There are many causes of toenail fungus. In most cases, the infection is transmitted through household contact. The disease is especially common in the summer, when everyone wears mostly open shoes. Also, in a hot, humid environment, bacteria multiply faster and become more active.
It often develops in people who like to walk barefoot in public places, such as pathological pools, baths and saunas, dressing rooms on the beaches and sports clubs. Also, nail fungus often affects children who like to try 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. Even if a person follows all the safety rules of behavior in public places, the infection can easily penetrate the skin with excessive sweating of the feet or insufficient personal foot hygiene.
It is recommended to wash your feet as often as possible with warm water and soap and wipe dry, use powders in summer to prevent the skin from sweating too much. This is especially true for people prone to colds and infectious diseases.
In some cases, poor quality shoes cause 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 the growth of bacteria.
If possible, it is recommended to buy shoes from natural materials, wash and ventilate them regularly.
Signs of fungus on the nail
It is very easy to detect signs of fungus on the toes. After all, they appear almost immediately, because the infection enters the body. But the problem is that people do not always pay attention to the first changes, and thus delay the treatment of the disease. Let's take a closer look at these symptoms.
- At the very beginning 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 get worse and cause great anxiety.
- Nails change color and texture. They often turn yellow, gray and even green. The nail plate can be painted gradually. Also, the nail on the thumb begins to wear out. Sometimes it even collapses. At the same time, nail files and nail clippers do not help to fix it.
- As the disease progresses, the skin around the nail plate becomes inflamed. A characteristic feature of the fungus is severe itching and burning. This is especially true if the foot is always in the shoe. In the summer, the itching is not so strong.
- Often, against the background of nail fungus, the disease begins to develop, until then it was only a stimulant for the growth of bacteria. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys and thyroid gland are complicated.
- If the nail begins to thicken, it 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 is visible on the big toe or if the foot is affected, treatment should be timely and thorough.
In a child, thumb fungus is best treated with safe folk remedies at the very beginning of the development of the disease. Or consult your doctor first.
For adults, thumb fungus can be treated with both pharmaceutical and home remedies. Let's talk about this in more detail.
Pharmacy preparations
If the fungus on the thumb is too far away, the problem should not be treated only with local remedies. It is advisable to consult a specialist to take the pill. There are many of them today, so it is important to choose the most suitable for you.
The most popular tablets based on terbinafine and ketoconazole. But the fact is that the tablets have many contraindications. Thus, under no circumstances should people with kidney or liver failure, as well as those with heart problems, be intoxicated. Care should be taken to take such tablets at the same time as other drugs. This is especially true for hormonal medications.
Sprays, gels and ointments are used for local treatment of the fungus. It is recommended that they be selected together with the attending physician. They fight nail fungus perfectly in the early stages of the disease. Medicinal varnishes that 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 use such means to prevent the disease, because they have no side effects and are completely safe.
However, if the nail is so affected that it needs to be removed, there are special solutions for this. These substances are applied to the pre-steamed affected toenail, after which the painful area is covered with plaster and bandage. After a few hours, everything is removed painlessly.
Removing an unhealthy nail is an excellent alternative to surgery. After all, along with the stratum corneum, pathogenic microorganisms are killed and removed. And special auxiliary components allow a new healthy nail to grow as actively as possible.
Folk recipes
You can deal with nail fungus and folk methods at the same time. Their number is very large. Consider some of the most common and effective. Thus, daily hot baths with salt help well. They help soften the skin and disinfect nails.
Kills fungi and fresh garlic juice. You should mix hot vegetable oil with garlic oatmeal, infuse for a day.
For complete healing, lubricate the affected toe and affected skin of the foot before going to bed every day for a month. Keep in mind that the results seen after the first two procedures should not stop, because the whole infection should be completely killed.
If you start the disease, it is extremely difficult to fight nail fungus.
Therefore, it is recommended to take action immediately after the first symptoms. Simultaneous treatment with folk remedies and pharmaceuticals will undoubtedly give good results.