Many people, when they see commercials on television for remedies for foot fungus, change the channel and think: "This does not concern me, I will never have a fungus! " It would be good if it were, but get this infectionit is easier than you think and getting rid of it is extremely difficult.
Sometimes they don't see a dermatologist in a timely manner for a fungal foot infection, because they don't think it's her. "It's not a fungus, my friend had a fungus and it didn't look like that, " some argue. In fact, the symptoms of this infection can be different, and if you have any discomfort in the area of the foot, go to the doctor immediately. He will take tests and only after that will determine the diagnosis.
Or maybe not paying attention to the itching, peeling of the skin, changes in the condition of the toenails? In the end, this is not a disease of the internal organs and does not threaten something terrible. And it's a shame to go to the doctor, suddenly you think you are some kind of tramp. And this opinion is also very widespread among the population. And such an attitude to one's health can be called irresponsible. After all, it is easier to cure the fungus by capturing it at an early stage; otherwise, the disease will go away or get worse again. And most importantly, your family members can also become infected with the fungus. Therefore, there cannot be two opinions on this issue. Get treatment, period!
How and where do they get infected with the fungus?
The fungus can be lurking anywhere we go barefoot: on the beach, in the pool, in the bathhouse and even in a common apartment. In general, this infection can affect any area of the skin, but the feet are most commonly affected due to several factors. These include the constant use of shoes made of poor quality materials, increased sweating of the feet, more frequent contact with surfaces on which fungi can live. The mycelium spreads very quickly under the skin, causing itching and other discomfort.
Let's take a closer look at the infection routes.
- The fungus can be transmitted from person to person when wearing the same shoes (eg, slippers), socks, wearing a towel, as well as from sexual partners lying down.
- In public swimming pools, baths, saunas, on the beaches when walking barefoot. For a fungus, a humid environment is the ideal conditions for reproduction. Slates or shoe covers can keep you from getting infected.
- In the manicure and pedicure room, if the instruments are not sufficiently sterilized, or simply when using other people's instruments at home. It is better to visit a well-established manicure specialist who has not had such excesses, and to use personal tools at home and treat them with alcohol each time.
Strengthening the immune system will help reduce risk factors, but no one has broken the rules of personal hygiene. It is important to trust the treatment of the fungus to doctors and not to use folk recipes.
How to recognize a foot fungus?
Many infections are suitable for the concept of fungus, their manifestations can be different. But there are a number of symptoms that are common to most of them.
First of all, itching. At first it is weak, but over time it becomes stronger, it becomes unbearable, especially at night. Foot baths with succession, sage, and other herbs provide temporary relief, but the fungus does not go away and continues to cause itching and burning.
Nails take on a printable look. They turn yellow and darken, the color can be heterogeneous, they break, exfoliate, their surface is uneven. Changes in the nail plate start from the edge and gradually spread to the cuticle.
Over time, feet begin to sweat, even with sandals and flip flops, and an unbearable odor develops.
The skin on your feet may not discolor at all, or it may turn slightly red and then flake off.
If you feel at least one of these symptoms, you should see a doctor. Perhaps it excludes the diagnosis of a fungus, and itching can be a common allergy. But you can find out only after passing the tests. Neglecting the disease can lead to complete shedding of the nails, constant scratching of the skin can damage it, and the infection penetrates inside, causing ulcers.
How to treat a foot fungus?
Treat it as your doctor prescribes! The tests will show you what type of fungus you are infected with, and treatment will depend on that. Sometimes the doctor may recommend the use of folk remedies in combination with pharmaceutical preparations and medical procedures. Let's take a closer look at all of these methods.
- Laser treatment.During laser treatment, the beam penetrates deep into the skin and destroys the filament of the fungus: the mycelium. The number of sessions is from three to ten. Wave radiation is created by a special apparatus. The fungus of such an effect is gradually destroyed. Sometimes the wave treatment can last up to three months with short breaks.
- Medical procedures.These include wave radiation treatment, cleansing the skin with a medical manicure or pedicure. Medical manicures or pedicures do not provide a deep treatment for the fungus, they are already used at the end of the disease so that the nails of the hands or feet take on a more or less normal appearance.
- Medications.Only a doctor can prescribe this or that drug. It can be tablets, ointments, creams, lotions, varnishes.
- Folk remedies.These are trays, infusions, oils with herbs and other parts of plants. They are used only in combination with medications. Baths can relieve itching, improve the appearance of the skin, but will not completely eliminate the fungus. The most popular are baths with oak or celandine bark, propolis tincture on alcohol, tea tree oil.
It makes sense to repeat it one more time: treating a fungus is not an easy task, and you should not start it without a doctor, otherwise you may deepen the disease, but it will remind you of yourself regularly.