Types of foot fungus: photos and names, treatment features of each type.

In this article, we will consider the main types of foot fungus.

All fungal infections are collectively called mycoses. Experts divide them into two main categories: onychomycosis and dermatomycosis. In the first case, microorganisms penetrate under the nail, in the second, the skin is affected. In addition, absolutely all types of foot fungus are classified taking into account the causative agent of the disease and the main symptoms.

Main types

First of all, the type of fungus that affects the legs depends on the causative agent of the disease. Pathogenic microorganisms are divided into several groups: dermatophytes, yeasts, and molds. They can cause injuries as common as:

• Onychomycosis;
• Candidiasis;
• Epidermophytosis;
• Rubrophytia.

The latter is the general name of a group of pathologies in which the feet are affected. All diseases are also divided into groups according to clinical manifestations: membrane, moccasin type, vesicular.

We will consider the types of foot fungus, photos and treatment with alternative methods below.

Rubrophytia

The second name of this disease is rubromycosis. It is distinguished by crowding of blood vessels, dryness and severe peeling. The pathology develops very slowly and almost imperceptibly for a person who has contracted an infection.

Bubble foot fungus is very unpleasant.

The first signs are itching and peeling, which are already noticeable in the later stages of the disease. Damage to the nails also occurs at this stage. Externally, the disease is manifested by the appearance of blisters, scabs, plaques, pustules, which are located on the entire surface of the sole. When a large number of plaques and bubbles appear, a person begins to experience painful sensations when walking.

Determining the type of foot fungus (pictured) plays a key role in treatment. Before prescribing a therapy for rubrophytosis, it is necessary to conduct a microscopy and study the clinical picture. The elimination of the lesions is carried out by exfoliating agents (keratolytics). For the most part, these are ointments and creams, which are based on salicylic acid. The therapy is often complex. In parallel with external agents, antifungal agents are prescribed.

If the disease is severe, you need to start taking medication in the form of pills. Nail plate lesions are treated by removing them with emollients.

This type of foot fungus (see photo above) is characterized by a high degree of infectivity. It is enough to touch the things that the carrier of the infection wears. The probability of infection increases many times if a person suffers from excessive sweating, has a weakened immune system and any damage to the feet.

The causative agent of the disease is the fungus Tr. Mentagrophytesvar. It is capable of penetrating the granular and stratum corneum layers of the skin, spreading and causing severe allergic and other reactions:

• pain when walking, burning and itching;
• deformation and yellowing of the nails;
• the appearance of crusts, scales, painful cracks;
• erosion of the skin (maceration);
• the appearance of pustules, edema;
• vesicle eruption with a dense crust.

The diagnosis of this type of foot fungus consists in the study of the external signs and the clinical picture. If the causative agent of the pathology is not obvious, clinical investigation may be required, for example, examining the scraping under a microscope.

Therapy of rubrophytosis in acute form involves the use of drugs based on 0. 25% silver nitrate, 10% calcium, and 1% metadihydroxybenzene. If allergic reactions occur, antihistamines should be used. The choice of the antifungal agent depends entirely on the clinical course of the disease and the individual characteristics of the patient's body.

What other types of foot fungus are there?

Foot candidiasis

This type of fungus occurs in patients much less frequently than epidermophytosis or rubromicosis. Pathology occurs under the influence of a fungus of the genus Candida. Such microorganisms live in the body of all people, however, it is considered conditionally pathogenic. That is, they do not pose a threat in small amounts, but their rapid multiplication can cause unpleasant symptoms and consequences. The uncontrolled reproduction of the fungus begins if there is a decrease in immunity during hypothermia, from overwork or frequent stress. External factors include:

• wear uncomfortable shoes, particularly in summer;
• injuries received at home or at work;
• constant maceration of the skin of the feet (skin exfoliation as a result of prolonged exposure to water).

There are two types of foot candidiasis: hyperkeratotic and vesicular-pustular. The first form of candidiasis is characterized by a thickening of the stratum corneum. On it, rather wide grooves of a light brown color begin to appear, constantly peeling off. For diagnostic purposes, an exfoliation and further study of the particles in which Candida fungi are found is carried out.

The viscous-pustular form of candidiasis manifests itself in the form of hyperemia (crowding of blood vessels), pronounced swelling, maceration. The affected skin areas are covered with pustules and small blisters in a flat shape. After the extinction of inflammatory processes, desquamation develops. The appointment of therapy is possible only after determining the exact diagnosis. The choice of drugs for this type of blistered foot fungus is made on an individual basis. Most often, systemic and local drugs are shown.

