Fungus on the skin of the feet is one of the most common infections. The fungus on the legs is distinguished by its vitality and ease of growth. If you rely on statistics, then 20% of the world's population suffers from fungus.
What is skin fungus?
Fungal diseases are infectious diseases that affect the skin. The most common type of fungus is mycosis. In medicine, this skin disease is divided into several types.
Mushrooms can adapt to almost any living conditions. Fungal spores can live for a long time in ordinary clothes or shoes. In most cases, fungal infections affect the soles of the feet and nails on a person's feet.
How does mycosis persist?
The causative agents of foot mycosis are Trichophyton rubrum, T. Mentagrophytes and Epidermophyton floccosum. Mycosis can be transmitted through contact with infected skin or after using any personal hygiene products.
Mycosis is characterized by the destruction of the skin in the form of peeling. This is due to the penetration of fungi under the skin and, consequently, damage to the epidermis.
Yellow or white spots may appear on the nails. If the fungus affects the toes, small bubbles of liquid form between them, which explode, making healing painful. Foot fungus is also accompanied by an unpleasant odor. The symptoms of mycosis can vary depending on its type. To do this, you need to get acquainted with each of them in more detail.
The main forms of mycosis:
- Interdigital mycosis.
- Squamous-hyperkeratotic form.
- Vesicular form.
- Deleted form.
- Nail fungus.
Interdigital mycosis
The most common localization of the interdigital fungus is between 3, 4, and 5 fingers.
The main symptoms of interdigital mycosis are:
- The formation of a crack covered with a thick film of white flakes.
- A small amount of liquid may come out of the crack.
- Appearance of diaper rash between the toes.
- Slight itching between fingers.
Initially, the fungus between the toes may become immobile without any symptoms. However, the changes gradually begin to be observed - the skin becomes dry and rough, acquires a gray color, cracks appear in rough areas.
In addition, there is a fungus called "wet" between the fingers. This form is characterized by the formation of bubbles filled with liquid. These bubbles explode, creating the effect of a "wet" fungus. Such a fungus most often occurs after wearing tight, unventilated tight shoes, as well as during severe stress.
Squamous-hyperkeratotic form
The squamous-hyperkeratotic form of mycosis is characterized by severe peeling and keratinization of the skin. This form of mycosis is very common, but most commonly affects people with atopic dermatitis.
The main symptoms of squamous-hyperkeratotic form of mycosis are:
- Weak itching.
- Cracks in the skin of the feet.
- Pain.
- Dry skin.
- Skin peeling.
- Erythema with clear borders.
- Yellow scales.
- Onychomycosis - damage to the nail plates.
Vesicular form
The vesicular form of the fungus is the rarest. Only 8% of all patients with mycosis suffer from this type of disease. The vesicular form is characterized by the formation of fluid-filled rashes. When these vesicles explode, erosions that may be infected appear.
The main symptoms of vesicular fungi:
- Formation of red or pink blisters.
- There is a clear liquid inside the formations.
- The size of the blisters can reach a maximum diameter of 1 cm.
- The rash may be accompanied by mild itching.
- Wet blisters.
This form of mycosis is dangerous because harmful bacteria and infections are more likely to get under the skin. To determine the vesicular form of mycosis, it is necessary to undergo special studies and dig the skin for analysis, as the disease can be easily confused with external symptoms of eczema or pustular psoriasis.
Deleted form
The erased form of the fungus is almost always the beginning of the development of foot diseases - mycoses.
There are practically no visible symptoms with the erased form of the fungus, but some of them can still be distinguished:
- The skin is slightly peeled between the toes.
- The formation of small cracks between the fingers, affecting only the upper layers of the epidermis.
All these symptoms are not accompanied by itching or pain, so it does not cause any discomfort to the person.
Nail fungus
Toenail fungus is also a very common form of the disease. Such a fungus does not pose a particular threat to human health, but can cause many concerns.
Symptoms of nail fungus:
- Appearance of dryness and peeling of the skin of the feet.
- itching.
- Redness.
- Changing the shape of the nail.
- The color of the nails becomes gray-yellow.
- Cracking of the nail plate.
- The fragility of the nails.
