There are many reasons why toenail fungus develops. In most cases, the infection is transmitted by household contact. Especially often the disease strikes in the summer, when everyone mainly wears open shoes. In addition, in a warm and humid environment, bacteria multiply much faster and become more active.
Most often, the pathology develops in people who like to walk barefoot in public places, such as swimming pools, baths and saunas, changing rooms on beaches and sports clubs. Also, nail fungus often affects children who enjoy trying on someone else's shoes. As a rule, this happens in schools or kindergartens.
Nail fungus can be the result of a weakened immune system. And even if a person follows all the rules of safe behavior in public places, the infection can easily penetrate the skin with excessive sweating of the feet or insufficient personal hygiene of the feet.
It is recommended that you wash your feet as often as possible with warm water and soap and dry them well. In the summer, use powders so that the skin does not sweat so much. This is especially true for people prone to colds and infectious diseases.
In some cases, poor quality shoes become the cause of the fungus. This often happens when a person wears closed shoes for a long time, which does not allow air to pass through. This creates a favorable environment for bacteria to grow.
It is recommended, if possible, to buy shoes made of natural materials, to wash and air them constantly.
Symptoms of a fungus on the nail
Symptoms of toenail fungus are fairly easy to spot. After all, they appear almost immediately, when the infection enters the body. But the problem is that people do not always attach importance to the first changes, which delays the treatment of the disease. Let's look at these symptoms in more detail.
- At the very beginning of the development of the disease, sweating between the toes may increase. In this case, an unpleasant odor will be observed, which is almost impossible to eliminate. As the disease progresses, it will intensify even more, causing great discomfort.
- Nails change color and structure. Most often they acquire a yellow, gray and even green tint. The nail plate can be painted gradually. In addition, the thumbnail begins to exfoliate. Sometimes it even crumbles. At the same time, nail files and nail scissors do not help with this problem.
- As the disease progresses, the skin around the nail plate begins to inflame. A characteristic feature of the fungus is severe itching and burning. This is especially improved if the foot is constantly in the shoe. In summer, the itching is not so strong.
- Often, against the background of a nail fungus, diseases begin to progress, which until then were only stimulating factors for the reproduction of bacteria. The course of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys and thyroid gland is complicated.
- If the nail begins to thicken, this indicates that the disease is progressing. Usually, when large growths appear on the nail plate, the treatment of the fungus takes a long time. And only an integrated approach can guarantee a good result.
Specificity of treatment
When nail fungus appears on the big toe or if the foot is affected, treatment should be prompt and thorough.
Thumb fungus in a child is best treated with safe folk remedies at the very beginning of the development of the disease. Or consult your doctor first.
As for adults, the treatment of the fungus of the big toe can be carried out both with the help of pharmaceutical preparations and with home remedies. Let's dwell on this in more detail.
Pharmaceutical preparations
In the event that the fungus on the thumb has gone too far, the problem should be treated not only with local remedies. It is advisable to consult a specialist in taking pills. There are a large number of them today, so it is important to choose the one that suits you best.
The most popular tablets based on Terbinafine and Ketoconazole. But the fact is that tablets have a lot of contraindications. Thus, under no circumstances should they be drunk by people with kidney or liver failure, as well as those with heart problems. Care should be taken to take these tablets at the same time as other medications. This is especially true for hormonal drugs.
Sprays, gels and ointments are used for the topical treatment of the fungus. It is also recommended to select them in conjunction with the attending physician. They perfectly help with nail fungus at the initial stage of the development of the disease. Medicinal varnishes, which should be applied directly to the affected nails, are an excellent help.
Varnishes are able to destroy the structure of the cell membrane of a pathogenic fungus in the shortest possible time. It is also useful to apply these funds for the prevention of the disease, since they have absolutely no side effects and are completely safe.
But if the nail is so affected that you need to remove it, there are special solutions for this. These substances are applied to a previously steamed affected nail, after which the sore spot is closed with a bandage and a bandage. After a few hours, everything is painlessly removed.
Removing an unhealthy nail is a great alternative to surgery. After all, with the stratum corneum, pathogenic microorganisms are killed and eliminated. And special auxiliary components allow a healthy new nail to grow as actively as possible.
Folk recipes
You can simultaneously treat nail fungus and folk methods. There are a very large number of them. Consider some of the most common and effective ones. So, daily warm baths with salt help well. They help soften the skin and disinfect the nail.
Kill mushrooms and fresh garlic juice. You need to mix hot vegetable oil with garlic oatmeal, leave to infuse for a day.
Lubricate the sore finger and affected skin of the foot daily at bedtime for a month for complete healing. Please note that the visible results after the first two procedures should not stop, since it is necessary to completely kill the entire infection.
Fighting the nail fungus is extremely difficult if you start the disease.
Therefore, it is recommended to act immediately after the detection of the first symptoms. Simultaneous treatment with folk and pharmaceutical remedies will certainly give a good result.