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 development. If you believe the statistics, 20% of the world's population suffers from the fungus.
What is a 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.
The fungus can adapt to almost any habitat condition. Fungal spores can live for a long time in ordinary clothes or shoes. In most cases, fungal infections are exposed to the feet and nail plates on the legs of a person.
How does mycosis take place?
The causative agent of mycosis of the feet is the fungus Trichophyton rubrum, T. Mentagrophytes and Epidermophyton floccosum. Thrush can be contracted through contact with infected skin or after using personal hygiene items.
Mycosis is characterized by the destruction of the skin in the form of desquamation. This is due to the fact that the fungus penetrates deep under the skin, which damages 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 burst, healing is painful. Foot fungus is also accompanied by an unpleasant smell. Symptoms of mycosis can be different depending on its type. To do this, you need to familiarize yourself with each of them in more detail.
The main forms of mycosis:
- Interdigital mycosis.
- Scaly-hyperkeratotic form.
- Vesicular form.
- Form erased.
- Nail fungus.
Interdigital mycosis
The most common localization of interdigital fungus is the intervals between 3, 4 and 5 toes.
The main symptoms of interdigital mycosis:
- The formation of a crack, which is covered with a thick white flaky film.
- A small amount of fluid may be released from the crack.
- The appearance of diaper rash between the toes.
- Slight itching between the fingers.
Initially, the fungus between the toes may be dormant without any symptoms. However, changes gradually begin to be observed - the skin becomes dry and rough, acquires a grayish tint, cracks appear in coarse places.
In addition, there is a so-called "wet" fungus between the fingers. This form is characterized by the formation of liquid-filled bubbles. These bubbles burst, creating the effect of a "wet" mushroom. Such a fungus is most often formed after wearing tight non-ventilated shoes, as well as during periods of high stress.
Squamous-hyperkeratotic form
The squamous-hyperkeratotic form of mycosis is characterized by severe desquamation and keratinization of the skin. This form of mycosis is very common, however, it most often affects people with atopic dermatitis.
The main symptoms of the scaly-hyperkeratotic form of mycosis:
- Weak itching.
- The formation of cracks in the skin of the feet.
- Pain.
- Skin dryness.
- Skin peeling.
- Erythema with clear boundaries.
- Scales yellow.
- Onychomycosis - damage to the nail plates.
Vesicular form
The blister form of the fungus is the rarest of all. Only 8% of all mycosis patients are exposed to this type of disease. The vesicular form is characterized by the formation of rashes with liquid contents inside. When these blisters burst, erosions appear, which can become infected.
The main symptoms of blister fungus:
- Formation of red or pink colored blisters.
- Inside the formations there is a liquid of transparent color.
- The size of the vesicles can reach a maximum of 1 cm in diameter.
- The rash may be accompanied by mild itching.
- Wet blisters.
This form of mycosis is dangerous, because there is a high probability of harmful bacteria and infections getting under the skin. To determine the vesicular form of mycosis, it is necessary to undergo special studies and conduct skin scraping for analysis, since this disease can be easily confused by external symptoms with eczema or pustular psoriasis.
Form deleted
The erased form of the fungus is almost always the beginning of the development of diseases of the feet - mycoses.
With the erased form of the fungus, there are practically no visible symptoms, however, some of them can still be distinguished:
- The skin peels slightly between the toes.
- The formation of small cracks between the fingers that affect only the upper layers of the epidermis.
All these symptoms are not accompanied by itching or pain, therefore, they do not cause any discomfort to a person.
nail fungus
Nail fungus is also a very common form of this disease. Such a fungus does not pose a particular threat to human health, but it can cause a lot of discomfort.
Symptoms of nail fungus:
- The appearance of dryness and peeling of the skin of the feet.
- Itching.
- Redness.
- Changing the shape of the nail.
- The color of the nails acquires a grayish-yellow tint.
- Nail plate cracking.
- Nail fragility.
- The formation of a lump that crumbles under the nail.
- The formation of voids under the nail plate.
- Bad smell.
