Nail fungus is an incurable disease, so diagnosing symptoms at an early stage of the disease will significantly speed up the course of its 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 (from 70 to 80%) nail and skin fungi are transmittedbetween family members.
How symptoms appear
First of all, nail fungus is manifested by an unpleasant odor and itching. If you began to notice that your feet often have an unpleasant odor (with timely change of socks and good hygiene), this is a good reason to consult 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 more often damaged at the edges. Small grooves and whitish spots appear, which eventually grow in size.
If appropriate 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. Due to exposure to fungal spores, it can acquire a wide variety of shades. In most cases it is brown and yellow, but when exposed to mold or yeast fungus it can also acquire 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 crumble.
Other features of the disease
The fungus is a very insidious disease, as the spores of this infection are on the human body for most of life and enter the active phase only in certain cases:
- Decreased immunity level
- Diabetes
- Skin diseases
- Mechanical damage to the skin of the legs / arms or the nails.
So, you should be more careful if you have any of these signs. If you have damaged your nail in a nail salon or are wearing tight shoes, 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 symptoms of a fungus?
- If you find symptoms of onychomycosis, be sure to go to the hospital to a dermatologist and take the appropriate tests. There are more than 50 types of pathogenic fungi for the human body, and if you start treatment on your own, most likely it will be ineffective and you will waste valuable time.
- Having passed all the necessary tests, follow the prescribed prescription exactly and carry out all the fungus treatment procedures on time. Remember that folk remedies are best takenin complexwith antifungal medications, and be sure to consult your doctor about this.
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.