Fungus on feet is an extremely unpleasant and very common infectious disease.According to statistics, every fifth person in the world experiences symptoms of a fungal infection at least once in their life.The widespread spread of the fungus is only prevented by the body's defenses and the achievements of modern medicine.Mycosis can be cured;The only important thing is to recognize the disease early and start the right therapy.
Causes of fungi
Fungal diseases of the skin (mycoses) most often occur against a background of reduced immunity.Because the human body is unable to protect itself from dangerous infectious agents, it is susceptible to a variety of diseases.In this case, not only internal organs suffer.
Changes in local immunity lead to increased skin permeability.The skin can no longer fulfill its protective function, pathogens penetrate inside and lead to inflammation.Fungal formation on the feet is an unpleasant phenomenon that can significantly ruin the life of any person.
They provoke fungal diseases and skin damage.Abrasions, scratches, and cuts, not to mention open wounds, are all entry points for any infection.
And if a healthy person can still cope with the fungus, with reduced immunity, any wound can cause disease.The fungus penetrates the skin, multiplies and causes considerable discomfort by its mere existence.
In advanced cases, toe fungus can spread to the skin of the feet and legs and cause serious illness.
Factors provoking the development of mycoses:
- vascular diseases of the legs;
- metabolic diseases (diabetes mellitus);
- obesity;
- wear tight shoes;
- toe injuries;
- Damage to the skin around the nails during pedicure.
Athlete's foot is a common problem for people who visit public baths and saunas.A hot, humid room is an ideal environment for fungi to multiply and spread on human skin.
You can catch an infection both in the swimming pool and on the beach.Wherever you have to walk barefoot or wear someone else's (public) shoes, the risk of a fungal infection increases many times over.
It has been found that fungal diseases of the foot and cuticles occur more frequently in people who are overweight.Mycoses also occur against the background of diabetes mellitus and other metabolic diseases.
The thing is that with such pathologies, blood circulation in the lower extremities suffers.Every small scratch in diabetes takes a long time to heal and is an ideal entry point for a fungal infection.
Fungi between the toes are also a common companion in older people due to the age-related weakening of immunity.
Symptoms of a fungal infection
What does an interdigital fungus look like?It is difficult to confuse the signs of the disease with something else, and an experienced doctor only needs one look at the patient to make a diagnosis.Typical symptoms allow you to recognize the fungus at the earliest stage of its appearance:
- cracks or sores between the toes;
- excessive flaking (yellow or whitish scales);
- areas of peeling skin between the fingers;
- Itching;
- get wet.
The symptoms of the disease can be very diverse.In some people, fungus appears as weeping sores between the toes.
In some cases, ulcers and cracks may be covered with typical whitish or yellowish scales.The peeling can be very strong or slightly noticeable.
Areas of loose and dead skin often appear between the toes.A typical sign of a fungal infection is itching, although this can vary greatly in severity.
For some, itching becomes a very painful companion of the disease, while for others the fungus only causes mild discomfort.The skin with mycoses is usually red and there may be scratch marks.
All of these signs make it possible to accurately recognize athlete's foot and distinguish it from other skin diseases.
A fungal infection between the toes is often accompanied by nail infections.A typical nail fungus looks like this:
- thickening of nails;
- Change in nail color (from pale pink to yellow, gray or brown);
- peeling of nails;
- fragility of the nail plate;
- Itching and pain in the nail area.
Special mushroom shapes
In some cases, athlete's foot causes more than just the appearance of cracks and weeping ulcers.When a fungal infection develops, small blisters filled with clear or cloudy fluid may appear.
The skin swells and becomes red.Over time, the bubbles burst and shallow depressions appear in their place.The ulcers hurt very much and heal rather slowly.Scarring is not typical.
This form of fungal infection is commonly referred to as vesicular-erosive.In the eradicated form of the disease, the skin does not change as much.During the chronic course of the disease, the skin only peels off in certain areas.
