Many people, watching advertisements on TV about foot fungus remedies, switch channels and think, "It does not concern me, I will never have fungus! "Getting rid of it is extremely difficult.
Sometimes they do not see a dermatologist in time for a fungal infection of the feet because they do not believe it is. "This is not a mushroom, my friend had a mushroom and it did not look like that, " some argue. In fact, the symptoms of this infection can be different and if you have discomfort in the leg area, contact your doctor immediately. He will pass the tests and only then make a diagnosis.
Or maybe you do not pay attention to the itching, peeling of the skin, change in the condition of the toenails? Ultimately, it is not a disease of the internal organs and does not pose any horror. And it is a shame to go to the doctor, suddenly thinking he is some kind of bomb. This view is also widespread among the population. Such an attitude towards one's own health can be called irresponsible. After all, it is easier to cure a fungus by taking it at an early stage, otherwise the disease will either disappear or worsen again. And most importantly, the fungus can infect your family members as well. Consequently, there can be no two opinions on this issue. Treatment, period!
How and where are they infected with the fungus?
Mushrooms can wait anywhere we go barefoot: on the beach, in the pool, in the bath, and usually even in the apartment. In general, this infection can affect any area of the skin, but the feet are most often affected due to several factors. This includes constant wearing of low-quality materials in shoes, increased foot sweating, and more frequent contact with surfaces on which the fungus may live. The mycelium spreads very quickly under the skin, causing itching and other discomfort.
Let’s take a closer look at the ways of infection.
- Fungi can be spread from person to person when they wear the same shoes (for example, room slippers), socks, using the same towel, as well as from sexual partners who go to bed.
- When walking barefoot in public pools, baths, saunas, beaches. The humid environment for the fungus is ideal conditions for reproduction. Shale or shoe covers prevent infection.
- Manicure and pedicure in the room if the tools are not sterilized enough, or just when using someone else's tools at home. It is best to visit a well-established manicure specialist who has not had such excesses and use personal remedies at home and treat them with alcohol.
Strengthening the immune system will help reduce risk factors, but no one has abolished the rules of personal hygiene. It is important to trust the treatment of fungi to doctors and do not use folk recipes.
How to detect foot fungus?
Many infections are suitable for the concept of fungi, their manifestations may be different. But there are many symptoms that are common to most of them.
First of all, itching. At first it is weak, but over time it becomes stronger, unbearable, especially at night. Foot baths with heirlooms, sage and other herbs provide temporary relief, but the fungus does not disappear and continues to cause itching and burning.
Brackets take on a non-presentation look. They turn yellow and dark, the color may be heterogeneous, broken, flaky, their surface is bumpy. Changes in the nail plate start from the edge and gradually extend to the cuticle itself.
Over time, the feet begin to sweat, even in sandals and flip-flops, and develop an unbearable odor.
The skin on the feet may not be bleached at all, or it may be slightly reddened and then bleached.
If you experience any of these symptoms, you should consult your doctor. Perhaps it rules out the diagnosis of fungi and itching can be a common allergy. But you can find out only after passing the tests. Neglecting the disease can lead to complete removal of the nails, permanent scratching of the skin can damage it, and infection appears inside and causes ulcers.
How to treat foot fungus?
Do as your doctor advises! Tests will show you what type of fungus you are infected with and treatment will depend on it. Sometimes your doctor may recommend the use of folk remedies in combination with pharmaceuticals and medical procedures. Let’s take a closer look at all of these methods.
- Laser treatment.During laser treatment, the beam penetrates deep into the skin, destroying the fungal thread - mycelium. The number of sessions is three to ten. Wave radiation is generated by a special apparatus. The fungus is gradually destroyed by such an effect. Sometimes wave treatment can last up to three months with small breaks.
- Medical procedures.This includes wave radiation therapy, skin cleansing with a medical manicure or pedicure. Medical manicures or pedicures do not provide deep treatment for fungi, they are used already at the end of the disease to make the nails on the hands or feet look more or less normal.
- Medications.Only a doctor can prescribe this or that medication. It can be tablets, ointments, creams, lotions, varnishes.
- Folk remedies.These are trays, infusions, oils with herbs and other parts of plants. They are used only in combination with medications. Baths can relieve itching, improve the appearance of the skin, but they do not completely relieve the fungus. The most popular are baths with oak bark or celandine, propolis tincture on alcohol, tea tree oil.
It makes sense to repeat once again: treating a fungus is not an easy task and you should not start it without a doctor, otherwise you can take the disease deeper, but it will remind you regularly.