Fungal infections of the skin, face, body, mycosis of the nail and any other presence of fungus of any type of organism, has an extremely detrimental effect on the whole body as a whole. Immunity decreases, the patient’s general condition worsens, and the course of many chronic diseases is complicated.
A dermatologist and specialists with extensive experience in treating a fungus of any complexity are unanimous in the opinion that the lack of timely treatment leads to irreversible consequences, tissue damage and, in general, a decrease in the standard of living of the sick person.
Basic knowledge of how the fungus is transmitted, what to do in case of infection, how to protect yourself and loved ones, and how to treat fungal diseases, will help to avoid many years of torment with this ailment. The article below describes how to prevent, protect and classify the varieties of mycoses.
What fungal skin disease look like?
Fungal diseases of the skin, fungus on the hands, feet and nails are extremely common diseases. The fungus is present in the body of every sixth inhabitant of the planet. The variety of fungi in nature is striking in its quantity and differences in damage; not all species are dangerous to humans. The human body is mainly affected by such fungi as:
- actinomycosis, which affects the face;
- dermatophytes affecting hair and skin;
- chromomycosis leading to the formation of ulcers on the body;
- phycosis of feet and nails;
- rubomycosis, which also affects the nail plate.
All fungal diseases look different, it is often not so easy to distinguish their type, the affected areas of the body, as a rule, are sampled for analysis and after that a conclusion is made about the type of pathogen and its characteristics.
What fungal skin diseases, mycoses and subcutaneous lesions look like can only be judged by the characteristic formations, which are usually accompanied by itching and pain. These are both small plaques of a small size, and extensive lesions of the skin in the form of mycelium with the main focus, which quickly spread. There is no doubt about whether the nail fungus is transmitted on the hands, feet, skin, hair and nails, and it is recommended to avoid contact with this person when seeing any lesions in other people.
Mycosis of the nail
Mycosis, dermatomycosis, and in the case of nail fungus, onychomycosis, is also an infectious disease transmitted by the household. What is the danger of nail fungus and how nail fungus affects the body, it is important to know when an infection occurs. Fungus of the nail, feet, fingernails affects not only the surface of the location, but also:
- Complicates the course of a disease such as diabetes mellitus ;
- Dangerous in the diagnosis of varicose veins , varicose veins and aggravates the course of the disease;
- Increases the risk of other bacteria and pathogenic microflora entering the affected areas of the nail, feet and hands;
- Causes allergic reactions;
- Aggravates the course of the disease in asthmatics;
- Provokes dermatitis;
- It worsens the general emotional state of the patient, leads to depression, neuroses and, in general, dissatisfaction with life.
After all the above disadvantages of the disease, the infected person asks whether it is possible to die from nail fungus, definitely not, but untreated mycosis of the nail leads to much more complex consequences than it seems at first glance and negatively affects the body. Fighting nail fungus of any etiology is a necessary and urgent measure; it is not always easy to cure the fungus at a late stage.
Common symptoms and manifestations of nail fungus include:
- Redness of the skin of the affected area, feet, between the toes, around the nail itself;
- Itching and swelling;
- Dryness and flaking;
- Nails grow cloudy, turn yellow or change their color to any other color;
- The nail itself is deformed, grows in, its cover and shape are bent;
- Destruction and thickening of the nail plate.
These and many other symptoms of any changes in the nails of the hands and feet indicate the presence of nail fungus. To establish a more accurate diagnosis, you need to contact a mycologist. But, as a rule, every second case of nail and foot disease is fungal.
Treatment and prevention of fungus
Is it possible to get rid of the fungus at home, the question that first comes to mind for those who were not lucky enough to become the owner of this unpleasant disease. The answer to this question is unambiguous, it is impossible to get rid of yourself and diagnose a fungal disease.
The help of a specialist is needed, since even a qualified mycologist and a dermatologist are not able to determine the nature and presence of a fungal infection by eye. It is necessary to conduct a laboratory study and already on the basis of this, a correctly selected method of treating the fungus is applied.
The consequences of an advanced form of a fungal disease are unpredictable, since the fungus affects not only individual areas, but the entire body as a whole. The age group of patients is especially at risk of complications. Below are recommendations for the prevention of the disease and tips on how to avoid infection with the fungus:
- Other people’s things and the possible risk of illness through contact with someone else’s towel, shoes, gloves, clothes, combs and hygiene products. Disregard of this simple rule and the use of other people’s things is likely to lead to infection.
- Hygiene in public places such as sauna, swimming pool, beach, fitness club. It is imperative to wear special shoes both in changing rooms and in other places. After visiting, you must wash your feet with soap and water.
- Correctly fitted shoes and socks. Shoes should be breathable and cotton socks are preferred. Regular disinfection of shoes is also a guarantee of protection against fungus.
- Bath rugs are also a breeding ground for microflora. Better to avoid such items.
- The bathroom itself, the bathhouse, the shower room must be kept clean, disinfected and ventilated to prevent dampness and the greenhouse effect.
- Immunity is an important defense of the body against fungus, even when fungal spores get on the skin, the disease does not always occur, since a healthy body has its own protection. It is important to maintain good immunity, eat right, walk, exercise and lead a healthy lifestyle.
Conclusions
How to deal with the fungus and what to do if there is a fungus on the nails, we learned from the above material. In one opinion, they agree with an effective fight against any fungal disease, the help of a specialist is needed, self-medication and starting the course of the disease is highly discouraged. It is also important not to underestimate the basic methods of prevention and protection from infection.