First and foremost is peeling and roughening the skin.Over time, the skin becomes increasingly rough and takes on a characteristic yellowish color.Over time, the process can spread to the lower leg, thigh and buttocks regions.
diagnosis
To recognize fungi on the feet, a careful examination of the skin on the feet, the spaces between the toes and the nails is sufficient.Typical symptoms of the disease leave no doubt about the diagnosis.
To find out what type of fungus lives on the skin, you need to scrape the affected areas and send the material to the laboratory.Bacteriological sowing of the material allows an accurate determination of the causative agent of the disease.
The test results will be available in a few days, after which the doctor can begin treating the fungal infection.
Local therapy
Treatment of fungus between toes begins with the selection of antifungal drugs.All means that can be used to treat an infection are divided into general and local drugs.
Local therapy is used in the early stages of the disease, when the fungal infection affects only the skin between the toes.Topical preparations are also often used for combined nail lesions.
A large selection of medications allows you to choose the right drug for almost any situation.A dermatologist should prescribe antifungal medications.
Self-medication in this situation can lead to a worsening of the condition, as the wrong medication can accelerate the progression of the disease.In addition, many antifungal drugs have numerous contraindications and can cause serious harm to health.
Which remedies help against athlete's foot?If the interdigital folds are affected, it is best to use creams and ointments.It should be noted that the skin in this area is quite thin.Careless actions can injure the space between the fingers and lead to the spread of infection.
The ointment or cream should be applied carefully and in a thin layer to cracks and ulcers.When processing, you should cover not only the area affected by the fungus, but also the skin 2-3 cm around the areas.
This is necessary in order to destroy the elements of the fungus in areas of still healthy skin.What is better for athlete's foot: ointment or cream?The choice depends solely on the form of the disease.The ointment is recommended for use on dry and flaky skin.
It penetrates deep into the affected area and effectively fights fungi that have become chronic.The ointment can also be applied under the bandage so that the medicine penetrates into the deeper layers of the skin.
Fungal infections should be treated with cream at the stage of severe exacerbation of the disease.Itching, oozing, ulcers and erosions are direct indications for using the cream.The cream is quickly absorbed into the skin and leaves practically no marks on clothing.
Preparations in the form of a cream do not penetrate into the deep layers of the skin and are not used in cases of severe roughness and peeling of the skin.Many medications for eliminating athlete's foot are available in two forms at once.
Dermatologists recommend applying the ointment at night to enhance the effect of the product on dry and thickened areas of the skin.The cream can be used during the day to eliminate ulcers and oozing and under clothing.
In contrast to cream, ointment is much less easily absorbed and often leaves stains on laundry that are difficult to remove.What medications can be used to treat fungus between the fingers?
The choice of agent depends on the pathogen identified.
Many drugs can treat not only fungal but also bacterial infections, so they can be used for mixed lesions of the skin of the feet.
Systemic therapy
The treatment of athlete's foot is not only possible with local medications.In some cases, doctors prescribe medications that affect the entire body.
Systemic therapy may be necessary if multiple interdigital spaces are affected at the same time and the process spreads to the nails and feet.
In their practice, dermatologists most often use antifungal drugs that effectively relieve itching and inflammation and help eliminate the main symptoms of a fungal infection.
- dysbacteriosis;
- dyspeptic disorders (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea);
- Headache;
- cardiac arrhythmias;
- liver and kidney damage;
- allergic reactions.
Long-term treatment of athlete's foot with systemic medications can lead to serious dysfunction of the entire body.
That is why it is so important that such funds are prescribed only by a doctor after a comprehensive examination.The duration of therapy and the dosage of drugs are selected taking into account the course of the infection and the presence of various concomitant diseases in the patient.
An important point: treatment with systemic antimycotics must be completed!Do not stop taking medication unless absolutely necessary.
Incomplete therapy can lead to the development of drug resistance.In the future, it will be quite difficult to get rid of the mutated fungus and achieve recovery.
Folk remedies
Is it possible to treat athlete's foot with folk remedies?It is believed that alternative methods of therapy can really relieve itching and eliminate other symptoms of fungal infections of the skin and nails.
