Fungal scalp disease is a disease that is easy to get, but difficult to treat completely. This is due to many factors. Pathogenic microorganisms quickly adapt to changing conditions and become familiar with the active ingredients of the drug. They are capable of being on many different surfaces for long periods of time. They proliferated quickly, capturing more and more new fields. They literally penetrate the horny plaques, penetrating deeper and deeper. Treatment of nail fungus should be carried out in a comprehensive manner, following all the rules. If not, you may be faced with a situation where symptoms start to pass but things quickly return to where they were originally.
How can you get onychomycosis?
Usually, the infection, according to statistics, occurs as follows:
- Personal contact with someone with a fungal infection;
- Personal belongings: towels, towels, shoes;
- When to saunas, beaches, showers, sports clubs;
- With pedicure care is carried out with unpasteurized tools.
Infection can occur anywhere barefooted people. If a person with scalp fungus walks across the floor, their scabs remain on the surface. If they have healthy nails, a pathological process begins. A similar path of infection also occurs when sharing other people's personal belongings. The microorganisms in the fungus grow especially active in warm, high humidity places. That is why they often accumulate in saunas, bathtubs, tubs.
Even if the fungus is on the nail, this does not mean the disease is on. The body's defenses are enough to fight infection. However, there are factors under its influence that the fungus is introduced and spread more actively. If they are present, the risk of finding the disease in themselves increases many times. Consider the following factors:
- Wounds and cuts on the feet, tiny cracks typical of dry skin - all these are gateways to infection;
- Weakened immune system;
- Take antibiotics that change the acidity of the feet;
- Poor hygiene
- Foot sweat;
- Metabolic problems;
- Diabetes;
- AIDS;
- Overweight.
Factors that trigger the development of the disease can be:
- Lack of personal sandals when going to public places;
- Use someone else's shoes;
- Use tightly synthetic materials;
- Ignore the need to regularly disinfect your tub;
- Lack of proper foot hygiene.
Based on these reviews, it is easy to infer prevention methods for scalp fungal disease.
The symptoms
The signs of the disease only become apparent when the fungus is in the middle stage. However, it is possible to identify the disease in an early stage. To do this, you only need to carefully monitor the condition of the nail. The following symptoms will warn:
- Peeling of the skin of the feet;
- The appearance of white spots on the nails;
- Mild itching;
- Dry feet.
For these signs, it is better to see a doctor. They are nonspecific, and therefore can easily confuse one disease for another. Symptoms of the following stage will be much more obvious:
- The nail loses its natural gloss, is chiseled;
- Plates have unnatural shades: yellow, green, and blue;
- The nail begins to crack, flake off, and become much more brittle;
- Sheet begins to separate from the nail. Before that, empty space arose between him and the bed;
- The foundation structure is changing. Thickened appeared. Nails can be bent, growth pathologies are observed;
- The disease spreads to the skin. Inflammatory process develops on them, manifested by the secretion of pus, redness;
- The space between the fingers is peeling off, cracks appear;
- Severe itching and burning;
- Appears an unpleasant odor.
During the most severe stage, the fungus seriously destroys not only the nails but also the skin. Abscesses may appear. All of this causes serious discomfort, interfering with a normal lifestyle.
Is mycosis dangerous if it isn't treated?
An untreated illness can lead to the following problems:
- Occurrence of infectious complications;
- The appearance of severe allergic reactions;
- Causes exacerbations of various diseases, including diabetes mellitus;
- Defeat of internal organs by fungal microorganisms.
In the late stage, the disease is very uncomfortable. There is pus discharge, cracks appear. Traveling is very painful. A pronounced smell arises. All of these make it difficult for normal life. In addition, the pathogen gets into the bloodstream and can affect the entire body. This is extremely dangerous and fraught with disability or even death.
