Toenail fungus is one of the diseases that many people face at some point in their lives. It is highly likely to occur during periods when personal hygiene and hygiene are disrupted. Nail fungus, which is also cosmetically annoying, negatively affects the health of hand and foot nails. In daily life, it causes people to be uncomfortable with its appearance and also causes bad odors. Therefore, it is important to treat it as soon as possible.
What is Nail Fungus?
Nail fungus, which can occur in individuals of all ages, can be seen on the hands or feet. Since it is contagious, it is necessary to be more careful in order to prevent the transmission of the disease. Nail fungus has the ability to spread quickly and can be transmitted to all family members at once. In order to be protected from nail fungus, it is necessary to know why this disease occurs and how to prevent it.
The main reason why nails are exposed to fungal infection in healthy and normal individuals is fungi in wet and humid environments. Places such as gyms, showers, baths, swimming pools, changing rooms are the source points where fungi can infect. It is possible for fungi to be transmitted from any crack or cut in the nail.
- With its progression, nail fungus changes the color of the nail and causes the nail to thicken.
- Over time, this situation can start to cause pain to patients.
- Fungi can occur in any nail, regardless of fingernails or toenails, but because the feet are in a more humid and warm environment, they commonly occur on the feet.
- The fungus continues to develop unless these conditions change. Different types of fungi can affect different nails at the same time. Although this is not very common, it is possible.
- If left untreated, nail fungus can spread to the skin or other parts of the body. Therefore, it is important to start treatment as soon as possible.
- Delaying the treatment of nail fungus causes the color of the nail to become darker, the nail to harden and thicken, and the nail to break down from the edges to the inner part. In the individual who has nail fungus once, the disease is cured. It may reappear later. This is common. For this reason, patients who have been treated for nail fungus before and who have overcome this disease should pay attention to nail hygiene and care.
- In babies, nail fungus progresses in the same way as adults. Nail fungus is common in babies, as in adults.
What are the Symptoms of Nail Fungus?
Symptoms of nail fungus are similar in many patients.
- Infected nails are usually thicker than normal and grow irregularly.
- Fractures and folds may be observed on the edges.
- Also, irregular breaks may occur when the nail is tried to be cut.
- The color of nails with fungus often begins to change. Many fungi can infect nails, but the most common is Trichophyton Rubrum fungus, which tends to infect the skin as well. For this reason, the presence of this type of fungus on the nails causes the skin to become infected and change its color.
- Inflammation occurs on the skin affected by the fungus. In some cases, white dot formations are observed on the nail and these spots grow over time. If the treatment of the disease is delayed and continues to progress, inflammation may occur between the nail and the skin.
- These inflammations form discharges over time and these discharges emit a foul odor. Further growth of the inflammation may cause the nail to separate from the flesh and fall off.
What are the Causes of Nail Fungus?
Many types of fungi can cause nail fungus. Considering that fungi are very common in our world, this disease is quite common in individuals. Although rare, some yeasts and molds can also cause nail infections. Their symptoms are almost the same as infections caused by fungi.
Toenail fungus is likely to occur in individuals of all ages, but most commonly occurs in older people. As people age, nails age too, becoming more brittle and dry. For this reason, cracks and bruises are more resistant to fungi on nails. lay causes them to penetrate. The decrease in blood circulation in the hands and feet with age and the weakening of the immune system cause the nails to become more vulnerable to fungi.
It is very unlikely that nail fungus can be transmitted directly from an individual to a healthy individual, but the abundance of common areas increases this probability. Too much sweating increases the risk of fungal growth. Therefore, the risk of fungal infections in athletes is very high. Walking barefoot in public areas such as swimming pools, baths, gyms and showers increases the risk of fungal infection.
Individuals with diabetes are more likely to have a fungal infection because their immune systems are weak. Again, nail fungus is more common in smokers. However, nail fungus is more common in men. In addition, those who are under water too much face the problem of nail fungus more than others.
How to Diagnose Nail Fungus?
Diagnosing nail fungus is not very difficult for doctors. Physical examination is often sufficient for diagnosis. However, a piece of the nail or under the nail can be examined to determine the type of fungus that causes nail fungus. As a result of the examination in the laboratory, the type of fungus that causes nail fungus can be determined and treatment can be applied accordingly. Individuals with psoriasis can sometimes experience nail fungus-like conditions. As a result of this examination, nail fungus can be distinguished from psoriasis.
Microorganisms such as yeast and bacteria are also likely to infect the nails. Identifying the cause of the infection is very important for the most effective treatment. There are no different procedures for hand nail fungus or toenail fungus. Diagnosis and treatment methods are the same for both nail fungus. As a result of examinations and tests, the doctor can determine the most appropriate treatment according to the type of fungus and can quickly apply. is common. Doctors start the treatment of the patient with nail fungus drugs according to the type of fungus found in the patient. Oral antifungal drugs It is possible to start treatment with These drugs are often the first choice because they are more successful than other drugs at eliminating the infection. These drugs help the newly growing nail to grow healthily and to get rid of the fungus over time. Mostly, this treatment continues for 12 weeks, but the doctor will determine the appropriate time. Since there are serious side effects such as skin rashes and liver damage, patients using these drugs are kept under constant control and tests are done regularly. If there is no negative result, drug treatment is continued. These medications may not be recommended for patients with liver or heart disease. In such cases, different treatment methods are applied. One of these methods is known as nail fungus cream. After the nails are wetted, these creams are applied to the nails and the cream is expected to prevent the fungus. The thick upper part of the nail may be scraped a little before the creams are applied. Thus, it is easier for the cream to reach the underlying fungal tissue and the treatment becomes more effective.
The treatment lasts for approximately one year. If the disease progresses too much, nail removal surgeries are also among the options so that the drugs can be more effective. You can use the contact form on our website to reach us.
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