One fifth of the European population suffers from athlete's foot.
These are data from a survey conducted in all European countries. Foot fungus most often starts with intercostal folds for the following reasons:
- vascular diseases of the legs (21%);
- obesity (17%);
- pathology of the legs - narrow interdigital spaces, diabetic foot, flat feet (15%);
- trauma to the skin, nails and fingers due to tight shoes, sports injuries, pedicure with edges.
Favorite place of occurrence of mycosis of the feet - the narrowest spaces between 3, 4, 5 toes. From there, the fungus affects all the interdigital folds, the skin of the sole with side edges, the back of the foot, the nails
How to recognize mycosis of the foot? Symptoms of fungus on the toes
- A crack or funnel appears between the toes, the edges of which are covered with whitish or greenish squamous (scaly) skin;
- The crack may cry from exudate;
- A round diaper rash with peeling skin appears under and between the fingers (intertriginous symptoms);
- With the erased flow between the fingers, the cracks are hardly noticeable, but the peeling acquires 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 no great discomfort.
In the "sleeping", erased state, the fungus between the toes can remain indefinitely, hiding the symptoms. But the processes will grow. Gradually, the skin looks drier, rougher, rougher, flaky, acquires a dirty-yellow-gray color, horns to calcification, cracks in particularly rough places.
Simultaneously or sequentially occurs stage of onychomycosis - lesions of the nails, which change color, thicken, exfoliate and crumble. They come to such an end in the later stages, when the symptoms clearly show long-term neglect of health.
The second way of development of the fungus between the fingers is less common (about 8%). It is a "wet", vesicular or exudative fungus in which there are ruptured vesicles of vesicles and ulcers after them. Such wet mycosis between the toes affects people with severe stress, long walks, wearing bad, tight, unventilated shoes, withimproper fungal therapy, with self-medication with antifungals and corticosteroids.
If you sabotage the treatment of the fungus between the toes, 80-100% of patients will be affected by 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. And an ingrown toenail is also a painful treatment.
How to cure interdigital fungus?
Even if all these symptoms appear after many years, you should immediately start treating the fungus between the fingers, because it is a highly contagious and insoluble infection.
We go to the dermatologist. Before treatment, he scrapes his fingers and examines it using microscopy, culture or DNA analysis. Microscopy reveals mycelial fibers or spores.
Systemic treatment consists of taking tablets or capsules with antifungals. These accumulate in the horny tissues, entering the bloodstream and destroying the fungus for many weeks after taking the drug.
The disadvantage is that systemic drugs are moderately hepatotoxic (have a detrimental effect on the weak liver) and therefore the treatment cannot be used in people with liver disease, pregnant women, lactating women, young and old. The type of drug 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; in advanced stages they need to be treated for a long time.
You can also treat with topical medications 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 intensive, so you should tell your doctor immediately if your resources are limited.
Home therapy and prevention of fungal infections. It is useless to treat the fungus yourself. The information allows us to talk about its exceptional viability and high recurrence potential.
Prevention is an effective means of protection.
- Check family members for fungal symptoms. Intra-family pollution is a common occurrence. All must be treated;
- Do not use other people's shoes, socks, pedicure set, do not wipe with a common towel;
- Not all mushrooms die even at 100 degrees Celsius, but a significant part - yes, so wash bed linen and bed linen at 90 degrees;
- Disinfect shoes with antifungal spray once a month, bathroom surfaces once a week;
- Do not walk barefoot in public places and do pedicures in well-disinfected salons;
- To prevent the fungus, you can use an antifungal ointment that is applied to clean and dry feet;
- Do not put on your shoes until your feet are dry.
Dermatologists also advise doing a pedicure at least once a month and a half, removing dead tissue. It is in them that fungi like to settle. Better safe than sorry.
At the clinic you can undergo an examination and consultation with a dermatovenerologist.