What is nail fungus (onychomycosis)?
Onychomycosis or nail fungus can affect men and women, while it rarely affects children. Onychomycosis accounts for 50% of all nail diseases. Onychomycosis affects the toenails more often and rarely the hands. Many nail conditions can be mistaken for onychomycosis and should be differentiated from it. Often patients attribute any damage and deformity of their nails to seonychomycosis, not knowing that many conditions first manifest with nail symptoms.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms of nail fungus can vary from patient to patient. The same nail fungus can have different symptoms and manifest itself differently in each person. Initially, the symptoms of nail fungus concern the appearance of the nail itself without pain or discomfort to the patient. The main symptoms of nail fungus are the thickening of the nail, the change of its color, the deformity and the detachment of the nail from its bed. The nail can appear yellowish, brown, even greenish or black. As untreated onychomycosis progresses, symptoms of toenail fungus include pain, difficulty walking, standing, and exercising, as well as hypoesthesia or paresthesia in the feet.
Treatment
The treatment of nail fungus must be done by a dermatologist, who is also the most expert for the correct diagnosis and choice of treatment.
The steps of proper treatment are as follows:
Nail fungus – treatment with general measures
Keeping hands and feet dry, not excessive washing, use of individual towels, no bare feet in pools, sand, individual tools in
Manicure Pedicure.
Nail fungus – treatment with topical preparations
Many patients prefer topical treatment for nail fungus. Topical treatment is ideal for mild and initial forms of fungal infections and for patients who have contraindications to the use of oral medications. They require the proper compliance of the patient as the treatment should be for many months. Topical nail fungus treatment should be done on the nail and surrounding skin.
Nail fungus – treatment with oral medications
Oral medications are very effective in certain forms of yeast infections. This is the classic – traditional treatment
treatment of onychomycosis.
Nail fungus – laser treatment
Laser nail fungus treatment is the most modern treatment, as the fungus is sterilized in a natural way. The laser light is fungicidal and eradicates fungi without the side effects of drugs. It is a quick, easy, painless and very effective nail fungus treatment.