How to independently recognize foot fungus in the initial stages

Skin mycoses are common.They develop following infection with anthropophilic and zooanthropophilic fungi.You can become infected through personal contact by visiting public baths and saunas, swimming pools and gyms.Fungal pathologies have characteristic clinical manifestations, but not everyone knows what foot fungus looks like, so few people seek medical help in the initial stages.This contributes to the spread of the infection.

Symptoms of skin lesions on toes

The first changes caused by a fungal infection are difficult to notice: they do not cause pathological changes in the affected area and do not create discomfort.With a strong immune system, the infection at this stage can regress on its own;with a decrease in the body's defenses, it will develop and move on to the next stage.In this phase, floury detachments form in the interdigital area.The skin turns red, becomes dry and cracks.This process is accompanied by severe itching.Feet and heels look healthy.

Symptoms of fungal infection on toenails

The affected nails look specific, so it is not difficult to recognize the onset of an infection.The pathological process develops according to the following scenario:

1. The nails thicken, their color changes: the pale pink tint disappears and a yellowish-gray color appears.
2. A gap appears between the blank and the plate.
3. The nail plate gradually begins to peel off, its edges become brittle.They crumble and gradually collapse.
4. Severe itching occurs in the affected area.It distracts you from daily activities.
5. Irritation and redness, and then painful cracks, form on the skin between the fingers.
6. The affected area has an unpleasant acidic odor.

It becomes difficult to cut your nails with regular nail scissors.They cannot be processed with a nail file or special tweezers - the plates crumble.

Symptoms of fungus on the soles of the feet

It is more difficult to determine the signs of foot fungus on your own.The development of the infection causes the appearance of formations on the plant that look like calluses.The appearance of other symptoms is associated with the progressing form of the disease.

It all starts with the scaly shape.At this stage, the infection spreads to the entire sole.The skin becomes rough and horny, begins to actively peel and itches severely.Externally the foot looks like the result of a lack of regular (unkempt) pedicure.

Subsequently, the hyperkeratotic form develops.During its course, gray thickenings form on the arches.They are peeling a lot at the edges.Deep cracks appear in the place of old calluses.This process causes severe pain.Doctors call this phenomenon “moccasin foot.”If you look at the sole of the affected foot from above, it appears that a thick yellow-gray insole is attached to it.The fungal infection spreads to the interdigital space and nails.They change color, peel off and collapse.

Dyshidrotic form.It is characterized by the appearance of blisters filled with a cloudy liquid on the skin of the feet.This becomes possible only in advanced forms of infection.When the bubbles collapse, weeping erosions appear in their place, which constantly ooze.Pathogenic bacteria easily penetrate open wounds.Secondary infection significantly worsens the patient's condition;in this case it is very difficult to diagnose a fungal infection by external manifestations: the symptoms are similar to the clinical picture of eczema or psoriasis.

Clinical signs of the fungus by stage of the disease

From the moment of infection to the appearance of the first symptoms, 3 to 14 days can pass.The duration of the incubation period largely depends on the type of fungus that caused the formation of characteristic symptoms (yeasty, moldy or Candida fungi) and the state of the immune system.

In its development, a fungal infection goes through three stages:

1. In the initial phase, redness of the affected area, dry skin and flaking are observed.The patient feels mild itching.
2. The intermediate phase is characterized by the spread of the infection to the entire foot.
3. In advanced forms, damage to the nails is observed, the skin of the feet becomes covered with cracks and the stratum corneum separates into large layers.

If there is no etiotropic treatment, the infection enters the chronic phase.It is characterized by alternating remissions and exacerbations.

Differential diagnosis

Diagnosis of the disease begins with an examination of the foot by a dermatologist and a medical history.Based on the results, the doctor prescribes further laboratory tests.

It must be done:

1. Scraping from the affected area and subsequent microscopy (with its help the fungal nature of the infection is confirmed).
2. Sowing of the extracted biological material in special nutrient media.Colonies of pathogenic microorganisms grown in this way make it possible to identify the causative agent of the disease and determine its sensitivity to modern antifungal drugs.Based on this laboratory test, a drug treatment regimen is developed.

Fungal skin infections must be differentiated from vitiligo, seborrhea, psoriasis, syphilitic leukoderma, and neurodermatitis.To this end, Wood's lamp skin examination and PCR are used.

How to fight foot fungus

To combat fungal infections, the following are used:

• antifungal ointments;
• antifungal tablets;
• traditional medicine.

Ointments are applied to the affected areas twice a day;first, the skin of the feet must be steamed and cleaned of the stratum corneum.The duration of taking the tablets is determined by the treating doctor.As a rule, the course of treatment for the initial stages of infection lasts no more than a month;advanced forms are treated within six months.Traditional medicine can significantly speed up the healing process.Doctors recommend their patients to take note of the following recipes.

Baths with vinegar and hydrogen peroxide.You need to pour water at a temperature of 37 degrees into a basin, add 20 grams of table vinegar, then put your feet in the water and warm them there for twenty minutes.Next, you need to remove the stratum corneum with pumice, dry your feet and coat the affected areas of the skin with a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide.At the end of the procedure, the affected areas are lubricated with an antifungal cream prescribed by the doctor.

Salt baths and celandine juice.The feet are pre-steamed in a saline solution (one teaspoon per liter of water), then lubricated with celandine juice prepared from fresh leaves and stems of grass.The procedure ends with the application of an antifungal drug.

Soda baths (20 grams of powder per two liters of water) can relieve inflammation and stimulate healing of ulcers.The feet are steamed for fifteen minutes, dried with a towel and treated with etiotropic ointment.

It is important throughout the treatment to carefully disinfect all surfaces with which the painful feet come into contact (shoes, clothes, bedding).After treating the affected areas of the skin, you need to wash your hands thoroughly and then treat them with any liquid antiseptic.Violation of the number of drugs taken and their dosage will lead to increased sensitivity of the pathogenic microflora, the need to extend therapy and make some changes to tablets and ointments.

To prevent relapse, it is important to prevent reinfection.Wear only dry shoes, choose socks made from natural fabrics and use only personal pedicure accessories.