Fungus on the feet is an extremely unpleasant and very common infectious disease. According to statistics, one in five people in the world at least once in their life discovers symptoms of a fungal infection. The ubiquitous spread of the fungus is hindered only by the body's defenses, as well as the achievements of modern medicine. Mycosis can be cured, it is only important to detect the disease in time and begin competent therapy.
The causes of the appearance of the fungus
Fungal diseases of the skin (mycoses) most often occur against a background of reduced immunity. The human body, unable to defend itself against dangerous infectious agents, is susceptible to a variety of diseases. In this case, not only the internal organs are affected. A change in local immunity leads to an increase in the permeability of the skin. The skin can no longer perform its protective function, and disease-causing agents enter, causing inflammation. Fungus develops on the feet - an unpleasant phenomenon that can significantly ruin the life of any person.
They provoke fungal diseases and any damage to the skin. Abrasions, scrapes and cuts, not to mention open wounds, are the gateway to any infection. And if a healthy person is still able to cope with the fungus, then with reduced immunity, any wound can cause illness. The fungus penetrates the skin, multiplies and causes significant discomfort by its very existence. In advanced cases, the fungus on the toes can spread to the skin of the feet and legs, causing serious illness.
Factors provoking the development of mycoses:
- vascular diseases of the legs;
- metabolic diseases (diabetes mellitus);
- overweight;
- wearing tight shoes;
- injuries to the toes;
- damage to the skin around the nails with a pedicure.
Foot fungus is a common problem in public baths and saunas. A hot, humid room is an ideal environment for fungus to multiply and settle on human skin. You can pick up an infection in the pool, as well as on the beach. In any places where you have to walk barefoot or use someone else's (public) shoes, the risk of infection with a fungus increases several times.
When visiting a bathhouse, sauna or beach, do not forget about changing shoes.
It has been noticed that fungal diseases of the skin of the feet and nails are more common in overweight people. Mycoses also occur against the background of diabetes mellitus and other metabolic diseases. The thing is that with such pathologies, the blood circulation of the lower extremities suffers. Any small scratch in diabetes heals long enough and is an ideal gateway to fungal infection. Fungus between the toes is also a frequent companion of older people due to age-related decline in immunity.
Symptoms of a fungal infection
What does an interdigital fungus look like? It is difficult to confuse the symptoms of the disease with something else, and an experienced doctor will only need to look at the patient to make a diagnosis. Typical symptoms make it possible to recognize the fungus at the earliest stage of its appearance:
- profuse flaking (yellow or whitish scales);
- Areas of loose skin between the toes
- oozing.
The symptoms of the disease can be very varied. In some people, the fungus between the toes manifests itself in the form of weeping ulcers. In some cases, ulcers and cracks may be covered with typical whitish or yellowish scales. The peeling can be quite strong or slightly noticeable. Often, patches of loose and dead skin appear between the toes.
Itching is a typical symptom of a fungal infection, but its severity can be very different. For some, itching becomes a very painful companion of the disease, while for others, the fungus causes only mild discomfort. The skin with mycoses is usually red, traces of scratching are possible. All these signs make it possible to accurately recognize the fungus on the feet and distinguish it from other skin diseases.
Fungal infection between the toes is often associated with nail damage. A typical nail fungus looks like this:
- thickening of the nails;
- discoloration of the nail (from pale pink to yellow, gray, or brown);
- detachment of nails;
- fragility of the nail plate;
- itching and soreness around the nails.
If you find the first signs of a fungal infection, you should see your doctor.
Toe fungus usually starts between the third, fourth, and fifth toes, but can spread to the entire foot. Ulcers, cracks, and weeping are typical symptoms of a progressive fungal infection. Itching with this variant of the disease is quite strong. The ulcerative form most often occurs against a background of stress, as well as when wearing uncomfortable and poorly ventilated shoes.
Special forms of fungus
In some cases, the fungus on the legs leads to the appearance of not only cracks and weeping ulcers. With the development of a fungal infection, small vesicles filled with a clear or cloudy liquid may appear. At the same time, the skin swells and turns red. Over time, the bubbles burst, and shallow depressions appear in their place. The ulcers hurt a lot and heal rather slowly. Scarring is uncommon. This form of fungal infection is usually called great-erosive.
With an erased form of the disease, the skin does not change so much. In the chronic course of the disease, the skin peels off only in certain areas. Peeling and coarsening of the skin comes to the first place. Gradually, the skin becomes more and more rough, acquires a characteristic yellowish color. Over time, the process can move to the lower leg, thigh and gluteal region.
Diagnostics
In order to recognize the fungus on the feet, it is enough just to carefully examine the skin of the foot, interdigital spaces and nails. Typical signs of the disease make it possible not to doubt the diagnosis. To find out what kind of fungus lives on the skin, you need to take a scraping from the affected areas and send the material to the laboratory. Bacteriological inoculation of the material allows you to accurately determine the causative agent of the disease. The test results will be ready in a few days, after which the doctor can start treating the fungal infection.
