In addition to onychomycosis, there are many other causes and diseases due to which the usual appearance of nails can change.
Thick, cloudy white nails can be the result of psoriasis or unsuccessful use of harsh cosmetics. Detachment and delamination of the nail plate occurs both with injuries and with trophic disorders of the lower extremities with varicose veins or endocrine diseases. Onychomycosis very often begins not with changes in the nail plate itself, but with redness, itching and peeling of the skin surrounding the nail. If a person does not pay attention to these symptoms, the fungus begins to develop, penetrates into deeper tissues, incl. under the nail bed. Fungus damage to the nail plate usually begins from its free edge, which thickens, becomes gray-yellow, easily breaks and crumbles. But even in this case, it is possible to accurately determine the presence of a fungus only with the help of laboratory research - microscopy.
The fungus appears only in old people and chronic patients.
In patients with chronic diseases (diabetes mellitus, peripheral vascular diseases, etc. ), nail fungus is indeed more common, but only for the reason that all these diseases reduce the activity of general and local immunity, negatively affect the skin's resistance to any infections. Old age, in itself, cannot be the cause of fungal diseases, but the older a person becomes, the more health problems he accumulates, which contribute to the development of fungal infections. At the same time, completely healthy young people are not protected from onychomycosis. Sports enthusiasts can suffer from nail fungus. calluses, micro-injuries of the skin of the feet and sweating create ideal conditions for the development of fungus. The fungus can occur in those who have to spend most of the day on their feet, in closed shoes that do not allow excess moisture to evaporate. Smoking, frequent stress, and an excessive love of sweets increase the risk of developing fungal infections.
The fungus is commonly found in a swimming pool, sauna, or beach.
In a sauna, pool or on the beach, the risk of meeting a fungus is really very high, as in any other place with high air temperature and humidity, in which the spores of onychomycosis pathogens remain viable for a long time. But this is far from the only opportunity to contract onychomycosis. The causative agents of fungal infections can get on the skin of a person visiting a gym, beauty salon, shoe store, public transport, or simply wearing someone else's slippers. But contact with the fungus or its spores does not always lead to the development of infection, much depends on the condition of the skin and the body as a whole. And only if the fungus enters the optimal environment for development and finds a weak spot in the immune defense of the human body, it can cause damage to the skin and nails. Risk factors for the development of onychomycosis are considered to be dry calluses and cracks in the skin of the feet, increased sweating of the feet, wearing tight and "non-breathing" shoes, as well as synthetic socks.
Fungal spores are everywhere, there is no effective protection against them.
Fungal spores can indeed be found almost everywhere, even at home, so it is impossible to completely exclude contact with it. And yet, even a person at high risk of developing mycoses has the opportunity to protect themselves from developing this infection. First of all, you must carefully follow the rules of personal hygiene: use only your own shoes, towels, etc. It is equally important to carefully monitor the condition of the skin of the feet and nails - remove dry calluses in time, treat cracks, abrasions, and cut nails correctly. It will not be superfluous to prevent excessive sweating of the feet, including the use of antiperspirant products for the feet. If the risk of onychomycosis is very high, then you can prophylactically (once a week) cover your nails with a special antifungal varnish. You can also, after consulting your doctor, start taking drugs that increase immunity - interferon inducers, drugs based on plant adaptogens, multivitamin complexes.
Fungus is forever. You can't get rid of it completely.
Onychomycosis is a common infectious disease that ends as soon as its pathogen is removed from the body. This can only be prevented by the wrong treatment or mistakes made by the patient himself. The peculiarity of onychomycosis is that the fungus is located under the nail plate (in the nail bed). Not every LP can penetrate so deeply. Therefore, today it is recommended to use either special forms of external agents or systemic antifungal therapy for the treatment of onychomycosis. Moreover, the treatment must be continued even if all the symptoms of the fungal infection have disappeared. You can stop taking drugs only after 3 repeated examinations (microscopy) show that the fungus is no longer in the tissues. In addition, the use of antifungal agents must be combined with proper nail and foot skin care. this reduces the risk of new relapses.
It is useless to treat the fungus with external agents.
Modern forms of external drugs allow you to create a high concentration of antifungal agent in the affected area. At the same time, external agents are not absorbed into the systemic circulation, have a wider spectrum of action and a low risk of developing resistance. Unfortunately, not all external drugs are able to penetrate into the thickness of the nail, especially into the tissue of the nail bed, where the bulk of pathogens are located. Therefore, local therapy is recommended to be combined with the removal of the nail plate or the use of keratolytic agents - preparations of urea or salicylic acid. This is especially important if onychomycosis is accompanied by nail hyperkeratosis. Usually monotherapy with external agents is used in cases where the nails of 1-2 fingers, or 1/3 of the surface of the nail plates are affected. In other cases, external agents are used in combination with systemic antifungal drugs.
Antifungal pills are very dangerous and toxic.
Due to the long duration of the course of antifungal therapy (in some cases up to 12 months), there really is a risk of side effects and toxic effects on the liver. But today methods have been developed that allow you to reduce this danger to a minimum. So, for example, some antifungal drugs are used in pulse therapy mode: i. e. short, 5-7-10-day courses, with a break of 21 days. There are systemic antifungals that can be taken only 1-2 times a week. There are antimycotics with a high safety profile, which, when taken in therapeutic doses, do not have a negative effect on liver cells even with prolonged continuous use. Therefore, the most important thing is not to take systemic antifungal agents without the appointment and supervision of a doctor. Only a dermatologist should prescribe such funds.
If you choose the right drug, the fungus can be cured in a week.
It is possible to stop the development of a fungal infection in a short time only if the infection has occurred recently and the causative agent of onychomycosis did not have time to penetrate deeply into the tissues surrounding the nail. But, unfortunately, few of the patients seek medical help at this stage, most often the treatment of onychomycosis begins at the later stages, when the nail plate (or even several) is severely affected and the process of dystrophy or hyperkeratosis is actively going on in the surrounding tissues. In such a situation, not a single drug will help to quickly solve the problem of the fungus, even if the treatment is combined with the complete removal of the affected nail plate, becauseit will take about 3 months to restore the nail. In a relatively short time, about 4-6 weeks, you can only reduce the most noticeable symptoms of onychomycosis. But the causative agent of infection, especially in the form of spores, still remains in the tissues. And only after completing the course of treatment prescribed by the doctor, you can get rid of this unpleasant disease.