Kombucha is considered a good remedy against mycoses.This plant was introduced from Japan in the last century and has enjoyed great popularity for many years.
A small piece of kombucha is rubbed into the spaces between the fingers twice a day for a month.If necessary, treatment can be repeated after a two-week break.
Propolis and tea tree oil are also used to combat fungi.Treatment of athlete's foot is also possible with the help of regular soda diluted in hot water (at the rate of 1 tablespoon of soda per 3 liters of water).
The affected skin and nail areas are treated with the cooled solution twice a day.It should be remembered that treating fungus with folk remedies is possible only in the early stages of the disease.In advanced cases, when the fungus affects the entire skin of the feet and nails, you should definitely see a doctor.
Ways to treat fungus with homemade products
- Garlic.
You need to cut off half a clove of garlic, roll it in salt and rub it into the problem areas of the skin.Another way to use garlic is to grind the clove into a paste and make a compress on the affected areas or simply rub the mixture on them.
- Onion.
Grind the onion into a paste and then spread it on the sore spots on the surface of the skin.If there are wounds or burst blisters on the skin, you can add petroleum jelly to the onion mixture (one to one ratio).Squeezed onion juice is also used to treat infections.With this liquid you need to wipe the infected skin areas.
- chicken egg.
To prepare the medicine, you need to pour vinegar over a raw whole egg and let it brew in a dark place until the shell dissolves.Next, you need to remove the film and add butter (1 teaspoon) to the resulting mixture of yolks, egg whites and vinegar.
The resulting mass must be mixed thoroughly until the consistency of an ointment is obtained.Apply the ointment to clean, steamed feet and wrap them with cling film and gauze.The ointment must be stored in the refrigerator.
- Naturally ground coffee.
This is another effective remedy in the fight against toe fungus.Before going to bed, it is recommended to take a bath with strongly brewed ground coffee.Such procedures help eliminate unpleasant or painful sensations and cure irritation.
- Wine vinegar.
Apply wine vinegar to the affected areas and leave it until the vinegar dries on its own.Rinsing with water is not necessary.
- Apple cider vinegar.
In combination with sea salt, apple cider vinegar helps get rid of the annoying disease.To do this, you need to prepare a bath containing: 100 grams of sea salt, 4 tablespoons of vinegar and 5 liters of water.By repeating such baths every day, you can overcome the disease.
- Baking powder.
You need to moisten the soda with water until a thin paste is formed, which you apply to the areas affected by the fungus for 20 minutes, then rinse your feet with warm water, wipe and apply baby powder.
In addition, baking soda can be used in the form of cooling baths.To do this, you need to mix a tablespoon of soda and table salt and dilute everything in water.It is recommended to do such baths before going to bed and then rinse the solution with clean water.
Treating toe fungus with herbs
- Marigold flowers.
To prepare the infusion, pour 250 g of dried flowers into a glass of boiling water and leave for half an hour.
- Celandine.
A decoction for foot baths is prepared from celandine;To do this, you need to brew 4 tablespoons of the plant in 1 liter of water and boil for 5 minutes.Such baths should be carried out for three weeks.
- Burdock leaves.
A fresh burdock leaf must be crushed so that the juice appears on the surface.Wrap the crumpled sheet around your foot and put on a sock overnight.The duration of treatment is 3 weeks.
If the disease has already been defeated, you should take care of personal hygiene items and shoes so that the infection does not spread again.You can treat the inside of the shoes with vinegar (30% solution) or an antiseptic.
Despite the persistence and vitality of the fungus, there are many ways to get rid of it forever.You just need to show a little patience and not be lazy to repeat daily procedures.
Prevention of fungal infection
Treating fungus between toes with traditional or folk remedies is a long and complex process.Is it possible to prevent the development of fungus?
The following recommendations will help prevent foot skin infections.Do not forget about the rules of personal hygiene.Always wear slippers in the pool, sauna or beach.Monitor the condition of the skin on your feet.
Moisturize your skin with special creams to prevent dryness and cracks.Strengthen your immune system and take care of your health.If the first signs of fungus appear between your fingers, see a doctor.