One fifth of the European population is sick with mycosis of the legs.
These are data from a study conducted in all European countries. The fungus on the feet most often begins with interdigital folds, for the following reasons:
- vascular diseases of the legs (21%);
- obesity (17%);
- leg pathology - narrow interdigital spaces, diabetic foot, flat feet (15%);
- trauma to the skin, nails and fingers due to tight shoes, sports injuries, edged pedicure.
Favorite place of occurrence of mycosis of the legs - the tightest spaces between the 3, 4, 5 toes. From there, the fungus affects all interdigital folds, the skin of the sole with lateral edges, the back of the foot, nails
How to recognize mycosis of the foot? Toe fungus symptoms
- A crack or funnel appears between the toes, the edges of which are covered with whitish or greenish squamous (flaky) skin;
- The crack may be weeping with exudate;
- Circular diaper rash with peeling skin appears under and between the fingers (intertriginous symptoms);
- With the erased flow between the toes, the cracks are hardly noticeable, but the peeling takes on a flour-like character (the skin looks as if it is sprinkled with flour - these are its affected scales). Symptoms are especially common in children;
- There is a slight itching between the fingers, but there is no great discomfort.
In a "dormant", erased state, the fungus between the toes can remain indefinitely, hiding the symptoms. But the processes will grow. Gradually, the skin looks more and more dry, rough, rough, flaky, acquires a dirty yellow-gray color, becomes horny up to calcification, cracks in especially rough places.
Simultaneously or sequentially, the stage of onychomycosis occurs - nail lesions that change color, thicken, exfoliate and crumble. They come to such a finish in the later stages, when the symptoms clearly indicate long-term neglect of health.
The second path of development of the fungus between the fingers is more rare (about 8%). This is a "wet", vesicular or exudative fungus, in which there are bursting vesicle vesicles and ulceration after them. Such wet mycosis between the toes affects people with severe stress, with long hikes, wearing bad, tight, unventilated shoes, with improper fungal therapy, with self-treatment with antimycosis and corticosteroids.
If you sabotage the treatment of the fungus between the toes, 80-100% of patients will be affected by the toenails, 20% - on the hands. The look is sad and repulsive, the nail looks like crumbling dust or laundry soap. It can also take on the appearance of a "vulture claw" or grow in. And an ingrown toenail is also a painful treatment.
How to cure interdigital fungus?
Even if all these symptoms come after many years, you need to start treating the fungus between the fingers right away, because it is a highly contagious and intractable infection.
We go to the dermatologist. Before treating, he makes a scraping from his fingers and examines it using microscopy, culture or DNA analysis. Microscopy reveals mycelium filaments or spores.
Systemic treatment consists of taking tablets or capsules with antimycotics. Those accumulate in the horny tissues, entering through the blood, and destroy the fungus for many weeks after taking the drug
The downside is that systemic drugs are moderately hepatoxic (they have a bad effect on a weak liver), and therefore the treatment cannot be applied to people with a diseased liver, pregnant women, lactating women, young and old. The type of medication depends on the nature of the pathogen. If the symptoms are unclear and the type is not established, treatment with a broad-spectrum drug is prescribed. The use of systemic drugs is still a risk, with advanced stages they need to be treated for a long time.
You can also treat with local drugs that are applied to the lesions. Such drugs often have a wide range of effects, and kill both fungi and bacteria. The treatment is long and intense, so you should tell your doctor right away if your funds are limited.
Home therapy and prevention of fungal infections. It is useless to treat the fungus yourself. Data allow us to speak about its exceptional survivability and high recurrent potential.
Prevention is an effective remedy.
- Check family members for fungal symptoms. Intrafamilial contamination is common. All need to be treated;
- Do not use someone else's shoes, socks, pedicure set, do not wipe yourself with a common towel;
- Not all fungi die even at 100 degrees Celsius, but a significant part - yes, so wash bedding and bath linen at 90 degrees;
- Disinfect shoes with antimycotine spray once a month, bathroom surfaces once a week;
- In public places, do not go barefoot, and do pedicure in well-disinfected salons;
- For the prevention of fungus, you can use antimycotic ointment, which is applied to clean and dry feet;
- Don't put on your shoes until your feet are dry.
Dermatologists also advise to do a pedicure at least once a month and a half, removing dead tissue. It is in them that the fungus loves to settle. Better to beware than to cure later.
In the clinic, you can undergo examination and consultation with a dermatovenerologist.