The manifestation of ringworm in the legs is a frequent occurrence. In most cases, mycosis of the toenail or toenail does not have fatal consequences, but it causes many disorders.
Onychomycosis occurs in 25% of the world's inhabitants.
Often, tricofiton colonies cause fungi in the legs; the fungus on the legs may not be visible at first, but soon the symptoms are felt. Often, the foot is affected by several pathogens, including molds and yeasts.
As a result of the activity of fungi in the body, toxins accumulate, impairing metabolism, reducing immunity.
Under favorable conditions, the fungus does not only reach the toenails, the toenails are not enough for it, and spreads to the feet, being able to enter the bloodstream in the presence of wounds and affect various organs.
The fungus can start with an infection in abrasions and cuts, cracks in the skin of the legs. Feet sweating, neglecting hygiene, wearing tight shoes - for example, as nail fungus starts in most cases. However, if you follow preventive measures and treat nail onychomycosis in time, you will not be able to remember the unpleasant disease.
Where can you get the fungus
The appearance of the fungus is not only associated with reduced immunity. Of course, it depends a lot on the body's defenses, but there are other reasons for the appearance of the fungus that must be taken into account.
First, ringworm can get into the nails of a sick person. In about 30% of patients, mycosis of the toenails is caused by infection of a relative. In everyday life, the scales of a sick person's skin fall on rugs, towels, slippers and other household items.
If a person's bare skin comes into contact with surfaces, discomfort, itching and other signs of fungal infection will begin to appear.
Establishing why the toenail fungus occurs, the reasons can be determined in the bath, sauna and pool. High humidity sometimes increases the chance of infection and almost all visitors to the public institutions listed above can find out what nail fungus is.
The fungus spores are resistant to extreme temperatures and remain viable for a long time. For the purpose of prevention, each person must know the origin of the fungus and take measures not to become infected.
Normally, the fungus enters the body through wounds and cracks in the skin. If there are no sores, the fungal infection can manifest as scaling of the feet and itching. If these and the signs listed below start to bother you, you need to see a doctor who will tell you how to beat the fungus quickly and economically.
Fungal symptoms
The first signs of fungus on the toenails are the opaque color of the plaque, perhaps a feeling of dry feet, peeling skin. Later, toenail fungus symptoms will appear, such as thickening of the plaque, its fragility and discoloration.
The attending doctor will prescribe a diagnosis - take a skin and nail scrape, send it to the laboratory. There, experts know how to determine nail fungus and its sensitivity to drugs. Based on the results, the doctor will tell you how to get rid of the discomfort and how to start the treatment of nail onychomycosis.
Anyone who has ever fallen ill already knows more or less how to determine the fungus on the toenails and, in case of relapse, go immediately to the doctor. If you do not start the treatment in time, the toenail mold fungus can go from an acute to a chronic form, disturbing you with relapses in the hot season, with aggravation of chronic diseases, etc.
Often, the fungus of the thumbnail is accompanied by ringworm of the skin, so the appearance of watery ulcers, blisters with pus is likely. If the rapid treatment of the nails does not work, the spores are incorporated more deeply into the nail plate.
It is full of yellow spots, the nail is broken, the affected areas give off an unpleasant odor. It is often necessary to remove the nail to reach the focus of the disease. In this case, the fungus can be removed after removing the plaque (laser, chemical or mechanical). An appropriate treatment regimen for the fungus includes a set of remedies, including hygiene and nutrition procedures.
The specialist will assess the symptoms and prescribe treatment individually, as not all medications are universal, not everything can be taken by everyone. In the early stages, creams are usually prescribed to remove the symptoms and the nail fungus itself.
If multiple nails are affected, the disease has spread to the skin, the doctor will start a serious drug treatment for nail fungus and control all stages. The addition of a bacterial infection can complicate the situation. In that case, it will be necessary to decide not only how to remove the fungus under the nails, but also how to make an effective treatment for eczema, psoriasis, etc.
Types of nail fungus
The vesicular type begins with the plantar part of the foot. With the course of the disease, a swelling appears, a dispersion of bubbles with liquid. Later, a fungus can develop on the toenail of a sore toe, and if the toenail fungus is not recognized in time, the disease will increase, spreading to other parts of the body. The vesicular type is characterized by the addition of a bacterial infection.
The type of membrane starts between the 4th and 5th fingers, in the folds of the skin. Until the nail fungus manifests itself, it strongly affects the skin - scales, cracks and ulcerations appear.
The moccasin type starts on the sole, on the heel. The symptoms of this type of nail fungus start to appear after the disease reaches the skin. Cracks, peeling of the skin, painful sensations appear.
In all three variants of the disease, over time, a fungus can appear under the nail, which causes it to thicken, become fragile and often lose. The doctor knows how to recognize the nail fungus early, so do not self-diagnose. The main thing is to find a good specialist who will teach you how to get rid of nail fungus faster.
How the fungus is treated
To get rid of the fungus on the toenails and not "fly into the pipe", it is necessary to use the drugs prescribed by the doctor in a specific dosage and for the exact time that the doctor prescribes. Otherwise, the newly removed fungus will return again with renewed vigor.
Nowadays, complex treatment is popular, including the pulse therapy method. This implies an active fight against nail fungus with massive doses of antimycotic drugs.