Local therapy
Treatment of the fungus between the toes begins with the selection of antimycotic drugs. All remedies that can 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 only affects the skin between the toes. Also, topical preparations are widely used for combined nail damage.
A wide range of medicines allows you to choose the right medicine for almost any situation. Antimycotics should be prescribed by a dermatologist. Self-medication in this situation can lead to a worsening of the condition, since an incorrectly selected medicine can accelerate the progression of the disease. In addition, many antifungal drugs have many contraindications and can seriously harm your health.
What remedies help with foot fungus? When interdigital folds are affected, it is best to use creams and ointments. It should be remembered that the skin in this area is quite thin. Rough handling can injure the spaces between the fingers and lead to the spread of infection. The ointment or cream should be applied gently in a thin layer over cracks and sores. When processing, it is necessary to capture not only the place of the fungus lesion, but also the skin 2-3 cm around the spots. This is necessary in order to destroy the elements of the fungus in areas of still healthy skin.
What is better to use for fungus on the feet: ointment or cream? The choice depends solely on the form of the disease. The ointment is recommended for use on dry and flaky skin areas. It penetrates deeply into the affected area and effectively fights the chronic fungus. The ointment can also be applied under the dressing to allow the drug to penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin.
Check with your doctor which form of medication you should take.
To treat fungal infections with a cream should be in the stage of a pronounced exacerbation of the disease. Itching, oozing, ulcers and erosion are direct indications for applying the cream. The cream is quickly absorbed into the skin, leaving virtually no residue on clothes. Preparations in the form of a cream do not penetrate into the deep layers of the skin and are not used for severe coarsening and peeling of the skin.
Many are on their feet, available in two forms at once. Dermatologists advise applying the ointment at night to enhance the effect of the product on dry and thickened skin. The cream can be used during the day to eliminate ulcers and wetness, as well as under clothing. Unlike cream, the ointment is absorbed much worse and often leaves poorly rinsed marks on the laundry.
What drugs can be used to treat the fungus between the toes? The choice of the remedy will depend on the identified causative agent of the disease. The most commonly used antimycotic drugs based on econazole, ketoconazole, terbinafine and other substances. Many drugs can treat not only a fungus, but also a bacterial infection, therefore they can be used for mixed lesions of the skin of the feet.
Systemic therapy
Treatment of the fungus on the feet is possible not only with local preparations. In some cases, doctors prescribe drugs that affect the entire body as a whole. Systemic therapy may be required when several interdigital spaces are affected at once, as well as in the case of the transition of the process to the nails and feet. In their practice, dermatologists most often use drugs based on fluconazole and itraconazole. "Diflucan", "Mikosist", "Irunin" - all these drugs effectively relieve itching and inflammation and help to eliminate the main symptoms of fungal infection.
Systemic antimycotics have a number of limitations. These drugs often cause the development of undesirable reactions:
- dysbiosis;
- dyspeptic disorders (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea);
- headache;
- heart rhythm disturbances;
- liver and kidney damage;
- allergic reactions.
Long-term treatment of foot fungus with systemic drugs can provoke a serious malfunction in the whole body. That is why it is so important that such remedies are prescribed only by a doctor after a complete 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 comorbidities in the patient.
An important point: the course of treatment with systemic antimycotic drugs must be completed! You can not interrupt the drug intake unless urgently needed. 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 ? It is believed that alternative therapy methods can really relieve itching and eliminate other symptoms of fungal infections of the skin and nails. Kombucha is considered a good remedy for athlete's foot. This plant was introduced from Japan in the last century and has been very popular for many years. A small piece of kombucha is rubbed into the interdigital spaces twice a day for a month. The course of treatment, if necessary, can be repeated after a two-week break.
Propolis and tea tree oil are also used to get rid of the fungus. Treatment of foot fungus is also possible with ordinary soda diluted in hot water (at the rate of 1 tablespoon of soda per 3 liters of water). The cooled solution is used to treat the affected areas of the skin and nails twice a day. It should be remembered that it is possible to treat the fungus with folk remedies only in the early stages of the disease. In advanced cases, when the whole skin of the feet and nails is affected by the fungus, you should definitely consult a doctor.
Treating the fungus between the toes with traditional or folk remedies is a long and complicated process. Can the development of a fungus be avoided? The following recommendations will help prevent infection of the skin of the feet:
- Do not forget about the rules of personal hygiene.
- Always wear slippers in the pool, sauna, or beach.
- Monitor the condition of the skin of the feet.
- Moisturize your skin with special creams to avoid dry cracks.
- Strengthen your immune system and monitor your health.
See your doctor at the first sign of fungus between your toes.