If the foot fungus has become severe, the patient's temperature begins to rise. Foot fungus, like any type of mycosis, can cause the development of psoriasis or eczema.
What do skin fungus on the feet look like?
Although foot fungus is a very common disease these days, not everyone knows exactly what it looks like. Many infected people do not even attach much importance to the appearance of the first signs of a fungal infection. As mentioned earlier, there are several types of mushrooms.
Each type has its own symptoms:
- At the initial stage of infection, redness, slight swelling and cracking appear on the skin.
- At the intermediate stage of the development of the fungus, peeling of the skin appears. The foot is covered with white, pink or white spots.
- If the disease has already reached the highest stage of its development, the toenail plates begin to crumble and change their usual color. The skin on the feet begins to peel off in large chunks. Deep and painful cracks appear.
A photo
Symptoms of foot fungus
To determine the fungus on the legs, it is necessary to determine the attention to the basic symptoms:
- Redness of the affected areas of the skin.
- Skin peeling.
- Formation of blisters with liquid contents.
- Nails change color and shape.
- Brittleness and delamination of the nail plate.
Diagnostic
At the first manifestations of the symptoms of the fungus, you should consult a dermatologist. Sometimes, to establish an accurate diagnosis, a visual examination is not enough.
Certain symptoms may indicate the presence of another skin condition. Therefore, a specialist in such cases should take a scraping and do a microscopy. Only after such studies can we clearly talk about the presence and form of a fungal disease.
Processing
It is necessary to start treating a fungal disease only after a complete diagnosis by a specialist, who must prescribe various drugs for the treatment of this disease. Treatment of fungus on the legs can consist of several methods.
These methods include:
- systemic therapy.
- local therapy.
- Folk remedies.
It is worth taking a closer look at each of them.
Systemic therapy
Systemic therapy refers to the use of various antifungal drugs. These drugs enter the bloodstream and kill the fungal infection. These funds are able to penetrate the platinum of the nail, which can remain for several weeks, gradually killing the fungus.
Effective remedies for foot fungus
Terbinafine and itraconazole are considered effective antifungal agents. These systemic drugs can cure the patient in two weeks.
It is important to note that systemic therapy is not prescribed for the following people:
- Pregnant women.
- Nursing mothers.
- People with liver disease.
- Elderly people with comorbidities.
Ointments and creams
It is recommended to combine systemic treatment of fungal diseases with local therapy. This method of treatment includes various creams and ointments, which can also have an antifungal effect. However, it is worth paying attention to the fact that if creams and ointments are used without the use of systemic drugs, then the treatment may be ineffective.
Local drugs to combat fungal infections are divided into 20 forms. In addition to creams and ointments, various sprays, gels, foams and varnishes are also used to treat foot fungus.
When using local treatment of the fungus, it should be remembered that after applying a remedy to the skin, the legs do not need to be washed during the day.
Folk remedies
You can also cure the fungus of the skin of the feet with the help of folk remedies. To do this, you need to familiarize yourself 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.
- Attach a leaf of cut Kalanchoe to the nails overnight.
Folk remedies for the treatment of fungus between the toes:
- Wash the skin between the fingers and grease with birch tar.
- Make a decoction of plantain, yarrow, wormwood and chamomile. Make foot baths from the prepared broth.
Folk remedies for the treatment of foot fungus:
- Lubricate the affected areas of the skin with onion juice at night.
- Make a compress for the night from 20% propolis tincture.
Folk remedies for the treatment of foot fungus:
- Take a sea salt foot bath twice a day.
- Three times a day take foot baths from a decoction of chamomile, oak bark and calendula.
Prevention
Leg skin fungus most often causes sweating. Even in the cold season, the causative agent of a fungal disease is well preserved. But a high temperature can kill the infection, so one of the prevention methods is boiling. Another method of prevention is disinfection of shoes with formalin. With this action, the fungus dies after 20 minutes.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it should be noted that a fungal disease of the skin of the legs does not harm human health. The fungus only creates discomfort. However, this infection should not be ignored. If the disease becomes severe, it can lead to pain and the development of other infections.