Toenail fungus, the symptoms of which will be discussed below, most often occurs due to neglect of the rules of personal hygiene. Symptoms of nail fungus appear suddenly in most patients, as the infection is almost imperceptible and immediate. Since the treatment measures for this ailment last for a long period of time, it is better for a person who has noticed signs of the disease on the toenails to see a doctor immediately.
Factors contributing to the development of the disease
The lesion can be caused by yeast, mold, or skin fungus. In the first case, it is impossible to immediately diagnose the disease. Symptoms of the disease appear 5-6 months after infection. Exfoliation of the nail develops, slight irritation of the skin around it. Sometimes the patient is tormented by severe itching.
In the event that the disease has developed through a skin fungus, three scenarios are possible:
- The feet, nails and skin of the legs are infected. The fungus can spread not only on the skin of the lower extremities, but also capture the nails on the hands.
- Another type of mycelium affects only the nail of the thumb or little toe. Sometimes there is a transition of such fungi to the folds between the fingers. Then the skin is affected either on 1-2 folds or all at once.
- Another type of disease - fungi are limited only to the "occupation" of the nail plate on the little finger or thumb of the lower limb, but do not spread further.
- The last type of infection is mold. This type of mycelium is usually found in people with severe immune disorders such as HIV.
The appearance of infection in all cases occurs for the following reasons:
- The protective properties of the patient's body fell below a critical level.
- The nail was mechanically damaged.
- The man was wearing shoes that were too tight. Blood circulation in the legs was disturbed, which led to the development of an infection.
- Some people have an anatomical pathology of the feet, which contributes to the development of fungi.
- Most often, patients diagnosed with obesity suffer from the disease. The disease leads to excessive sweating. This creates favorable conditions for the development of mycelium.
- Fungi develop in patients with diabetes.
To prevent the disease, you should use only your clothes, shoes, and personal hygiene items. It is recommended to decontaminate and clean carpets and shoes in a timely manner.
General signs of the disease
The first signs of toenail fungus appear as small whitish dots or streaks on the toenails in most people. Most people do not pay attention to this, since nothing hurts them, there is no discomfort. If you do not start treatment of mycosis on time, you can start the disease. On all nail plates there is germination of the mycelium, suppuration of the skin around the affected nails begins. In severe cases, the disease spreads to deep tissue structures. This threatens the development of gangrene and amputation of the foot or even the entire leg.
In the second stage of the disease with mycosis, the natural shine of the nail plates disappears. Nails change color. They are yellow with brown or white stripes. The top and side surfaces of the nail are often deformed. Such changes are clearly visible to the eye.
In the last stage of the disease, the nail plates become very brittle, the inflammatory process begins on the cuticle. A person can lose a nail entirely. But mushrooms don't stop there. They further spread to all nail plates, and then pass to the skin of the leg, that is, they capture the feet.
The patient himself can recognize the disease in the second and third stages, since the nails turn yellow or brown (sometimes they turn black). Rising from its bed, the nail becomes more fragile and quickly breaks.
Symptoms of the disease in the initial stages
When a person has developed toenail fungus, at first the symptoms of the disease are virtually absent. But then, 2-3 months after the penetration of the skin fungus and its fixation on the nails, you can notice the manifestation of such signs of the disease:
- Initially, a slight reddening develops on the surface of the skin near the affected plate.
- Then the person feels a burning sensation in that area.
- Severe itching develops, inflammation begins.
- As a result, areas with increased moisture appear in these areas.
- The nail thickens and becomes horny.
Once a person notices these signs of nail fungus, they should be evaluated and then treatment started.
Depending on the type of fungal infection in the subsequent stages of the development of mycosis, the plate of the diseased nail is painted in different colors. At the first stage of the development of the disease, the affected area may turn white or green. The spots on it are located along the surface or look like round dots. At the same time, in most patients, the thickness of the plate does not change, and in many cases the nail retains its natural shine. The itch in all cases is very strong, it is impossible to get rid of it immediately. If the patient notices signs of mycosis in time, you can eliminate burning and itching by taking drugs such as miconazole, clotrimazole and similar drugs. However, they should not be treated alone, but under the supervision of a doctor. With any mistake or non-compliance with the doctor's recommendations, the mycelium immediately spreads to healthy areas, which complicates treatment.
The further development of the disease
Fungus on the toenails, if left untreated, can rob the nails of their natural color and the color of the surface of the affected area will be yellow. Nail delamination occurs. They can start breaking. At the same time, the patient develops unbearable itching on the skin around the affected area. The tearing of the substance of the nail plates begins. The burning intensifies. Some patients can develop dysbacteriosis, they feel unwell and complain of weakness throughout the body. Perhaps the development of drowsiness.
First, the mycelium completely changes the color of the surface of the plates, then their thinning begins. Then the diseased nail is shed and the infection penetrates the skin structures. The itching gets worse.
In the last stage of the disease, the surface of the diseased nail plates becomes scale-like. Depending on the type of fungus that hit the person, thickening of the nails begins, their delamination. They break quickly. Symptoms of the disease include the following:
- The edges of the plates become very brittle. Sometimes this causes pain in the patient.
- The shape of the plates is severely distorted and a scaly surface may develop.
- The color of the affected area changes from yellow to black.
- Insertion of portions of the plates into the skin begins.
- A whitish or yellowish coating appears under the nails. This is because they detach from the bed.
- The itching is very strong, almost unbearable. The burning of the skin around the affected areas increases again.
If these symptoms appear and treatment is started on time, it will last for a long time. You can contract a disease within 4-5 seconds, and it is very difficult to cure the disease. This usually takes 3 to 6 months. It is not recommended to stop the course of treatment due to possible complications that can lead to surgery. So you should listen carefully to yourself. If the first symptoms are recognized and treatment is started immediately, there is a chance of completing the therapy more quickly while protecting your nails at the same time.