Fungal diseases of nails

Fungal diseases of nails and feet with its rapid growth cause concern to dermatologists around the world.

According to their estimates, this is already affecting a quarter of the world's population, especially in large cities with a high population density, and this figure continues to grow.

Causes and symptoms of fungal diseases of nails and feet ^

There are many ways to get the fungus into the body, you can get it anywhere, but more often it happens on the beach, in the bath, in the pool, the sauna or through the shoes of infected people.

Nail fungus is transmitted not only from person to person, but also from animals to man and from the external environment. Complicating the situation is that there are a great number of fungi, more than 1.5 million, of which about 500 species are pathogenic to humans.

Unfortunately, immunity is not developed for fungal infections, and a person can become infected with the same form of fungus many times. The fungi are amazingly tenacious, as is shown by an unusual experiment conducted by scientists: they put the shoes of a patient with a human fungus in a storage room, and when 20 years later they got it out of there, the spores of the fungus proved to be completely viable. Therefore, a major role in the fight against fungi is the prevention of fungal nail diseases and personal hygiene.

Mushrooms are especially active in conditions of humidity, heat and poor ventilation, and the excessive use of soap and detergents does not have the same effect that we are waiting for, strenuous hygiene. The fact is that on the surface of our skin there is a protective, so-called lipid layer, the thinnest fatty film in which our "native" useful bacteria live, designed to protect us from the adverse effects of the external environment.

Doctors do not recommend washing with soap often, as when washing with a washcloth we literally rip off this protective film, and various microorganisms, bacteria and fungi literally stick to our body, without encountering resistance, until the natural cover is completely restored,24-48 hours.

An interesting scientific fact - in the 30s of the last century, during the formation of Soviet power, the Chukchi, Evenki and other northern peoples began to accustom to hygiene, forcing to wash with soap. The result was so unexpected that at first the doctors only laughed and could not understand why among the aborigines such a colossal mortality began.

As it turned out later, the soap destroyed the protective fat layer covering their skin and they were completely defenseless before the invasion of microorganisms. By the way, scientists say that it is for this very reason that we often fall ill after a bath, and not because we are supercooled, as people think.

Nature, as you know, does not know soap, the use of detergents is a recent invention of European civilization. If you do not want to kill a cat or a dog, do not wash them with soap or shampoo, because the animal can not live long in such "sterility".

When a person suffers a fungal disease, first, as a rule, cracks appear between the fingers and on the soles, and then the infection passes to the nails. It is believed that the untreated foot fungus sooner or later necessarily passes into the nail fungus, from which it is not so easy to get rid of.

The person begins to worry the symptoms of fungal diseases of the nails:

• Itching, discomfort and unpleasant odor.
• The nail changes color, becomes dull, opaque, crumbles, deformed, thickens.
• If the disease is not treated in a timely manner, the nail can completely collapse, and the fungus will later start to hit the nails and on the hands.

If you do not fight the infection, the fungus starts to "walk" around the body, releasing toxins, damaging the lymphatic and circulatory system, reducing immunity, causing multiple allergies, and sometimes even capable of hitting the brain. A person quickly becomes tired, feels a general malaise, nausea, often chills.

Prevention of fungal diseases of nails ^

Fungal nail disease is considered a surrender of immunity, so most often it affects people with weak or fragile immunity, that is, children and the elderly. A risk factor is considered to be various scratches, abrasions and other skin lesions through which the fungus is easier to penetrate into the body, which is the gateway to infection.

If you notice the first signs of a fungal nail disease, such as:

• nail color change,
• its transparency,
• thickening of the nail plate,
• skin inflammation around the nail,
• itching and redness between the fingers,

must, without delay, turn todoctor - dermatologist and take samples to the laboratory.

The fungus is now successfully treated due to the presence in the arsenal of physicians of a wide range of antifungal agents. The main thing is to start treatment on time and not to allow total seizure by an infection of your body.

If the area of ​​the lesion of the body is small, it is often possible to cope with the fungus with the help of local treatment. If the infection process has gone far, then the treatment will be more time consuming, but, in any case, it must be brought to an end, since the untreated fungus will necessarily continue its destructive work. When treating one of the family members, all the others should also undergo the examination as the most at risk of infection.

The best prevention of fungal diseases of the nails and feet - careful adherence to precautions to prevent re-infection:

• If you have visited a public bath and are not too sure about its sterility, the best prevention will be the treatment of legs with boric alcohol or vinegar diluted as 1 stspoon on a glass of water, this environment is fatal for fungi.
• Do not wear other people's shoes, wipe your feet dry, and immediately treat all scratches and damages with iodine or greens.
• When buying shoes, choose a spacious, comfortable, preferably natural material and with ventilation, because, as mentioned above, the fungus very much loves a moist environment without air access.
• . Also, do not forget to wind your shoes regularly and periodically wipe inside with a solution of vinegar, which kills germs, while leaving no smell.

With fungal nail diseases it is very important to strengthen your own immunity, destroyed by the invasion of fungal infection. Therefore, take care of the general strengthening and recovery of the body:

• drink enough water,
• eat only healthy food with the necessary amount of vitamins and trace elements,
• do not overeat, it's better to starve sometimes,
• normalize the intestine,
• exercise easy,
• get enough sleep,
• as much as possible protect yourself from stress.