General signs of leg fungus: medical classification, treatment methods, prevention

The prevalence of mycoid diseases has made them recognizable and easily treatable diseases in their early stages. But the signs of foot fungus themselves, indicating the beginning of infection, are not familiar to everyone. After all, there are about fifty varieties of fungi. But there is also a broad category of skin diseases - epidermycosis. Therefore, to prevent the disease from evolving into a state that is dangerous to the health of the body, it is necessary to study its characteristics.

General signs

Fungal skin infections rank first among diseases affecting the epidermis. Its signs are quite recognizable. The main difficulty in the diagnostic process is establishing the exact type of fungal infection. This is necessary because each of them is resistant to a certain group of antifungal drugs. Therefore, to carry out the treatment, a mandatory visit to the doctor is necessary. Accurate identification of the mycoid group is impossible without special biological research.

The following signs may be a reason to contact a specialist:

• Cracks in the epidermis between the toes. This area is considered to be at greatest risk of fungal infection. Additional evidence of infection may include excessive dry skin, peeling feet, and pain.
• Noticeable thickening and roughness of the skin layer. Similar symptoms are observed when dry corn or callus forms. But, in some cases, the cause of this change is a fungus.
• Skin destruction, blisters. These injuries are usually diagnosed first on one leg and later appear on the other.
• Redness of the epidermis, itching or burning sensation. This set of symptoms is considered one of the main signs confirming a fungal infection. The difficulty in diagnosis, in this case, lies in the fact that each type of mycoid causes this set of symptoms.
• Change in the color of the nail plate.
• The appearance of an unpleasant odor in the infected area.

It is important to detect the first signs of the fungus in time, as the disease is very difficult to treat and easy to infect.

Mycoid infection easily penetrates the body, infecting internal organs and systems. This explains the frequent relapses of the disease in the complete absence of external provoking factors.

Medical classification

Mycosis fungoides is classified according to its characteristics into four main forms.

For each form of foot fungus, symptoms vary depending on what it is:

1. Flaky.
2. Dyshidrotic.
3. Intertriginous.
4. "Classic" onychomycosis.

The scaly or scaly form of the fungal infection is considered one of the initial stages of the infection. The skin lesions in this case are first seen on one foot. Over time, a second infection occurs. The main symptom of the scaly form is redness of the skin, which later progresses to keratinization of inflamed tissue areas. Without treatment, the scaly form evolves into the dyshidrotic form.

The dyshidrotic form of mycoid infection has a pronounced characteristic feature - the appearance of small blisters in the affected area. After opening, the blisters become inflamed, forming a stable focus of erosion of the upper layers of the skin. The patient usually has intense itching; in very advanced cases, it gives rise to pain. The skin begins to peel and erosions form regularly. This form of the disease can develop into the first scaly form without any system. Therefore, some experts believe that the mentioned forms of mycosis fungoides are two forms of the same type of infection.

The intertriginous form of infectious fungal infection is the most common. Manifestations of the disease include the appearance of cracks in the skin of the feet, visible to the naked eye, and the formation of exfoliated areas of white skin at their edges. For the interdigital region, a characteristic sign of the intertriginous form is the formation of watery spots and erosion of the epidermis. The patient feels constant itching in the infected area. Treatment of this form of infection is complex and time-consuming, as most of the time the disease takes on a chronic form.

Onychomycosis is an infectious infection whose symptoms receive special attention. Depending on the characteristics of the pathology, the type of damage to the nail plate and the type of disease change. There are three main types of onychomycosis:

1. Hypertrophic - the nail plate gradually collapses, its color changes to yellowish and characteristic spots appear. Pain in the affected area appears after deformation of the nail.
2. Normotrophic - there is no destruction or change in the shape of the nail plate, yellowish and white spots or lines appear.
3. Atrophic is the most dangerous form for the nail plate, in which it is severely destroyed, deformed and often detaches from the nail bed.

Each form of onychomycosis has its own general treatment regimen. But in order to completely get rid of the infection without consequences for the body and exclude a relapse, it is recommended to carry out treatment on the recommendation and under the supervision of a doctor.

Treatment methods

In most cases, it is possible to completely get rid of a detected disease in time, within a month at most. This is a very important point in treatment, as itching, tissue damage and other manifestations disappear, the patient sometimes stops treatment, believing that the disease has been defeated. But the remnants of the infection can easily trigger a relapse.

Treatment procedures should be stopped only after authorization from the doctor and after passing the necessary tests. This is especially true for advanced forms of the disease. The fungus is firmly "fixed" in the body and can sometimes take at least six months to get rid of it. But the external manifestation of foot fungus in the form of various damage to the skin or nails disappears much earlier, creating the illusion of health. By stopping therapy in this case, the patient is almost certain to relapse.

Foot treatment for mycoid infection is carried out comprehensively. To get rid of the disease, local antifungal drugs and tablets are used to eliminate the infectious agent that has penetrated the body. To eliminate itching, pain, brittle nails and accelerate tissue regeneration, certain medications may be prescribed. It is not recommended to combine them independently with the main therapeutic group, so as not to provoke an allergic reaction or intoxication of the body due to the simultaneous use of incompatible medications.

Curing foot fungus at an early stage is quite simple. Typically, two weeks of therapy are enough to eliminate the symptoms of mycoid infection.

Duration of treatment

Combined infection of the skin and nail plate requires rehabilitation therapy for one to three months. These terms are considered standard for the most medically effective pharmaceutical products.

Pregnancy requires a mandatory visit to the doctor to choose a method of getting rid of mycoid infection. Potent medicines and therapies that require the use of similar medicines are prescribed only under the supervision of a doctor in compliance with strict dosages. Many antibacterial tablets that effectively destroy fungi can cause visible harm to the fetus. Therefore, whenever possible, during pregnancy, it is recommended that patients be treated with traditional medicine recipes. Many of them allow you to cope with the disease, but provided that the disease has not reached a complex stage. Only classical medicine can help deal with the advanced form.

Modern medicines allow you to completely restore leg health in two weeks, provided that signs of infection are detected in time.

Preventive measures

Preventing a disease is always easier and safer for your health than treating it, even with the most gentle method. In the case of a fungal infection, prevention is one of the mandatory rules of life, as it is very easy to become infected. Therefore, to reduce the risk of contracting the disease, it is recommended to follow some simple rules:

• try to eat well, eating healthy foods whenever possible;
• do not use other people's things and personal hygiene products;
• use basic protective equipment in public places, such as spare shoes and hygienic antibacterial agents;
• wash your feet and change socks regularly;
• lead a healthy lifestyle;
• Take regular baths to improve foot health;
• periodically disinfect your shoes.

Preventing fungal infection is important not only to prevent it, but also if the disease occurs. In this situation, compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards helps to accelerate healing and prevent infection of others with the fungus.