Mycosis is one of the most unpleasant skin diseases. Depending on the degree of damage, two types of diseases are distinguished: dermatomycosis and onychomycosis. In the first case, the skin is affected, and in the second case, the nails are affected. In order to successfully get rid of harmful microorganisms, you need to know what foot fungus looks like and how to fight it.
Main types
Specialists in the field of dermatology identify several types of foot fungus, which differ in the nature of the effect and the cause. As for the pathogenic microorganisms that cause the development of fungal diseases, they can be:
- moldy;
- Yeast;
- dermatophytes.
Exposure to these parasites leads to the development of a dangerous condition called rubromycosis, which involves the skin of the feet. In addition, the disease can differ in clinical manifestations and can be membrane-like, moccasin or vesicular.
The development of the fungus causes oversaturation of blood vessels, drying and peeling of the skin. In addition, the process itself is slow and without significant symptoms. The first itching or burning sensations are felt only after a severe leg injury. Soon, the process of nail deformation begins, resulting in the formation of blisters, crusts, plaques and pustules.
If the necessary measures are not taken, the scale of the damage will be great and the process of departure will be accompanied by pain. Knowing how foot fungus looks and manifests itself, the patient can seek help from a specialist in time and avoid dangerous consequences.
When it comes to therapeutic treatment, it is important to know the types of the disease. The way to approach the problem is determined only after a thorough examination under the microscope and drawing up the clinical picture. Various exfoliating agents are used to clean the skin from rashes. These include ointments and creams containing salicylic acid. Complex treatment also includes antifungal drugs.
If the degree of damage is very severe, highly effective compresses and emollients are used. The success of fighting the disease depends on the patient's responsibility and willingness to start treatment on time.
Methods of infection
There are many causes and factors that determine nail damage from fungal diseases. In most cases, this happens directly - when the nail plates come into contact with soil or vegetation, sick people or animals. As for indirect ways, they look like this:
- If a person uses the things and personal belongings of the mushroom carrier.
- If a person comes into contact with pet care products.
There are also many predisposing factors that increase the risk of developing mycosis. These include age-related characteristics, as young children suffer more from the disease due to extremely thin skin and the lack of necessary protective functions in the body. 
In addition, a fungal infection attacks a patient with a weakened immune status. If the immune system is weakened, it cannot fight such manifestations, which leads to destructive processes.
Other factors include:
- Insufficient functioning of the nervous and endocrine systems. Because of this, protective mechanisms are weakened.
- The development of chronic infectious diseases, which have a negative effect on the immune system, increases the probability of the development of fungi.
- Excessive sweating of the feet. This discomfort is a congenital pathology or the result of wearing uncomfortable shoes.
- Changes in sweat composition. This process creates a breeding ground for fungal microorganisms, which leads to their activation.
Symptoms of rubrophytosis
A parasite called Tr. The main cause of Mentagrophytesvar dangerous fungal disease is rubrophytosis. Due to its small size, it immediately settles in the stratum corneum or granular layers of the skin, causing the development of allergies and other unpleasant processes. In most cases, the vital activity of the parasite is accompanied by the following reactions:
- Swelling with a tight crust.
- Appearance of pustules and swelling.
- Severe skin corrosion.
- The appearance of scales and crusts on the skin causes pain.
- The processes of yellowing and deformation of nail plates.
In addition, the development of severe itching and pain during walking cannot be excluded. During the clinical examination, the specialist draws a general picture and describes the symptoms while examining the scraper.
If the disease develops rapidly and worsens, the patient can be prescribed 0. 25% silver nitrate, 1% resorcinol and 10% calcium. Antihistamines are used to fight allergic manifestations. In severe cases, highly effective anti-fungal drugs combat the symptoms of rubrophytosis.
Candidiasis of the foot
Candidiasis of the foot is rare. The causative agent of the disease is a dangerous fungus of the genus Candida, which exists peacefully in any organism, but is conditionally dangerous and does not pose a great threat. But if the number of microorganisms begins to increase, it causes concern and serious health consequences. Additional factors contribute to this, including the deterioration of the immune system, frequent hypothermia, stressful situations and an unhealthy lifestyle. As for external factors, they include:
- Prolonged exposure to water causes a massive separation of the layers of the skin.
- Accidents at home or at work.
- Using shoes of the wrong size or material.
