Toe nail fungus (onychomycosis of the feet) is an infectious disease that occurs with damage to the nails by dermatomycetes, mold, or yeast-like fungi.According to statistics, the prevalence of this disease in the population reaches 10%.
The risk of contracting onychomycosis of the legs directly depends on the social and climatic conditions of a person's residence, their sex, age, profession and the presence or absence of other diseases.
One way or another, due to its high contagiousness and the ability to significantly worsen the quality of the patient's daily life, this pathology requires timely detection and competent, comprehensive treatment.
Symptoms of toenail fungus
Depending on the symptomatic manifestations, three types of onychomycosis of the legs are distinguished:
- hypertrophic;
- normotrophic;
- atrophic.
Hypertrophic damage to the nails is characterized by a noticeable thickening and deformation of the nail plates, loss of shine and the appearance of a kind of "corrosion" on the edges.The clinical picture of the disease can be complemented by the appearance of pain and the development of onychogryphosis (a pathology in which the nails take on the appearance of bird claws).
With onychomycosis of the normotrophic type, yellow or white stripes and spots appear on the nail plates.At the same time, the nails retain their configuration, shine and thickness.With atrophic onychomycosis, the nail plate quickly separates from the nail bed, becomes dull and acquires a gray-brown color.The exposed skin area becomes covered with loose hyperkeratotic layers.
Clinical signs of toenail fungus form the basis of another classification of onychomycosis, used mainly by foreign doctors.Based on this typology, 4 forms of the disease can be distinguished:
- distal (damage to the free edge of the nail);
- proximal (damage to the posterior nail fold);
- lateral (damage to the nail from the sides);
- total (damage to the entire nail plate).
The severity of the manifestations of onychomycosis must be taken into account when drawing up a treatment program.
Toenail fungus treatment
The diagnosis of "onychomycosis of the legs" is made based on the results of a visual medical examination, PCR test, microscopic and culture studies.Carrying out the above tests allows us to draw a conclusion not only about the presence of a fungal infection, but also about the type of pathogen.
Now a few words about how to cure toenail fungus in the shortest time possible.The etiotropic treatment program of onychomycosis involves the use of local and systemic drugs.The most effective means for local treatment of fungus on toenails are:
- Antifungal keratolytic ointments, gels and creams;
- specialized plasters for mechanical removal of affected nails;
- antifungal paints based on ciclopirox, amorolfine or mixtures of salicylic, benzoic, lactic and resorcinol acids.
Nowadays, systemic therapy for nail fungus seems to be the most relevant.In recent years, numerous general antifungal drugs have been developed that can increase the effectiveness of onychomycosis treatment by up to 90%.
Medicines for toenail fungus
Paints are considered the most effective antifungal paints.The main distinguishing feature of the products is their ability to destroy pathogens in the deep layers of the nail and penetrate the nail bed.Antifungal creams and ointments include products containing terbinafine.The listed products are applied daily to the affected nails and rubbed gently until completely absorbed.The duration of treatment for onychomycosis with ointments and creams can vary from 2 to 6 weeks.The procedure for using topical antifungal agents must be agreed in advance with a dermatologist.
The selection of systemic drugs is carried out taking into account the severity of the disease and the presence or absence of contraindications to their use in the patient.
Toenail fungus prevention
The main measures aimed at preventing the development of onychomycosis of the legs are:
- avoid mechanical trauma to the nail plates;
- refusal to wear rough, narrow and ill-fitting shoes;
- careful workmanship of pedicure tools;
- use of individual shoes when visiting baths, saunas and swimming pools;
- monitoring the health status of pets, timely treatment of identified pathologies;
- excluding cases of use of toiletries, clothing, towels and shoes belonging to other people;
- timely detection and treatment of diseases;
- carry out activities aimed at strengthening the body's immune forces.
It is important to understand that self-treatment of onychomycosis often not only fails to achieve the expected results, but also significantly complicates the course of the disease.Therefore, before using any drug or folk remedy against fungi, it is necessary to coordinate the treatment program with an experienced dermatologist.