It is better to entrust the fungus to a specialist

Foot or nail fungus is an infectious disease that will not go away on its own, emphasize foot care specialists or podiatrists, as well as other medical specialists. An unpleasant ailment, from which it is difficult to get rid of, knows how to say more than one who has experienced this disease. Prolonged itching that becomes crusty and painful skin on the feet can indicate the presence of fungus, but not always. In some cases, this may indicate an allergic reaction, so it is important to go to a dermatologist or podiatrist at the first signs.

Bulls wide

"There are two types of foot fungus - athlete's foot and nail fungus. The cause of the disease is the same," says podiatrist Mārīte Saulīte. Athlete's foot or mycosis is caused by a pathogenic fungus that damages the stratum corneum of the skin and can cause inflammation in the deeper layers of the skin, but nail fungus can be caused by other side factors - nail injuries, closed shoes worn for a long time.

If the skin of the feet is not affected by the fungus, then the fungus will also be less common in the nails. If the fungus is only in the nails, then the basis of the disease caused by the fungus is a nail injury where the fungus bacteria entered, according to doctors. Early signs of foot fungus include itching, cracking, and peeling of the skin between the toes, most often between and on the fifth toe. In more severe cases, the fungus has the appearance of curdled plaque with a sour smell. Small, pink blisters filled with clear, cloudy or purulent fluid may form near the cracks, and the stratum corneum formed peels off when the fluid is absorbed. If the fungus is not treated, the heels also suffer, the sides of the feet become inflamed.

On the other hand, if the fungus has affected the nail, it has become thicker, acquired a yellowish shade, is not shiny, the fungus does not fit the finger in the affected areas. Nail damage occurs from their free edge and corners. In the later stages, without treating the initial stage of the fungus, the nail remains darker yellow, even turns green, begins to split and crumble.

Do not overdo it with hygiene

A person can come into contact with fungal spores not only by wearing foreign shoes and socks. Often, shoes are purchased complete with a toe box in second-hand clothing stores. You can also encounter the fungus in open bodies of water, public recreation areas where you have to walk with bare feet, such as swimming pools and saunas. Fungal-causing microorganisms like warm and moist places. It is possible that a person became infected with the fungus in places where beauty care services are provided, for example, when performing a pedicure or massage, because the rules for ensuring the hygiene of the salon were not followed. The fungus can also enter the skin through wounds, as well as through long-term contact with the carrier of the fungus.

"The skin of the feet is a strong protective barrier, unless, of course, the person has another illness that can affect the health of the feet, fingers, and nails, for example, diabetes," explains the specialist.

Athlete's foot, especially in the summer, can be acquired if hygiene is excessively observed, washing the feet frequently with disinfecting soaps, antiseptics, thinking that this will help to avoid the fungus. In this way, the protective layer of the skin is washed off, which protects against infectious agents, emphasizes M. Saulīte, at the same time stating that foot hygiene is an important prerequisite to avoid fungal diseases. "But it should be reasonable," advises the podiatrist. The most important thing is to ensure that the feet do not have wet shoes for a long time, so that the toes are dry - that is, not to create a pleasant environment and living conditions for microorganisms. "Sports sneakers and garden shoes as everyday shoes are definitely not suitable shoes for summer," says M. Saulīte. The interviewed family doctors also add that the fungus can cause pain in the toes and burning in the feet, for example, when wearing shoes with a closed toe.

Be careful with the means!

"A wide range of over-the-counter antimycotics for the treatment of the fungus are available in pharmacies, but you should be careful with them," warns the podiatrist. Self-diagnosing that you may have foot and toenail fungus while using over-the-counter fungus medications can be fatal. It should be noted that antifungal preparations, ointments are strong medicines. "First of all, itching can be an indicator that a person is allergic to the materials of shoes or socks, threads, or any dye embedded in them. Secondly, if a person has not had a fungus before, but after some time still has to get infected with this ailment, if some antifungal drugs have been used in the wrong place, the disease will be difficult to treat. In such cases, the fungus may not even show up in the analyses," says the doctor.

By contacting a specialist, who will tell you whether it is a fungus or not, and prescribe the medications to be used, foot skin fungus can be cured in an average of three weeks. Nail fungus needs a different kind of treatment. "Combined therapy is needed there, in consultation with a specialist. It can last even a year," adds M. Saulīte. It is important to seek the help of medical specialists at the very first suspicions and symptoms in order to assess and prevent the fungus in its initial stages as soon as possible. The presence of the fungus can be determined by performing analyzes - cultures.

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Experience

You get the fungus in the shared shower

Vladislavs, retired, worked in the field of tourism and transport

At a workplace where I worked for over ten years, the staff had their own shower. The specifics of the position – you must wear solid clothes and closed shoes all day. Before, I always dismissed it with my hand and considered it nonsense to wear slippers when walking in a watery place. I never did it, because I thought that if the previous person who bathed also left something bad behind, the water would already wash it away. When I retired, I began to feel the effects of work. I grabbed it thoroughly, because I started to feel that my left foot was burning. It itched so bad I could tear off pieces. I suffered for a long time until I realized that I could no longer fulfill my work duties. My family doctor referred me to a dermatologist who confirmed that I had acquired the fungus over time. I was treated for a couple of months - I had to take medicine orally and apply ointment to my feet.

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Do not observe foot hygiene

Tamara, the daughter of an 80-year-old man

My father, who lives in the countryside, wears kalash - rubber shoes, every day throughout the year. There are still socks inside. As you put it on in the morning, you just take it off in the evening. Often still tired in the evenings, quickly rinse your feet instead of washing them, and go to bed. In the morning - when he gets up, he puts on his shoes. Until one moment he started telling me that his fingers hurt, the bottoms of his feet itched. I look and see that the bottoms of my legs are red, in places - as if blisters have peeled off. The family doctor found that the father had developed a fungus - his legs were not properly washed, especially between the toes. Also, when the feet are rinsed, they are not properly wiped. What more does a fungus need – heat, moisture, sweat, in closed rubber shoes the feet do not ventilate. Now I take care of the hygiene of my old father's feet myself so that it does not happen again. In general, I recommend this to any adult child, because I often observe that it is the elderly who neglect themselves, believing that no one has already died from not washing.


FOR REFERENCE

Toenail and toenail fungus disease occurs in approximately 2-10 percent of people, and a higher number of cases is observed especially in elderly people over 60 years of age.

The most common situations favorable to the attack of the fungus are related to the general state of health of the body - increased sweating, metabolic disorders, diabetes, overweight, increased cholesterol level, swelling of the legs caused by various vein problems, as well as a weakened immune system and various inflammatory processes in the body .

It is not recommended to spend the whole day in one pair of shoes, so you should choose one pair for the street, but change them for others at work. When visiting public baths and pools, you must bring your own personal slippers.

Warm water is more pleasant for the fungus. Of course, you can wash your feet with warm water, but you must finish the washing with cool water. If you want to bathe your feet, you can do it in salty water - only extremely salty water like in the sea or ocean prevents fungi from multiplying. Sour milk products, tea tree oil, citrus fruits will also help against the fungus.