Onychomycosis - what is it? Onychomycosis of the nails: treatment at home

Nail fungus is a common disease that begins with the appearance of a white or yellow spot on the tip of the nail. Fungus affects the nails both on the hands and on the legs. As the infection penetrates deeper, the nail plate becomes discolored, thickens and begins to crumble from the edges. The disease can cover several nails, but, as a rule, not all.

If you do not suffer from symptoms of a fungal infection and do not experience discomfort, onychomycosis (the correct medical name for this ailment) can not be treated. If there is a pain syndrome, and there are signs of thickening of the plates, you should pay close attention to the onychomycosis of the nails. Treatment at home is completely safe. You will be helped by inexpensive medications that are sold in pharmacies without a prescription. The only drawback is that even with effective treatment the fungus can return.

If the infection has spread to the areas between the toes and the skin of the feet, the disease is called dermatophyte stop (mycosis).

Symptoms

Onychomycosis - what is it and how to determine the presence of this disease in your body? First, find out if you have any characteristic symptoms. Usually, the disease is diagnosed in cases where one or more nails:

• Thickened;
• They became brittle, they began to crumble, they acquired uneven edges;
• Deformed;
• Dim, lost brilliance;
• Darkened.

Infected nails can be separated from the nail bed - this sign of the disease is called onycholysis. This condition is characterized by painful sensations in the fingertips and a slight unpleasant odor.

Try yourself to eliminate onychomycosis of the nails. Treatment at home is effective for most patients. If it does not help, it is better to see a doctor. You should immediately see a specialist for those patients who have diabetes.

Causes

The skin is parasitized by a special fungus - dermatophyte, which causes onychomycosis. What it is? Fungus is a microscopic organism whose survival does not depend on sunlight. Some microorganisms of this type benefit humans, but most lead to diseases and infections.

Fungi:

• Live in a warm and humid environment, including swimming pools and showers;
• Can penetrate the skin through microscopic incisions not visible to the naked eye, as well as as a result of a small separation of the plate from the nail bed;
• Can cause health problems, if your hands are often in heat and moisture.

Arms and legs

Onychomycosis of the nails of the feet is more common than the infection of the nails on the hands, because:

• Nails on legs are often found in a dark, warm, moist environment (in shoes), which provides ideal conditions for reproduction of the fungus;
• To the toes comes less blood than to the fingers, which makes it difficult for the immune system to recognize and destroy the infection in time.

Risk factors

You can be threatened with onychomycosis of the nails, if you:

• Treat older age groups. Over the years, blood flow becomes less intense, while nails are forced for years to side with potentially dangerous fungi. In addition, nails in the elderly grow more slowly.
• Suffer from profuse sweating.
• Treat the male sex, especially if there are cases of fungal infections in the family history.
• Work in conditions of high humidity or occupy a position that involves frequent washing of hands.

• Wear socks and shoes that do not let air into the skin and do not absorb sweat.
• Live with a carrier of fungal infection.
• Walk barefoot in public places with high humidity (swimming pools, gyms, shower cabins).
• Suffer from dermatophyte stops.
• Slightly damaged the nail or suffer from skin disease (eg, psoriasis).
• Diabetes or circulatory disorders, or if you are diagnosed with a weakened immune system or (in children) Down syndrome.

Complications

There are a number of complications that can cause onychomycosis. What it is? Usually, these are other serious infections, provoked by a severe case of fungal infection. How to determine the severity of the disease? If your fingers ache, nails are deformed, you should consult a doctor, otherwise such symptoms may remain for life. Other infections affect the body in case the immune system is weakened by drugs, diabetes or other ailments.

With diabetes, there is a risk of impaired blood circulation and innervation of the legs. Great is the danger of contracting a bacterial skin infection. If you have diabetes, and you suspect that changes in the appearance of the nails are caused by a fungus, consult a specialist as soon as possible.

Diagnostics

First of all, the doctor examines the affected nails. Perhaps he will take a sample of the plaque from under his fingernails and send the material to a laboratory analysis to determine a specific type of fungal infection.

Other ailments, such as psoriasis, often have the same external signs as the onychomycosis of the nails. Infection can be provoked by microorganisms such as yeast and bacteria. Knowing the exact cause of the ailment will finally determine the optimal course of therapy.