- The formation of a mass that collapses under the nail.
- Formation of gaps under the nail plate.
- Bad smell.
If the fungus of the foot becomes severe, the patient's temperature begins to rise. Foot fungus, like any type of mycosis, can cause psoriasis or eczema.
What does skin fungus look like on the feet?
Although foot fungus is now a very common disease, not everyone knows exactly what it looks like. Many infected people do not pay much attention when the first signs of a fungal infection appear. As mentioned earlier, there are several types of mushrooms.
Each species has its own symptoms:
- In the early stages of the infection, redness, slight swelling and cracks appear on the skin.
- Peeling of the skin is seen in the middle stage of fungal development. The feet are covered with white, pink or white spots.
- If the disease has already reached its highest stage of development, the nail plates on the toes begin to collapse and change their usual color. The skin of the feet begins to peel into large pieces. Deep and painful cracks appear.
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Symptoms of foot fungus
To identify fungi in the legs, it is necessary to pay attention to the main symptoms:
- Redness of the affected areas of the skin.
- Skin peeling.
- Formation of blisters containing liquid.
- Nails change color and shape.
- Fragile and delamination of the nail plate.
Diagnostics
At the first signs of the fungus, you should consult a dermatologist. Sometimes a visual examination is not enough to make an accurate diagnosis.
Some symptoms may indicate the presence of another skin condition. Therefore, in such cases, a specialist should conduct a scraping and microscopy. Only after such research can we clearly talk about the presence and form of a fungal disease.
Treatment
Treatment of fungal infections should be started only after a complete diagnosis by a specialist, who should prescribe various drugs to treat the disease. Treatment of fungus in the legs can consist of several methods.
These methods include:
- systemic therapy.
- local therapy.
- Folk remedies.
Each of them is worth a closer look.
Systemic therapy
Systemic therapy involves the use of various antifungal drugs. Such drugs penetrate the bloodstream and kill fungal infections. Such products can penetrate the nail plate, can last for several weeks, and gradually kill the fungus.
Effective remedies for athlete's foot
Terbinafine and itraconazole are considered effective antifungal agents. These systemic drugs can cure the patient in two weeks.
It should be noted that systemic therapy is not prescribed for:
- Pregnant women.
- Nursing mothers.
- People suffering from liver disease.
- Older people with comorbidities.
Ointments and creams
It is recommended to combine systemic treatment of fungal diseases with local therapy. This treatment includes various creams and ointments, which can have antifungal effects. However, it should be noted that creams and ointments can be ineffective if used without the use of systemic medications.
Local drugs to fight fungal infections are divided into 20 forms. In addition to creams and ointments, various sprays, gels, foams and varnishes are used to treat athlete's foot.
When using a topical treatment for the fungus, it is important to remember that you do not need to wash your feet during the day after applying any product to the skin.
Folk remedies
You can also treat fungal infections of the skin of the feet with the help of folk remedies. To do this, you need to get acquainted with them in more detail.
Folk remedies for the treatment of nail fungus:
- At night, a piece of kombucha is applied to the affected nails.
- Paste the cut Kalanchoe leaf on the nails overnight.
Folk remedies for the treatment of fungus between the toes:
- Wash the skin between your fingers and lubricate it with maple resin.
- Make a decoction of plantain, yarrow, wormwood and chamomile. Make foot baths from the prepared broth.
Folk remedies for the treatment of athlete's foot:
- Lubricate the affected areas of the skin with onion juice at night.
- Prepare a compress for the night from 20% propolis tincture.
Folk remedies for the treatment of athlete's foot:
- Take a sea salt foot bath twice a day.
- Take foot baths of chamomile, oak bark and calendula decoction three times a day.
Prevention
Fungus on the skin of the legs causes the most sweating. Even in the cold season, the causative agent of fungal diseases is well kept. However, high temperatures can kill the infection, so one way to prevent it is to boil. Another way to prevent it is to disinfect shoes with formalin. With this action, the fungus dies after 20 minutes.
The result
In conclusion, it should be noted that fungal skin diseases of the feet do not harm human health. The fungus is just a nuisance. However, this infection should not be ignored. If the disease worsens, it can cause pain and the development of other infections.