Nail fungus is in the advanced stage where it is almost impossible to cure, not to be confused with anything. But if you know the early symptoms of nail fungus, it's not too late to start fighting the infection and nail loss can be well avoided. But in different cases the fungus looks different, so first you need to understand a little about the nature and course of the disease.
General signs of the disease
Regardless of the type of fungus, the variety, the course of the disease and even the stage, these symptoms remain unchanged and definitely indicate developing or already ongoing onychomycosis.
- A change in the color of the nail plate is a key sign that the disease is beginning to develop. Shades can range from whitish to black, but the most common color of a fungal nail is brownish-yellow.
- An unpleasant odor always accompanies onychomycosis, although in the initial stages it may not be very noticeable. True, you will hardly sniff your feet, and already at the stage of development of the disease, a specific smell will make itself felt.
- Layering, crumbling, and peeling of the nail plate doesn't start right away, but it's these signs of nail fungus that cause most people to sound the alarm. If these symptoms are moderate and localized, there is still a chance to restore the nail to a healthy appearance.
- Painful sensations rarely appear at the initial and developmental stages, but as the disease progresses, discomfort and pain cannot be avoided: in any case, they appear either due to deformation, or due to a destroyed nail plate, or due to the onset of inflammation with pus.
- Burning and itching of the skin are also not negligible. In addition, at the initial stage these symptoms can help to identify the disease, since in some cases it passes from the skin on the lateral or posterior ridges or cuticles to the nail plate.
by the way
Onychomycosis is much more common on the toenails, while the fungus gets on the hands much less often, most commonly after contact with the affected toenails.
Symptoms of athlete's foot
It seems you already know how to identify nail fungus, but this information is fairly general, while helping to accurately diagnose onychomycosis. The fact is that there are more than 50 species of fungi that can cause it, and about 10 the course of the disease. It is better to know in advance what to expect in each of the possible scenarios.
More than 90% of all infections with onychomycosis on the legs are due to dermatomycetes, a little less than 10% to yeast-like fungi and only a small proportion to molds.
Different types of nail fungus cause different symptoms.
- With a normotrophic fungus, the nail plate itself is not deformed, and the most noticeable manifestation of the disease is a change in the color of the plate to yellowish-brown on the sides. At the same time, its thickness does not change, it does not crumble, and the natural shine does not disappear. If you do not deal with the treatment of normotrophic fungi, then it will affect an increasing area, the plate will begin to peel off and may come off completely.
- Hypertrophic fungus provokes thickening of the nail plate, which leads to the formation of growths that look like claws. In the advanced stage, such a fungus causes discomfort and often pain when walking, and of course nail damage is accompanied by a change in color to gray or yellow. Such nails lose their natural shine and begin to crumble and peel.
- When faced with an atrophic fungus, the risk of losing the plate without proper treatment is extremely high. Such a fungus gradually destroys the nail plate, making it loose and exfoliating, as a result of which its atrophy occurs. At the initial stage, it is difficult to distinguish an atrophic course, since it is accompanied only by a loss of gloss and a change in the color of the plate to yellow, brown or gray.
Less typical are lateral-distal mold with blackening of the nail plate, pain, suppuration, and atrophy of the nail plate in advanced stages; a proximal fungus with white spots in the area of \u200b\u200bthe growth zone and damage to the nail plate from the side of the cuticle, as well as a white superficial fungus, which manifests itself in the form of small white spots on the nail, gradually growing and occupying an increasing area.
by the way
The older the person, the more prone they are to nail fungus. The occurrence of the fungus can also be influenced by climate, hygiene and gender.
Symptoms of a fungus on the hands
On the hands, the 3 main variants of the course of the disease do not differ from those on the legs, only the distribution of the causes of origin is slightly different: approx. 30% and 45% are due to dermatomycetes and yeast-like fungi, a little less than 15% are mold fungi, andalso a small number of infections are caused by other fungal organisms.
Even with the plates on the arms and legs, the main symptoms are the same and the affected areas look similar. The only difficult point may be how to identify nail fungus in less common cases, such as rubromycosis or trichophyton infection, but this is more a task for qualified doctors.
progression of the fungus
If at the initial stage the disease does not look scary, and thoughts of serious treatment are rarely visited and are increasingly being replaced by folk methods, then at the advanced stage it will not be possible to do without long-term medical treatment. And even it won't guarantee that the nail will stay with you.
- The ideal would be to treat the disease early, but outside the laboratory to determine it is almost impossible: all symptoms have a barely noticeable manifestation. Although a few signs can still be seen. If you notice something is wrong with the skin, e. g. B. cracking, blistering or burning may occur, this is a clear harbinger of onychomycosis on the nails. If you see that the color of the nail plate has started to change along the edges or from one edge, this is also a cause for concern.
- Usually, the fungus makes itself felt at the stage of development, and in order to notice it as early as possible, you need to regularly do at least a simple pedicure and monitor the condition of the nails and skin of the feet. During this period, the nail plate looks unhealthy, loses its shine, a noticeable change in color begins, and closer to the beginning of the advanced stage, the nail begins to deform, peel and crumble.
- In the advanced stage, the nail definitely actively collapses: delaminate, break off, loosen up to total destruction of the nail plate and even damage to the nail bed. In order for the disease to reach its advanced form, it is necessary to ignore it for quite a long time and endure itching, discomfort, a disgusting appearance and an unpleasant smell, which people still do not often do. Therefore, this stage is typical for the rapid development of the fungus in old age or in the presence of certain diseases.
It's important to remember that untreated nail fungus can turn into athlete's foot, and this disease is even more uncomfortable and difficult to treat.
It is not so difficult to determine the presence of a fungus on the nails, at least at the stage of development, but it is better to entrust qualified professionals to determine the cause and nature of the course. Do not neglect the help of doctors and contact them at the first suspicion of an illness.