Treatment depends on the stage of the disease
Nail fungus has several stages, depending on the severity of the damage. The treatments will depend 90% on stage. Consider treatment features depending on the stage of development of the disease:
- State 1.Good reviews can be found on medicinal solutions. It has a great effect in the early stages of the disease. The solution is used to treat sick nails twice a day. Before processing, take a hot bath for your feet, trim your nails and use a file to treat. The cost of the solution is about 500 rubles. The advantage of the drug in the form of a solution is that it is immediately absorbed, quickly acting;
- Phase 2.Loose nails are removed with scissors or a nail file. In the cavity, as well as on the entire surface of the plate, a sealing solution is applied. It is recommended to start taking medications. The course of treatment will take about 6 months;
- Stage 3.In this case, the damage not only affects the plaque, but also affects the base, nails, and surrounding skin. Treatment is carried out with drugs that have a systemic effect. It is imperative to observe a doctor, as you cannot get rid of a severe episode without the help of a specialist.
The success of nail fungus treatment is determined by the regrowth of a healthy plaque, on which there is no sign of damage.
Basic principles of mycosis treatment
How to cure toenail fungus? Therapy is performed using two groups of funds:
- Local preparations.Used in the early and second stages of the disease. Can be combined with drugs for systemic use. This category includes varnishes, solutions, ointments, and gels;
- Systemic drugs.They are anti-intoxication drugs. These can be tablets or capsules. They prevent the spread of disease, destroy disease-causing microorganisms. They have a cumulative effect. That is, the active ingredients of the drug remain in the same state even after the therapy ends. This prevents recurrence.
It's best to treat nail fungus early. This is due to the fact that, in this case, it is possible to use only topical preparations. Tablets are very effective, but they are also toxic, they have a lot of contraindications and side effects. It is forbidden to accept pregnant women and children.
The use of medicinal varnishes
Varnishes are very good in the early stages of nail fungus. They have the following advantages:
- You do not need to apply the product every day. Enough twice a week;
- The varnish dries up almost immediately;
- The tool creates a film on the nail surface that prevents bacteria and infections from getting inside;
- The varnish is transparent so it can't be seen on the nail.
Course features depend on the specific varnish. Their significant disadvantage is their considerable cost.
Antifungal medicine
Antifungal medication will be required if the fungus has spread to more than 1/3 of the nail. The specialist should prescribe nail fungus medications, since the choice depends on the type of microorganism that causes the disease.
Almost all tablets have an inexpensive counterpart. The cost of the drugs varies.
Laser therapy
In some cases, nail fungus does not respond to medications. In this case, you can use laser therapy. The following advantages should be noted:
- Painless;
- Efficiently destroy fungal microorganisms;
- Not harmful to healthy tissues;
- The ability to cure the disease in the severe stage in only 4-6 courses.
It is advisable to supplement the laser's activity with systemic drugs, as well as vitamin complexes, in order to strengthen the body's defenses.
Nail removal
Toenail ablation is usually indicated during severe stage of toenail fungus. It is not recommended to use this method on relatively healthy plates. Removal has the following advantages:
- Painless (the removal occurs due to maximum softening of the sheet);
- Prevent the spread of pathological processes;
- The drug better penetrates the heart of the disease.
Removal can be done at home. For this, there are special preparations. Removal is performed due to the urea content in the product. In addition, there are additional ingredients that help prevent the reproduction of fungi and have antiseptic effects: stearic acid, tea tree oil.
Before use, feet are steamed in a bath with a teaspoon of baking soda. They need to be wiped dry. Then, a layer of plaster is glued to the whole area near the nail. Do not let the product contact the skin as it will cause burns. This preparation is applied to the nail with a thick layer, and then closed with a layer of plaster. After 4 days, the patch was removed. If the nail does not come off, the event may be repeated.