Onychomycosis: treatment (drugs)

If home treatment and usual pharmacy antifungal agents do not cope with the infection, you should visit a doctor and start a new course of therapy. The drugs from onychomycosis are divided into the following groups:

• Antifungal means for oral administration. According to the results of scientific research, it turned out that the most effective drugs for the fungus are Terbinafine and Itraconazole. They promote the growth of a healthy nail and the gradual replacement of the infected area with a normal nail plate. Preparations of this type take a course lasting from six to twelve weeks, but the end result will become obvious only when the healthy nail grows completely. The final disposal of the infection often takes four months, and even longer, because with the spread of the disease it becomes more difficult to defeat onychomycosis.

Treatment at home, even with drugs recommended by doctors, is less effective if the patient is over 65 years of age, so elderly people are recommended to combine the medicines of this group with ointments for topical administration. It should also be taken into account that the means for ingestion can cause side effects - from skin rashes to liver problems. It may be necessary to periodically take blood tests to monitor the reaction of the body to taking medications. You will not be prescribed such medications if you are diagnosed with liver disease or heart failure with stagnant phenomena, and if you need to regularly take specific medications.

• Nail polish with an antifungal agent. If you have onychomycosis, preparations to fight infection may include a special nail polish - "Cyclopyrox". It is applied to the nail plates and the surrounding skin once a day. After a week of application, it is necessary to wipe off the accumulated layers of lacquer with alcohol and start the application again. You may have to use the drug every day for a year.
• Medicinal cream for nails. The doctor can prescribe an antifungal cream (ointment), which must be rubbed into infected nails after a preliminary steaming. You can improve the effectiveness of the drug by thinning the nail plates - so the cream will quickly get through the nail to the fungus. To make the nails thinner, you can use the drug over-the-counter release - any lotion with a high urea content. Sometimes special tools are used for this purpose.

Other treatments

The patient, who is diagnosed with onychomycosis of the nails, treatment (drugs, folk remedies) is simply necessary. But what if the non-invasive techniques just do not help?

In case of severe damage to the nails with a fungal infection, the doctor will suggest removing the nail. At the site of removal, a new healthy nail usually grows, but this process can take more than a year. Sometimes a surgical operation is combined with the use of "Cyclopyrox", which helps to cure the nail bed.

There are other therapies that can cure onychomycosis. What it is? This is laser and light exposure for medical purposes. The effect of these procedures has not yet been fully studied, but they do help improve the condition of patients with onychomycosis and practically do not require the use of additional medications.

What can I do by myself

If you have found yourself onychomycosis of the nails, treatment (preparations and procedures) can be carried out with relative safety at home, without hiking in polyclinics and medical centers.

Try the following:

• Use antifungal creams and ointments sold in pharmacies without a prescription. As a rule, there are always several tools available from different manufacturers. If you notice that there are white spots on the surface of the nail, scrape them off, hold your fingernails in the water, dry and apply a medicinal cream or lotion on them. If the foot dermatophytosis complicates your onychomycosis of the nails, the preparations should be selected in a complex way: a cream for the nail plates, a powder or a spray for the skin of the legs. Do not forget about the need to keep your feet dry and clean.
• Remember the rule of regular manicure and pedicure. Polish, trim, trim and reduce the thickness of the nails. These simple procedures will help ease the pain syndrome. Nail care immediately before applying an antifungal agent promotes deeper penetration of the medication.

Helpful Hint

Before grinding thick layers, you can perform a simple procedure for softening the nails. Before going to bed, apply a cream with urea to the infected nails and apply a bandage. In the morning, rinse with soap and water. Repeat every day until the nails soften. The skin of the fingers should be treated with petroleum jelly.

Folk remedies

Particularly effective in combating the fungus are the following alternative medicine:

• Extract of a blue-head. In one of the scientific studies, the effectiveness of the extract of the blue-head was equated with the efficacy of "Cyclopyrox". The substance is applied to the affected nails every three days during the first month and twice a week during the second month of treatment.
• Tea tree oil. It is applied to the nails twice a day, but the effectiveness of the oil has not yet been proven scientifically. Nevertheless, many recommend it as an optimal folk remedy for onychomycosis.