Nail fungus is an untreatable disease, so diagnosing symptoms early in the disease will greatly speed up the course of your treatment. In addition, when the first signs of the disease are detected, you will be able to protect your family/loved ones from infection, since in most cases (70 to 80%) nail and skin fungus are transmitted between members of the family.
How symptoms appear
First of all, nail fungus manifests itself with an unpleasant smell and itching. If you have begun to notice that your feet often emit a suspiciously unpleasant odor (with a timely change of socks and proper hygiene), then this is a good reason to see a doctor to diagnose the disease.
The next symptom of the fungus is a change in the color of the nail plate. In this case, the nail is most often damaged at the edges. Small furrows and whitish spots appear, which over time begin to increase in size.
If the proper measures are not taken, the plate will continue to deform and the fungus will damage new areas of the nail until it is completely infected.
Another characteristic symptom of onychomycosis is discoloration of the nail plate. As a result of exposure to fungal spores, it can take on a wide variety of shades. In most cases, it is brown and yellow in color, but when exposed to molds or yeast fungi, it can also take on a darker color.
Also, one of the signs of the disease is a change in the structure of the nail. It can change shape very quickly and start to fall apart.
Other features of the disease.
The fungus is a very insidious disease, because the spores of this infection are in the human body for most of life and enter the active phase only in some cases:
- Decreased level of immunity
- Diabetes
- skin diseases
- Mechanical damage to the skin of the legs/arms or nails.
Therefore, you need to be more careful if you have one of these signs. If you damaged your nail in a nail salon or wear tight shoes, then it is advisable to use one of the many antifungal prophylactic agents and apply it to the damaged areas no more than once a week.
What to do if you find the symptoms of a fungus?
- If you find symptoms of onychomycosis, be sure to go to the hospital to a dermatologist and have the corresponding tests done. There are more than 50 types of pathogenic fungi for the human body, and if you start treatment on your own, then with a high degree of probability it will be ineffective and you will lose precious time.
- After passing all the necessary tests, follow the prescribed prescription exactly and carry out all the procedures to treat the fungus on time. Remember that home remedies are best taken.in complexwith antifungal medicines, and be sure to ask your doctor about it.
All! These are all the actions that are required of you when you detect the first signs of onychomycosis. Do not try to self-diagnose and, moreover, prescribe treatment.