There are many reasons why toenail fungus develops. In most cases, the infection is transmitted through household contact. The disease is especially common in summer, when everyone wears mostly open shoes. Also, in a warm, humid environment, bacteria multiply much faster and become more active.
The pathology most often develops in people who like to walk barefoot in public places such as swimming pools, baths and saunas, locker rooms on the beaches and sports clubs. Also, toenail fungus often affects children who like to try on other people's shoes. This usually happens in schools or kindergartens.
Nail fungus can be the result of a weakened immune system. Even if a person adheres to all safety rules of behavior in public places, the infection can easily penetrate the skin with excessive sweating of the feet or with insufficient personal foot hygiene.
It is recommended that you wash your feet as often as possible with warm water and soap and be sure to dry them, use powders in the summer so that the skin does not sweat so much. This is especially true for people who are prone to colds and infectious diseases.
In some cases, poor quality shoes become a cause of fungus. This often happens when a person wears closed shoes for a long time, which do not leak air. This creates a favorable environment for bacteria to grow.
It is advisable, if possible, to buy shoes made of natural materials, constantly wash and ventilate them.
Symptoms of nail fungus
Symptoms of fungus on the toes are quite easy to spot. After all, they appear almost immediately, because the infection enters the body. But the problem is that people do not always attach importance to the first changes, which delays the treatment of the disease. Let's look at these symptoms in more detail.
- At the very beginning of the development of the disease, sweating between the toes can increase. In this case, an unpleasant odor will be noticed, which is almost impossible to remove. As the disease progresses, it will intensify even more, creating great discomfort.
- Nails change color and structure. They usually get yellow, gray, and even green shades. Nail plate can be gradually painted. Also, the nail on the thumb begins to peel. Sometimes it even crashes. At the same time, files and nail scissors do not help to fix it.
- As the disease progresses, the skin around the nail plate begins to become inflamed. The characteristic feature of the fungus is severe itching and tingling. This is especially true if the foot is constantly in the shoe. In summer the itching is not so strong.
- Often, on the background of toenail fungus, diseases begin to progress, which until then were only stimulating factors for the reproduction of bacteria. The course of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys and thyroid gland is complicated.
- If the nail starts to get thicker, 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 appears on the big toe or if the foot is affected, treatment should be timely and comprehensive.
The fungus on the thumb in a child is best treated with safe folk remedies at the very beginning of the disease. Or consult your doctor first.
As for adults, the treatment of toe fungus can also be carried out with the help of pharmaceuticals and home remedies. Let's dwell on this in more detail.
Pharmaceutical preparations
In case the fungus on the thumb has gone too far, the problem should be treated not only with local remedies. It is recommended to consult a specialist about taking tablets. Today there are a huge number of them, so it is important to choose the most suitable for yourself.
The most popular tablets based on terbinafine and ketoconazole. But the fact is that the tablets have many contraindications. Therefore, in no case should they be drunk by people with kidney or liver failure, as well as those who have heart problems. Care should be taken to take such tablets at the same time as other medicines. This is especially true of hormonal medications.
Sprays, gels and ointments are used for the local treatment of fungi. It is also recommended that they be chosen together with the attending physician. They perfectly help in the fight against nail fungus in the initial stage of disease development. Medical varnishes are an excellent help, which should be applied directly to the affected nails.
Varnishes are able to destroy the cell membrane structure of the pathogenic fungus in the shortest possible time. It is useful to use such means for the prevention of diseases, because they have absolutely no side effects and are completely safe.
But if the nail is affected to such an extent that you have to remove it, there are special solutions for that. These substances are applied to the previously steamed affected toenail, after which the painful area is closed with a band-aid and bandage. After a few hours, everything is painlessly removed.
Removing an unhealthy nail is a great alternative to surgery. After all, together with the stratum corneum, pathogenic microorganisms are killed and removed. And special auxiliary components enable the new healthy nail to grow as actively as possible.
Folk recipes
At the same time you can deal with nail fungus and folk methods. There are a huge number of them. Consider some of the most common and effective. So, daily warm baths with salt help well. They help soften the skin and disinfect the nail.
It kills fungi and fresh garlic juice. Warm vegetable oil should be mixed with garlic puree, leave to cook for one day.
Lubricate the inflamed toe and affected skin of the feet daily before bed for a month for complete healing. Note that the visible results after the first two procedures should not stop, because it is necessary to completely kill the whole infection.
Fighting toenail fungus is extremely difficult if you start the disease.
It is therefore recommended that action be taken immediately after the first symptoms are detected. Simultaneous treatment with folk and pharmaceutical drugs will certainly give a good result.