Onychomycosis

This disease is a type of foot fungus, characterized by a fungal infection of the nail. You can get infected in public showers, saunas, baths, swimming pools. Flakes containing a pathogenic microorganism separate fairly easily from the nail plate and can remain on unpainted floors, carpets, rugs, and benches. High humidity allows them not only to survive, but also promotes active reproduction, and therefore the risk of infection increases significantly.

In the initial stage, the infection enters the epidermis of the feet, causing severe itching. To weaken the unpleasant sensations, the person begins to comb the infected area, but the situation only worsens. The areas of the skin affected by the fungus are covered with small scratches and cracks, microorganisms begin to spread, penetrate under the nail plate, after which they begin to multiply uncontrollably.

Serious diseases such as diabetes or HIV, impaired blood circulation, trauma to the nail greatly increase the risk of infection.

Onychomycosis is classified into 3 types:

1. Normotrophic. With this type of onychomycosis, a change in the color of the nail from normal to yellow-brown is observed. The natural shine, shape and thickness of the nails remain unchanged.
2. HypertrophicThere is a final change in the color of the nail, its shine disappears, the shape changes, thickening develops, and partial destruction begins.
3. Onycholithic. The color of the affected nail changes to brown, becomes thinner and begins to break. Its gradual separation from the bed begins. Irregular layers can be seen in the open part of the nail bed.

Therapy of this type of fungus on the palms and feet with topical medications is ineffective because the spores of the fungus are found under the nail. Before starting the treatment, the nail should be removed. This is done with keratolytic drugs and patches are also used. In some cases, there is the possibility of a mechanical removal of the nail: the particles of the nail that have been extinguished are cut with a nail file or pliers. It is important to remember that all instruments used must be sterilized.

The combined use of mechanical removal and keratolytic patches is the most effective way to remove a diseased nail. Of keratolytic agents, you can use a ready-made set, which contains a special ointment, files for scraping the nail, a plaster. Once the nail plate has been removed, you should start taking systemic antifungals.

It is quite difficult to determine the type of foot fungus from the photo.

Interdigital form (intertriginous)

The most common and unpleasant type of pathology is the intertriginous form of fungal infection. Appears quite often in summer, begins to develop between the third and fourth toes. Over time, the injury spreads to areas between the other toes.

At first, a small crack, funnel, or sore appears in the crease between the toes. It is surrounded by diaper rash or slightly greenish flaky skin. Most often, the damage gets wet, sometimes pus comes out. The erased type of fungus is characterized by pronounced or flour-like peeling, as if there is flour on the surface of the finger. A similar impression arises due to the large number of affected scales that separate from the skin. There is a slight itch that does not cause serious discomfort.

With an advanced form of the disease, there is delamination of the nails, severe thickening, multiple cracks, corneal compaction-like calluses, pronounced yellowing.

In very rare cases, a crying-type disease develops - an exudative fungus. Their main difference is that the vesicles spill into the affected areas - fluid-filled bubbles inside. Therapy must be carried out holistically. Antifungal agents are used as topical agents. The advanced form of the disease involves the use of systemic antifungals. The course of treatment should continue until the fungus completely disappears.

Squamous-hyperkeratotic form

This type of foot fungus (pictured below) is not very common.

Squamosis is the process of penetration of pathogenic fungi into the outer cells of the skin. Hyperkeratosis is the formation of the stratum corneum, resulting in thickening of the dermis. In this sense, the squamous-hyperkeratotic form of mycosis has several other names, for example, "moccasin fungus" and "athlete's foot".

The squamous-hyperkeratotic type of mycosis is characterized by the following symptoms:

1. The sole of the foot is covered with a thickened keratinized layer of the dermis, which gives the impression that loafers are worn on the foot.
2. The thickening of the sole occurs with such force that it begins to be covered with wide and quite thick calluses.
3. Painful cracks appear on the corns.
4. The peeling takes on a mucous type, a pattern on the skin is visible to the naked eye.
5. An unbearable itch appears.
6. Over time, nails begin to thin, break, and crumble.

