Every person wants to look good, have neat hands. But it happens that the desire does not coincide with the possibility. I want to do a manicure, and the specialist says that you must first cure the disease, and then polish your nails. There are fungal and non-fungal pathogens. Only a doctor can establish this and prescribe appropriate medical treatment. A fungus is a kind of infection. How to identify the disease by the nails and how to deal with it? We will talk about this in the article below.
What can cause fungus?
- Fungal nail disease can be contracted in the pool if you take a steam bath in the sauna. After all, sheets and towels are not always conscientiously treated in saunas.
- Often people become the culprits of their illness themselves, wearing tight shoes, as the feet begin to sweat, moisturize, and this is enough to start the development of the fungus.
- Rarely, but it also happens that a non-fungal pathogen can be inherited.
- If you transfer any infectious disease, then the disease may manifest itself in the form of a consequence.
- Improper diet can cause fungal nail disease.
- Smoking addiction.
Whatsymptoms can be seen when the pathogen appears?
- The nail starts to change color.
- The nail thickens.
- The nail plate starts to delaminate.
- Burrs, grooves may appear.
What to do so that the nails do not hurt?
- Keep your hands clean.
- Treat your hands with special disinfectants.
- Only wear your own shoes.
- Pay special attention to your diet.
Let's look at the most common nail diseases.
Candidiasis of the nail folds
Candidiasis of the nail folds is a disease of the skin and nails that occurs as a result of damage to a yeast-like fungus that belongs to the genus Candida. The occurrence of a similar phenomenon on the nail ridges is provoked by the following factors:
- violation of the integrity of the skin on the fingers;
- exposure to rollers by substances of chemical origin;
- disturbed metabolism in the body;
- poor circulation in limbs;
- prolonged use of corticosteroids and antibiotics.
The skin is usually shiny, reddened. Cushion-shaped, edematous. At the same time, there are slight discharge in the form of a curdled discharge. After some time, peeling appears on the edge of the roller on the nails, paronychia may develop, which provokes the disappearance of the nail skin. A person is worried about severe colicky pain in the phalanges near the nails.
When the disease develops, local treatment is usually prescribed, if necessary, including immunomodulators and systemic agents, such as Fluconazole and Futsis. In acute inflammation, it is recommended to use antimycotic agents for the treatment of fungal nail diseases:
- "Amphotericin B";
- Econazole;
- Isoconazole;
- "Bifonazole";
- "Naftifin";
- Miconazole, etc.
Athlete
As a rule, epidermophytosis of the nails refers to a disease characterized by spots or stripes on the nail plates, as well as increased fragility.
Athletic nail disease should be suspected if the patient has the following symptoms:
- Yellow spots or streaks on the nails. The very first signal is the marks on the nails. With delayed treatment, yellowness extends to the entire surface.
- Curvature and thickening of the nail. This is followed by curvature and thickening of the nail plate.
- Fragility of the nail.
If the course of the disease is left to chance, then epidermophytosis comes to the final stage, characterized by increased fragility of the nail plate. The nail starts to crumble.
Ringworm
This disease is a nail fungus that affects the nail plate (mycosis). It is quite common among the world's population. Mycosis is characterized by the following forms:
- Normotrophic form - with its progression, a change in color is characteristicnail. Stripes appear that have a yellow tint. The thickness of the nail itself does not change.
- Hypertrophic form. It is characterized by thickening of the nail plate and slight deformation. Pain is present during exertion.
- Atrophic form. This is the most dangerous damage to the nail. It becomes thinner, has a burgundy color and subsequently collapses completely. After rejection, the skin area is covered with loose growths.
The transmission of ringworm is quite simple. It can be transmitted at home through contact with a sick person, as well as in public places. It can be pools, saunas.
Felon
This unpleasant ailment can occur in every person. This happens due to the ingress of microbes under the nail plate. In the future, inflammation is observed, which has serious complications. One of them is considered a suppurative process in the nail area. At the initial stage, the disease can be cured conservatively. And when there is purulent discharge, the intervention will be only surgical.
The path of infection is more often associated with microtrauma. When impurities enter the wound, an active inflammatory process begins under the nail plate. Therefore, in order to avoid serious complications, it is necessary to treat the wound with an antiseptic solution and, if necessary, make a dressing. Timely assistance will help to avoid such a dangerous disease as nail panaritium.
Leukonechia
Leukonychia –This is a disease of the nails on the hands, accompanied by the formation of white spots and stripes on the nail plate. It is caused due to pathological changes in the structure of the nail, as well as some other factors:
- nail injury;
- nail extension using poor quality materials;
- frequent use of household chemicals, reagents and paints;
- use of certain drugs, including toxic ones;
- wearing tight shoes;
- fungal infection;
- systemic diseases (heart failure, liver cirrhosis, diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism, zinc and protein deficiency, eczema, etc.).
