If you have problems with your nail plates, it is important to know which doctor treats nail fungus in order to consult a specialist without expecting complications.It is difficult for a person who encounters a fungal infection for the first time to understand the name of this specialist.Dermatologists and mycologists deal with problems of fungal diseases, so it is hardly advisable to visit a therapist.
What is nail fungus
A disease caused by parasitic microorganisms is called a pathogenic fungus.The disease affects the horny integument (nails) and the skin of the legs around them, develops quickly, brings discomfort and inconvenience.Living in the body, dangerous parasites poison it with toxins and can worsen the general condition.You can become infected by wearing someone else's shoes, not maintaining foot hygiene, or walking barefoot at the beach or pool.People with these problems need to know which doctor treats nail fungus to prevent complications and receive the appropriate treatment to eliminate the unpleasant disease.
Symptoms of the disease
The doctor who treats the symptoms of nail fungus depends on the severity of the destruction of the plate affected by the fungus and the nature of the injury.There are the following characteristic signs of the appearance of a fungus:
- normotrophic type: stripes, spots on the lateral parts of the nail of ocher-yellow or white color, ease of separation of the plate from the skin, a person suffers from itchy skin under healthy nails;
- hypertrophic: plaque thickening, loss of shine, crumbling, opacity, severe deformation, dark yellow or gray color;
- atrophic: grayish-brown color, loss of shine, pallor, necrosis and destruction of the nail bed of the toes;
- lateral and distal: loss of color, yellowish transverse grooves, crumbling, roughness, exposed nail bed of the toes, swelling, redness, thickening, pain in the skin of the foot, advanced cases can be characterized by the appearance of pus;
- proximal: bleaching, destruction;
- total: complete destruction of the nail due to lack of therapy;
- white surface: white spots, disintegration, delamination, pain.
Which doctor treats nail fungus
Knowing which doctor deals with nails is helpful for all nail fungus patients.In this case, a therapist will not help;you need to visit a specialized specialist.This doctor is a dermatologist, he advises in the early stages of the disease.In advanced cases, a consultation with a mycologist is necessary - a specialist who treats nail fungus in a highly targeted manner.
Dermatologist
This doctor can prescribe the correct treatment and eliminate nail fungus.Your qualifications allow you to eliminate skin problems, including viral and infectious lesions, dermatitis, eczema and parasitic diseases.The latter includes a fungal infection.If the case is not advanced, you should contact a dermatologist at a local clinic or dermatovenerological dispensary and schedule the first examination.According to indications, he may refer the patient to a mycologist.
Mycologist
In difficult cases, the answer to the question of which doctor treats toenails is to contact a mycologist.This is the name of the same dermatologist who only treats fungal infections of the skin, hair and nails.It is not available in all clinics or even in the city.Consultation with mycologists includes treatment and prevention of fungal diseases: onychomycosis, candidiasis, microsporia, trichophytosis, epidermophytosis, foot mycosis.You need to contact them after referral from a dermatologist.
How is the consultation going?
Once you find out which doctor treats nail fungus, don't hesitate to make an appointment.At the first consultation, the nail specialist interviews the patient about how long ago the problem arose, the sensations experienced by him and the patient's lifestyle.After collecting the information, a preliminary examination of the affected areas of the foot is carried out, a diagnosis is made and the stage of the infection is determined.
External signs may not always indicate a species of fungus, so a scraping of the dead scales is taken for examination in the laboratory.The resulting medical material is examined under a microscope and plated on nutrient medium.It is necessary to consult a doctor as soon as possible to cure the fungus without consequences for the patient and his body.
Repeated query
After receiving the laboratory tests, a second consultation is held.A mycologist or dermatologist reports the cause of the growth, the presence of the fungus, its type and prescribes the correct treatment.Medicines are selected depending on the individual characteristics of the patient.The disease treatment procedure is time-consuming, so it will be necessary to consult a specialist several times to monitor the therapy and prevent infection of the patient's body.
Treatment options
After studying the etiology of the fungus that has affected the nail plate of the toes, treatment is prescribed.It is not recommended to select medications on your own because there is a risk of side effects.The main antifungals and treatment methods used:
- oral – tablets, capsules for a comprehensive effect on the parasite from the inside;
- local effects - applied externally, include ointments, creams, compresses, drops, varnishes;
- special laser treatment – improves the penetration of agents inside and the microcirculation of tissues;
- a recommendation for surgical removal of the nail is given in extreme cases when recovery is impossible.
Popular effective medicines, divided into groups according to their effect on the fungal pathogen, are:
- Antifungal varnishes.
- Plaque removal preparations (sometimes necessary to cure the fungus).
- Antifungal tablets.
- Creams, ointments, sprays.
- Other remedies: medicinal liquids, tea tree oil and others.