Manifestations of onychomycosis
When trying to understand how the fungus looks on the toes, you need to learn about another dangerous type of pathology - onychomycosis. Its development is accompanied by fungal infection of the nails after water procedures in ordinary swimming pools, showers and saunas. In terms of spread, the disease is not inferior to mycosis, because the scales with dangerous parasites are quickly separated from the nail plates and then found on fabric surfaces, benches or carpets. If the environment has high humidity, the parasite not only finds itself in comfortable conditions, but also begins to work on the reproduction of the colony.
In the early stages, the pathogen affects the skin of the feet, causing itching. As a result, the patient wants to scratch his leg, but this aggravates the problem. Soon, the skin is covered with small cracks and scratches, and pathogens begin to settle under the nail and multiply actively.
The probability of encountering pathology increases many times with the presence of nail injuries, unbalanced blood circulation and complex diseases, including diabetes and sexually transmitted diseases.
Depending on the form and degree of damage, nail fungus is divided into three groups:
- Normotrophic. As it develops, the color of the nails becomes yellowish-brown. The thickness and shape of the nail remains the same.
- Hypertrophic. This causes the final color change, loss of shine and deformation of the nail shape. This type of onychomycosis causes pain and does not allow the patient to move freely. The problem can be aggravated by wearing uncomfortable shoes.
- Onycholytic. Pathology leads to a change in the shade of the nails, causing them to turn brown. In addition, the plates lose their usual strength and begin to delaminate. Deformed layers appear in open areas of the nail bed.
Effective treatment
The use of local antifungal drugs to treat the disease is practically useless, which is explained by the deep penetration of microorganisms under the nails. Before starting to fight the pathology, it is necessary to localize the fungus. For this, specialists prescribe keratolytic drugs or patches to the patient. Sometimes the problem is solved mechanically by cutting the deformed and dead areas of the nail plate with a file or special nippers. When performing this procedure, you must make sure that the tool is clean.
The most effective way to fight nail fungus is the combined use of patches and mechanical nail cleaning. As a keratolytic agent, you can use a set consisting of a patch, a nail file and a special ointment. Systemic antifungal drugs should be used at the end of the nail removal procedure.
Folk treatment
It is quite possible to get rid of foot fungus without the help of a specialist. However, self-treatment should be treated with special responsibility, realizing that such a process may require a lot of time and effort. It should also be taken into account that different fungi have their own reaction to the effect of any medicine or folk remedy. Home remedies, if not used correctly, can aggravate the problem by helping to detect parasites.
In order to prevent the development of such events and to successfully destroy the fungal colony, it is necessary to combine the correct cleaning of the skin with the cleaning of the body of pathogenic microorganisms and the comprehensive restoration of the epidermal layer. For these purposes, it is recommended to use baths, wipe your feet and palms with antiseptics every day. The most effective folk remedies for the bath are:
- Boric acid;
- Apple cider vinegar;
- hydrogen peroxide.
To prepare a bath, you need to take 20 grams of one of the above compounds and dilute it in a liter of boiled water. After that, the feet are placed in the solution for 20-40 minutes. To observe a significant improvement in the condition of your nails, it is enough to carry out such procedures regularly for several weeks.
To clean the skin from redness, itching and burning, it is recommended to wipe your feet with a mixture of baking soda and salt every day. A good antibacterial and anti-inflammatory scrub can be a mixture of equal amounts of minerals and essential oils. The selected components are mixed and the affected areas are covered with the finished mixture.
Tar soap is a serious enemy of fungi. It contains birch resin, which has long been considered one of the most powerful antibacterial agents. It should be applied to the affected areas and washed off after 5 minutes. The course of treatment with this soap takes two weeks. At the end of the procedure, the skin is treated with zinc cream or ointment.
Hardware solutions
If the nail fungus problem has significantly worsened and any folk or official treatment practically does not work, you can use an innovative solution - hardware treatment. This method is very effective and can be the only salvation in cases where other drugs are powerless.
Among the available methods, laser treatment with erbium lasers is the most common. It cauterizes the mycelium and allows you to get rid of the visible symptoms of nail fungus. In addition, the technology allows you to clean the skin around the nails, between the fingers and on the feet, restoring its previous elasticity and attractiveness.
If you follow the basic rules of skin care for fungal diseases of the feet, it is quite possible to destroy this dangerous pathology. It is important not to delay treatment for the future and take appropriate measures immediately if suspicious symptoms appear.