Traditional treatments
It makes sense to apply folk techniques in an early stage. They have an additional effect. However, it should be noted that these funds do not replace local drugs. Let's look at the most popular folk remedies for nail fungus:
- Apple vinegar.Vinegar is mixed with water in a 1-1 ratio. The feet are placed in a hot tub for 15-20 minutes. Procedures are performed daily. After that, the foot should be completely dry. The effect can be seen after 2 weeks. If it is not there, the product must be replaced with another product;
- Tea tree oil.It is applied to the affected nails in its pure form three times a day. One drop is required for each plate. Contraindications: childhood and pregnancy;
- Fresh cactus tree.The tree must be chopped. Fruit juice is squeezed out of the porridge. This can be done with gauze. One glass of juice is combined with a glass of 70% alcohol. Solutions are infused throughout the day. Before processing, the spring rolls are steamed. Then the transmission is applied to the discs. Processing is done 3-4 times a day. The course is 10-12 days;
- Iodine.Apply one drop of iodine daily to the affected area. Don't forget to prune growing nails. If there is a burning sensation, you should stop the course. This effect indicates burned tissue;
- Mushroom tea.Compression can be generated from it. For this, a piece of fungus is placed on the nail. Fingers wrapped in cellophane and bandaged. Then put on cotton socks. The procedure is carried out at night. In the morning, the pressure bandage is removed, washing the feet under warm running water, removing dead areas.
What is the best nail fungus treatment? Folk recipes won't work for this. They can only be used as an auxiliary tool. However, the main therapy should be pills and topical medications.
Testimonials
People with onychomycosis should pay attention to the effectiveness of the drug solution, and convenient to use. However, it should be noted that the tool must be used frequently for long periods of time. Without this, the fungal disease would immediately reappear.
The royal tree is also effective. People note that visible effects can be observed after 3 weeks of use. The structure of the nail changes, signs of damage disappear. However, this is only suitable for the early stage of the disease.
You may also see negative reviews. They often warn about abuse of the remedies. For example, patients taking iodine and acetic acid suffered severe burns. Therefore, the use of these funds must be done in compliance with safety measures. In particular, the recommended dosage should not be exceeded. If a burning sensation appears, this indicates the onset of the burn. Don't believe articles that claim the pain is a sign of healing. Usually these are signs of serious processes that can leave greater complications after having a fungus.
Additional measures
Additional measures are needed to speed treatment and also prevent relapses. Let's look at the main things:
- The patient's skin beads remain on the socks and shoes. If a person is completely cured, by interacting with them, you can become infected again. Therefore, the socks must be boiled for 5 minutes. All fungal microorganisms will be destroyed in boiling water. Shoes are treated with special compounds that can be found in pharmacies;
- Vitamin complexes should be taken to stimulate the immune system;
- All funding is used regularly, throughout the course as prescribed. If not, the treatment will be completely useless.
Attention to all recommendations is the key to a quick cure.
Precautions
In order not to get the fungal infection back, preventive measures are applied:
- Before going to bathrooms, saunas, and other public facilities, you should lubricate your nails with an antifungal varnish;
- You should not wear other people's shoes;
- You can do a hot foot bath once a week, with added sea salt and soda;
- Sweets should be excluded from the diet;
- Avoid getting sweaty feet.
Once a week, after a recent cure, you can use topical antifungal or similar folk remedies. They are applicable to all nails. Even if the infection reappeared, it would quickly cease.
Protecting yourself from illness is even more difficult when living with sick people. In this case, it is important to regularly disinfect the bathroom and all surfaces in the house. The sick person should store and wash their belongings separately from other clothes. Households can use topical antifungals once a week as prophylaxis.
Fungal diseases are very difficult to treat. His therapy must be taken very seriously. At the first sign, you should see a doctor. He took a scrape from the affected area. Then you can identify which microorganisms caused the disease. Based on this information, drugs are prescribed. Individual factors also play a role in drug choice. For example, if a woman is pregnant, pills are rarely prescribed. This is due to the fact that they enter the bloodstream and can harm the unborn baby. Most often, nail resection is used in conjunction with topical treatments.