When treating moccasin fungus, first of all, it is very important to remove the stratum corneum from the skin. This is done using soda soda foot baths, wraps, salicylic compresses, and ichthyol ointments. Salicylic ointment is used in doses up to 10%. Vaseline-based creams, ointments containing lactic acid are effective. If you cannot cope with this task at home, you should seek help from a podiatric center. With the help of a hardware manicure, the specialist will carefully remove the keratinized dermis.

Further treatment for the type of foot fungus will depend on the type of pathogen. It should be started only after an accurate diagnosis has been made. Treating moccasin mycosis without first removing the stratum corneum from the skin is not recommended; active components in the composition of the drug will not be able to penetrate through it and reach the focus of infection. As a result, all efforts will be nullified.

Pictures of types of foot fungus cannot fully reflect all the unpleasant symptoms that a person experiences.

Dehydrated form

The gallbladder fungus or, as it is also called, dyshidratic mycosis is the rarest type of disease. Its main manifestation are numerous vesicles combined in conglomerates. Vesicles are vesicles filled with pus or nutritive fluid from the inside. When the cloudiness of the fluid begins, the vesicles burst, the ulcers remain in place. They begin to merge into a line, forming pronounced scars on the skin. This is due to drying and peeling of the layers of the skin.

About 70% of yeast infections are associated with allergic rashes. A variety of bacteria and viruses begin to penetrate the ulcers. As a result, the disease is mixed and identification of the initial pathogen becomes more difficult. Therefore, you should immediately consult a doctor as soon as the primary symptoms appear (in the picture): he can quickly identify the type of foot fungus and start therapy.

And this must be done immediately. First of all, before using antifungal drugs, the acute process should be eliminated. It is better to entrust this task to a specialist: he will be able to gently pierce the vesicles, treat the remaining ulcers with 2% boric acid and smear with a bright green or methylene blue solution.

Treatment of the disease in its neglected form involves the use of corticosteroid ointments. After the elimination of the inflammatory process, it is recommended to use local antifungal agents. This will suppress the causative agent of the disease.

We continue to consider the names and types of foot fungi.

Erased form

Mycosis of the erased form is almost invisible, its symptoms are minimal. These include: mild itching, burning, mucous-type scaling, microcracks located in the interdigital areas. If you do not consult a specialist when the first signs of the disease appear, the pathology can turn into onychomycosis, which is much more difficult to treat. In this case, the detached nail will grow back from one month to six.

Treat the mycosis of the erased form with local preparations: ointments, creams, foams. They allow you to create a layer on the foot that will protect you from other infections. It is not recommended to wash your feet within 24 hours of applying such medication.

Only in extreme cases can systemic therapy be prescribed. The problem is that these drugs are toxic and negatively affect some internal organs, for example, the liver. Consequently, if there is an effect from the use of local remedies, it is better not to take pills.

Treatment of types of foot fungus with alternative methods.

The photos of pathology presented in the article in large quantities do not cancel a trip to the doctor.

Now it is quite easy to choose a drug. However, many people prefer to treat the fungus with home remedies. We offer several proven recipes:

• Clean the feet. The legs are warmed in a basin of hot water, scrubbed liberally with laundry soap, and treated with a stiff foot brush for five minutes. The foam clears. Actions are repeated 4-5 times. Then the feet are dried and smeared with cream.
• Celandine baths. 50 g of herbs are poured with 1. 5 liters of boiling water, heated on fire for 4-5 minutes and cooled. The feet should be kept in a warm broth for 30 minutes. The duration of the course of treatment is 14 days.
• Tea tree oil is a powerful antiseptic. It should be rubbed repeatedly into the affected areas.
• You can get rid of the itchiness and cracks with sour cream. Lubricate your legs before going to bed. The duration of therapy is 1 week.
• Sodium bicarbonate. Eliminates burning and itching of the skin. The powder is mixed with water to obtain a thick mass. It is applied to the affected areas, wait until it dries and then rinse.
• Calendula. The flowers (50 gr. ) Are poured with boiling water (1: 2), insist for 30 minutes, filter. Infusion of lubricated feet at night.

Prevention

The simplest preventive measures will significantly reduce the likelihood of infection. Only personal items should be used, nails should be treated with sterile instruments. When visiting public places such as baths, saunas, swimming pools, beaches, you must wear your own shoes. By the way, try to choose it so that it is comfortable and allows your legs to breathe.

You need to worry about prevention in advance, so that later you do not have to deal with various types of foot fungus. The photo shows far from all options for the development of the disease.