How to accurately recognize toenail fungus and when to start treatment?

Nowadays not only women, but also most men take care of the beauty of their nails.But only healthy nails can be beautiful, so it will be useful for everyone to know how to recognize toenail fungus.The earlier a person notices the signs of the disease, the easier it will be to undergo treatment.But it will be difficult to cure an advanced form of onychomycosis.The disease often recurs and is difficult to treat.

Onychomycosis is a common disease.Most often the fungus affects the toenails, but this disease can also appear on the fingers.Onychomycosis of the hands is especially common in women.The signs of the disease on the toenails and fingernails are more or less the same.Symptoms depend on the type of pathogen and where the infection was introduced.

Species

How to identify fungus on toenails?This disease is quite insidious, since the symptoms depend on the type of pathogen that caused the disease.There are several dozen varieties of fungi that can cause onychomycosis.But they can be divided into three groups, depending on the nature of the pathogen.

Yeast

This type of fungus most often affects the fingers, but can also appear on the feet.The infected nail plate becomes loose and detaches from the nail bed.In addition to the nail, the skin is also affected and the ridges surrounding the plaque become inflamed.They become red, painful and in advanced stages, when you press the roller, white contents come out from underneath.

Dermatophytes

This type of filamentous fungus most often affects toenails.The disease manifests itself gradually.In the first stage, spots or stripes with a yellowish tint appear.At first these spots are small, but gradually they grow, occupying the entire surface of the nail.

Mold

Molds are extremely common, but cause onychomycosis relatively rarely.When affected by this type of pathogen, the nails change color.The spots have an unusual color: black, green, dirty gray.

Shapes

The disease can manifest itself in different forms.Symptoms of the disease depend on the form of onychomycosis:

• Lateral-distal.This is the most common case;the first changes in the nail can be noticed in the growing part of the nail in one of the corners (sometimes in both corners at once).
• Proximal.In this case, the first changes appear on the inner edge of the nail.

• Superficial.Unlike previous forms, with the superficial type of onychomycosis the pathogen does not penetrate deep into the plaque.The symptoms are unusual, spots appear in the center of the plaque, the nail itself becomes loose, the entire surface begins to peel off, and scales come off from it.

Clinical manifestations

Fungal nail diseases do not cause discomfort in the first stage.The patient does not feel pain or other unpleasant sensations.However, an observant person may notice that the appearance of the nails has changed.Main signs of the disease:

• loss of natural shine, dulling;
• the appearance of spots or stripes, their color differs from the color of a healthy plate;
• grooves may appear on the surface;
• the plate can change shape;
• the nail may begin to thicken or, conversely, become thin and atrophic;
• the plaque delaminates, begins to crumble and subsequently lags behind the skin;

• in advanced stages physical discomfort also appears, pain appears when pressure is applied;
• when a secondary infection occurs, inflammation and suppuration may develop.

Advise!Onychomycosis can occur in isolation, but often this disease is accompanied by mycosis of the skin of the feet.Redness, diaper rash and cracking appear between the toes.Your feet begin to emit an unpleasant odor.

Mushroom or not?

Unfortunately, fungal nail diseases do not have specific symptoms.A similar clinical picture can occur with other dermatological problems.For example, with psoriasis.To accurately determine whether a fungal disease of the fingernails or toenails exists, laboratory tests must be performed.

For analysis, take a piece of nail (in the distal form) or scrape the surface of the plaque.The material collection procedure is safe and painless.Subsequently, the biological material is delivered to the laboratory.

Microscopic examination reveals the presence of a fungal infection, but does not determine the type of pathogen.To make an accurate diagnosis, it is necessary to place the collected material (nail particles) in a nutrient medium and in favorable conditions.

Advise!The most favorable conditions for mushroom growth are heat and humidity.

The results of the analyzes will be available only after 5 days.During this period, the colony of fungi will become so large that it will be possible to determine the type of pathogen by their appearance.Furthermore, the study allows us to determine which antifungal agents most effectively destroy this fungus.

To do this, the filter paper is moistened with solutions of antifungal agents, after which they are applied to the fungal colonies.After some time, the paper is removed and the places where it will be most effective to stop the growth of microorganisms are examined.

Home methods

It happens that for some reason you cannot enter the laboratory.Is it possible to determine the presence of a fungal infection in the house?Of course, home diagnostic methods are far from perfect;they cannot be compared to laboratory research methods.

However, even these simple methods, in most cases, can detect the presence of a fungal infection.Many people have a bottle of brown potassium permanganate crystals at home.A solution of this product has antiseptic properties and is used in medicine and gardening.

This solution will also help in home diagnosis of onychomycosis.To perform diagnostics you need:

• prepare a strong, dark purple solution in a small container;
• pour hot water into a basin or other container in such a quantity that you can completely immerse your nails in it;
• add the previously prepared strong solution drop by drop into the water, obtaining a pale lilac colored solution;

Advise!Never add dried crystals to bath water.If the crystals do not dissolve, they can cause burns if they come into contact with the skin.

• immerse the limbs in the solution so that the nails are completely covered in the solution;

• hold for about ten minutes;
• then remove the limb from the solution and examine the nails, healthy nails will turn brown, patient nails will remain unchanged.

Advise!Before diagnosing the use of potassium permanganate, make sure that the potassium permanganate solution does not cause the development of allergies.

How to avoid infection?

Every person is at risk of contracting onychomycosis, but there are people at risk.These are:

• elderly people;
• people who often come into contact with water (dishwashers, washerwomen, etc.);
• patients with diabetes mellitus;
• patients who have severely weakened immunity.

Furthermore, failure to comply with hygiene rules contributes to infection.In particular, use things together with the patient.Therefore, never wear someone else's shoes, use your own towel, never walk barefoot in public toilets, wear rubber flip-flops.

The risk of contracting onychomycosis is greatest in the following places:

• public places where people carry out water procedures: showers, bathrooms, water parks, swimming pools;
• shoe stores;
• nail salons.

Also, you can easily get the infection at home if one of your family members suffers from onychomycosis.The use of active preventive and protective measures will help avoid infection and prevent the development of the disease.

Every person should know the answer to the question of how to identify nail fungus.Knowing what a diseased nail looks like will help you notice negative changes in a timely manner.If onychomycosis is detected in the early stages, treating the disease will be much easier.But in the advanced stage the treatment will be difficult and long;the course of treatment may take a year or more.