If a person has a fungus on their feet, it is important to start treatment on time and adequately. The fact is that the fungus on the skin of the feet is contagious, and if you do not immediately begin to fight the disease, all members of the patient's family are at risk of infection. Treatment is prescribed by a doctor, which will depend on the type of pathology, the degree of damage to the skin, as well as the general condition of the person.
Causes of the appearance of fungus on the legs
When it enters the skin of the legs, the fungus does not always cause mycoses, and the human body must be affected by adverse factors in order for the first symptoms to appear. The following adverse factors affect the development of mycosis:
- weakening of the body's immune system;
- use of heavy and toxic drugs;
- non-compliance with the rules of hygiene of the feet and toes;
- the presence of cracks, wounds and abrasions on the fingers and toes where fungal spores can enter the body.
Fungal infections are caused by wet floors in swimming pools, baths and showers in gyms.
A fungal infection enters the body through contact when a sick adult or child comes in contact with a carrier or objects inhabited by fungal spores. Often, foot fungus can be picked up in public places - dressing rooms, showers, swimming pools, on the beach. The disease can also be transmitted by wearing someone else's shoes, where pathogenic spores live. Failure to follow the rules of elementary hygiene leads to undesirable consequences, leading to fungal pathologies of the feet and toenails. The carrier can not always learn in time that the foot is a fungus, because the symptoms appear only in a combination of unfavorable conditions. However, such a person is still contagious, and this is dangerous for your loved ones who are at risk of contracting an infectious infection.
Symptoms and types
Foot mycosis takes the following forms:
- unusual;
- dyshidrotic;
- intertriginous;
- onychomycosis;
- candidal.
Squamous
In this form, the initial symptoms of the fungus can be found only in one leg, but with the development of pathology, a manifestation is observed in the other leg. The disease is similar to a skin defect covered with peeling, caused by inflammation. Squamous foot fungus is not always characterized by itching and discomfort, so for many the disease goes unnoticed and cannot be diagnosed without laboratory tests.
If the foot fungus is not treated in time, the infectious lesion spreads to the calves, and then the problem will be more difficult to deal with. In addition, the fungus can be localized in calves, but these complications are rare.
Dishidrotic
The first signs of a fungus on the feet of this form are characterized by the formation of bubbles in the arch of the foot, gradually increasing in size and reaching a diameter of 10 mm. After opening the rash, it hurts and erodes. There is pain in the affected areas, there are cases of bacterial inflammation. After the skin of the affected areas heals, the disease takes the form of squamous cell carcinoma. With dyshidrotic varicose veins, the skin of both feet is rarely affected, and if you do not start treatment on time, an indifferent form develops in which the remission stages are replaced by exacerbations.
intertrigal
Intertriginous or interdigital foot fungus is the most common form of skin disease.
This type of foot fungus is considered the most common. Most often, the skin between the 4th and 5th fingers is affected. The disease manifests itself in the form of dead, scaly areas eroded from the normal layer of the epidermis.
If you do not help in time, the crusted areas begin to moisturize, the patient feels pain and itching. In addition, wounds and erosions occur in the affected areas, which are difficult to remove.
If you do nothing and ignore the symptoms, the disease often turns into a chronic form that is prone to relapses.
Onychomycosis
The disease is characterized by the localization of the fungus on the nails and toes. First, toenail fungus manifests itself in the form of damage to the free edge of the nail, which forms yellowish spots and streaks. There are the following types of fungi on nails and toes:
- Hypertrophic. The nail plate thickens, turns yellow and is easily destroyed. Affected skin of the finger is visible under the damaged foci.
- atrophic. The nail becomes thinner, quickly destroyed and the underlying dermis keratinizes.
- Onychomycosis caused by fungi. The nail plate is examined, the color is black, brown, yellow or green. The disease is a complication of the previous 2 types of pathology.
candida
The fungus infects the skin between the toes, causing bacterial infections without proper treatment.
This type of disease is caused by pathogenic fungi such as yeast called Candida. Inflammatory lesions are often localized on the skin between 3 and 4 or 4 and 5 fingers. In these areas, the tissues become inflamed, edema develops, and bacterial complications often combine.
Candida is a type of microorganism that infects the mucous membranes and outer skin of humans. Candida is usually present in limited quantities in the human body. However, with a decrease in immunity, the patient may experience increased activity, causing discomfort.
If the fungus is not removed at an early stage, pustules, cracks and erosions can form, which are difficult to get rid of even with the help of strong drugs.
Diagnostic methods
For the treatment of fungus in the legs to be effective, it is important to identify the pathogen and make an accurate diagnosis. To do this, it is often worth visiting a doctor who can diagnose the pathology after the first visual examination. If skin pathology is suspected or has not been treated for a long time, a blood and urine test should be performed, as well as additional diagnostic tests to help determine the types of pathogens and their susceptibility. antifungal drugs. To do this, a piece of dermis is taken from the damaged area and examined under a microscope. Biopsy samples are taken from the affected areas to check for the presence of malignant cells in the tissues.
What to treat?
There are many fungal diseases, and laboratory tests are performed to identify them and determine the correct treatment.
To treat foot fungus and prevent recurrence, you should contact a healthcare professional for advice and undergo diagnostic procedures. If the diagnosis is correct, you can start therapy with systemic and topical medications.
It is effective to treat at an early stage, then you can get it for external use in the form of creams, ointments and sprays during therapy. It is also possible to treat foot fungus with home remedies. If the disease has affected the deeper layers of the dermis and nail plates, it is recommended to use a systemic drug to combat the fungus.
Folk remedies are effective only in combination with the use of drugs, otherwise the disease threatens the development of dangerous complications.
Medication treatment
An effective and efficient drug should be prescribed by a doctor. If you treat yourself and ignore the advice of a specialist, you can cause serious complications that the most effective tool can not cope immediately.
Treatment with folk remedies
Treatment of athlete's foot at home with folk remedies should be agreed with your doctor. It is important to know that strong medicines are used to treat foot and nail fungus, folk remedies are allowed to be used as adjuvant therapy, because it is ineffective to fight the disease independently at home. There are various recipes that use herbs that have antimicrobial, disinfectant and wound healing properties. Folk remedies for a fungus are affordable and inexpensive, but which home remedy is better to use, and which recipe is appropriate in a particular situation, you should consult a doctor. The best recipes are given below:
- Decoction with chamomile, plantain and heirloom. Mix the ingredients, take 1 tbsp each. l. Pour everything into a saucepan and pour 1 liter of boiling water, bring to a boil and leave to simmer for 10 minutes. Strain the broth and wash the affected hands, feet and other parts of the body before going to bed. The essence of the procedure is to perform it regularly, then this method will be effective and will help to cure the fungus faster.
- Onion and St. John's wort infusion. Peel an onion and cut it into 4 pieces. St. John's wort should be dried. Onions and 50 g St. John's wort pour 2, 5 liters of boiling water. Wrap the container with raw materials and leave to infuse for a day. In the evening, apply a compress to the affected areas of the infusion.
Prevention
The best preventive measure in the fight against fungi that can prevent the disease is to strengthen the body's protective properties. This method is cheap, but the most effective and efficient. Medications and alternative treatments should be agreed with the doctor, any self-medication can lead to dangerous complications, then treated more difficult and longer.