nails, but with the 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 lies behind the nail bed. With this type of infection, the nail folds are severely affected, turn red, swell and become painful.
Advice! Usually, the fungal infection develops gradually. The disease often lasts for years without entering an advanced stage. But when the nail plate is affected by yeast fungi, the disease progresses very quickly.
- Molds. Fungal infection is located at the top of the plaque, without penetrating deeply 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. In the early stages, dark spots appear on the nails, which gradually turn into blemishes and, over time, the entire plaque changes color.
If onychomycosis is not treated, pathogens transfer to the skin of the feet, causing cutaneous mycosis. In this case, symptoms such as itching and cracking of the skin appear. It is painful for the patient to put on shoes and walk.
What should I do?
What should you do if you notice signs of a fungal 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 need to be especially careful. Of course, in children, nail fungus is not seen very often, but it still occurs at any age.
Remember that the sooner treatment is started, the easier it will be to deal with the disease. If the fungal infection starts to be treated in the early stages, then it will be possible to do it with the use of local remedies - ointments, solutions. But you will have to be treated persistently for several weeks.
In advanced stages, it is necessary to apply not only ointments, but also drugs with systemic action, that is, pills. These drugs are taken orally, in the digestive tract, the active substances are absorbed into the bloodstream and are transported throughout the body in the bloodstream. Thus, the infection will be destroyed from within.
At any stage of the illness, it will be very helpful to work on strengthening the immune system. Immunomodulators, if necessary, will be prescribed by a specialist. And the patient alone will need to establish a regimen of rest, sleep more, and walk daily. You also need to monitor your diet. Fungi's "favorite food" is sugar. Therefore, you need to minimize the amount of sweets in your diet.
Therefore, it will be helpful for all people to know what fingernail and toenail fungus is like. This knowledge will help detect signs of the disease in a timely manner and initiate treatment in the early stages. This will allow you to deal with the disease quickly and go without the use of systemic medications that negatively affect the liver.