Long breaks are taken between therapy courses. To remove the fungus under the nail, treatment must include the use of varnishes, films, ointments. They are based on fungicidal preparations, which, unfortunately, do not always work.
To successfully treat nail fungus, you need to determine the type of pathogen, the type of skin and the severity of the disease. This is the only way to exterminate the nail fungus, the spores of the nail fungus should not have a single chance.
The doctor will tell you how to treat onychomycosis on dry skin and how to prepare properly for the procedures. For example, an oily cream is perfect for dry skin, ointments are chosen to treat soles, suspensions are applied between the fingers and varnish is applied to the nails. You don't have to think about how to remove the fungus yourself. The doctor will take care of that.
When diagnosed with ringworm of the nails, treatment usually involves removing the nail. This is necessary because the nail prevents the medication from affecting the fungus under it. The doctor at the reception will explain how to properly treat a nail with local medications and pills.
Isolated external drugs can be used only at the beginning of the disease and when the use of systemic drugs is prohibited. How do you know if systemic medications are not adequate? The doctor will talk about it. In particular, the pills are not prescribed for pregnant women, children, people with kidney and liver disease. For them, special instructions are given on how to get rid of nail fungus. Therapy is likely to be long-term.
The external preparations are used twice a day, after 2 weeks the ointment is exchanged for another preparation so that the fungus does not develop resistance. For a new nail to grow in a healthy way, the nail fungus treatment period lasts about a year. If the disease affected only the foot or interdigital spaces, there are enough ointments for one month.
Systemic drugs are prescribed for serious nail injuries. This treatment of ringworm of the toenails will be very effective, but medical supervision is necessary due to the toxicity of the drugs.
Systemic drugs act on the stomach, kidneys and liver. Before starting therapy, the removal of the fungus nail can be prescribed in an appropriate manner. The doctor will tell you how to remove the toenail fungus with minimal injury and get back to work faster.
Get rid of the fungus with folk remedies
Until the moment of how to deal with nail fungus by means of folk remedies, it is necessary to consult your doctor about the safety and suitability of use in a particular case.
The fact is that the recipes describe in general how to get rid of the fungus on the nails, but they do not take into account the individual characteristics of the organism, the age of the patient, concomitant diseases and contraindications.
Only a doctor can tell the patient how to treat nail fungus with pharmacy drugs and improvised means, medicinal herbs. The following are popular guidelines for anyone looking for how to treat nail fungus.
The washing powder, judging by the evaluations, helps by the content of alkalis, which are harmful to fungi. To treat nail fungus in this way, you need to take 100 g of powder, dissolve in a bowl of hot water and steam your nails for 15 minutes. Reviews say it is possible to cure the mild stage of the disease in 10 days.
Another recipe recommends treatment with hydrogen peroxide when diagnosing a toenail fungus. First, you need to vaporize your feet in a soda bath (1 liter of heated water = 1 spoon of baking soda). Once the nails are steamed, you can soak a cotton swab in hydrogen peroxide and apply to the affected areas.
To prevent the peroxide from evaporating, you can wrap the compress with plastic wrap over it. The duration of the procedure is about one hour, it is necessary to repeat it 2 times a day. The course of therapy lasts taking into account the depth of the nail plate injury.
Garlic is a plant rich in phytonides. It can be dipped in salt and rubbed over the affected area. Porridge is also useful, which is applied in the form of a compress. It is important that there are no wounds or cracks in the skin, otherwise the garlic will cause pain and the wound will not heal.
Ammonia is used as compresses, but not pure, but diluted with water. As soon as the fungus symptoms start to appear, 1 tbsp. ammonia is stirred in a glass of water. Then, a clean dressing is dipped in a solution and applied to the affected areas overnight in the form of a compress.
The fungus on the nails is often mentioned in reviews, defeated by the common soda. The soda creates an unfavorable environment for the fungus. The powder is diluted in water to the porridge state, applied to the affected nails for 20 minutes, rinsed and dried. This is not only an effective therapy, but an effective prevention of nail fungus in the case of visits to swimming pools and saunas.
Boric acid is used after the feet have been vaporized in a soda bath. After the procedures with water, it is necessary to dry the feet and nails well, sprinkle with powdered boric acid, put on the socks and go out during the night. The procedure is repeated throughout the week.
Prevention of onychomycosis
The attending physician will explain how to quickly cure nail fungus and what to do to avoid being infected with this unpleasant disease. First of all, care must be taken not to walk barefoot in public places (saunas, exercise room, swimming pool) - rubber slippers must be worn everywhere.
If, however, an incident happened and you do not want to know from personal experience what the danger of nail fungus is, you need to use a prophylactic varnish when you return home or take a bath with an antifungal shampoo.
Second, if the skin is damaged on the legs, the risk of infection increases significantly. Before restoring the skin, it is necessary to cancel the trip to the pool, training sessions, etc. If there is contact with a surface that may be infected and then the skin itches, it is necessary to treat these places immediately with ointment of the fungus.
Third, in order not to worry about whether the nail fungus can be cured, it is important to choose shoes for the season, dry them and keep them clean. Your shoes should not be worn by other people.
You shouldn't take anyone's shoes off, and when trying them on in a store, you should put on your socks or socks so you don't come in contact with bare skin with your shoes. After you buy a shoe, you need to disinfect it - put a cotton swab dipped in tea tree oil and place it in an airtight bag for one day.