- hereditary diseases-syndromes: Bart-Pumfrey, Daria, Gorlin-Goltz, Bauer.
To successfully treat a nail disease, it is necessary to eliminate its cause. First of all, it is worth balancing the diet, using various strengthening baths for nails and nourishing creams. The use of vitamin and antifungal drugs is shown. When working with household chemicals, be sure to wear rubber gloves to protect your nails.
Onycholysis
Onycholysis is a disease of the nails on the hands, which is expressed in violation of the integrity of the nail plate, its detachment from the nail bed. After the lesion, a cavity forms under the nail, which is similar in color to the free edge of the plate. In some cases, this cavity can be yellow, purple and even bluish. At first, the detachment is small, but with improper and untimely treatment, onycholysis can lead to loss of the nail.
Reasons:
- mechanical damage;
- allergic to chemicals;
- fungal diseases;
- dermatovenereological diseases;
- endocrine diseases;
- use of tetracycline and fluoroquinolone drugs;
- digestion or heart problems.
To cure onycholysis, you need to establish the exact cause of its development, for which a consultation of narrow specialists is prescribed. But in most cases, iron preparations, multivitamin complexes (containing vitamins of groups A and B), as well as calcium in food or pharmaceutical preparations are prescribed.
Melanonychia
Melanonychia is a condition of the nail plate in which brown or dark lines form on it. A similar disease occurs due to the deposition of a large amount of melanin. Often, melanonychia is not a separate disease, but a symptom. This is a common occurrence for the black race, since the level of melanin in this type of skin is much higher. But if melanonychia occurs on fair skin, it may be a sign of cancer.
Melanin can be deposited in human nails for many reasons:
- chronic radiation sickness;
- administering chemotherapy;
- taking antibiotics, immunosuppressants and cytostatics;
- endocrine diseases;
- use of drugs for the treatment of fungal infections of the nailplate.
The most significant and common symptom of melanonychia is the change in color of the nails, their thickening (occurs infrequently), the appearance of brown stripes, astigmatism and even curvature of the fingers. Melanonychia, which was provoked by the use of antibiotics or the use of chemotherapy, is not difficult to treat. Doctors usually prescribe Hydroxycarbamide, Cyclophosphamide, or Doxorubicin.
Hyperkeratosis
With this disease, there is a rapid growth of cells in the upper layer of the nail, because of this, deformation is observed in the affected area. As a result of such a rapid process, formations in the nail plate are observed. This disease is not independent and most often manifests itself as a consequence of a fungal disease.
Types of pathogen can be different. These are primarily streptococci, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and many other different types of microorganisms that live in the external environment. As a result of the lesion, the diseased nail thickens, has a light yellow color. If the lesion occurred in the leg area, then an unpleasant odor occurs. This disease causes a lot of inconvenience to the patient, as a result, other complications that a person may experience.
Chromonychia
This disease is not a lesion of various fungi. It is most often associated with age-related indicators and develops as a result of long-term medication. Chromonychia - this term refers to the defeat of the nail plates. They take on a bright yellow color. Everyone gets hurt most of the timenails.
There are quite a few reasons. This may be due to the influence of external factors, as well as diseases of internal organs in humans. This disease is divided into several types:
- False - most often associated with the use of chemicals.
- True - this disease is considered quite serious. During it, not only the nails are affected, but also swelling on the limbs and serious deformities occur.
Doctors' forecasts are not always positive, but treatment sometimes gives a good result.
Paronychia
This is a disease that is associated with injury or exposure to chemicals. It appears on the nail plate with severe swelling. Inflammation occurs in the nail area, which is accompanied by pain and redness.
Diagnosing this disease is not difficult, an experienced dermatologist, based on complaints and the overall picture, makes such a diagnosis. The patient complains of discomfort in the periungual space. When an infection enters, an active process begins, the patient has a high body temperature and general weakness. In prolonged cases, a suppurative process is possible. It may also require surgery. Therefore, it is important for any injury to the skin to treat the wound with an antiseptic solution and apply a bactericidal patch.
Grooves on the nails
Changes in the structure of the nails are often expressed in the appearance of grooves. The main reasons for their development are:
- mechanicaldamage;
- dehydration;
- nail fungus;
- lack of vitamins, macro- and micronutrients;
- administering chemotherapy;
- taking certain medications;
- applying strict diets.
Most often, grooves occur as a result of functional changes, excessive deposition of s alts, deficiency of vitamins, calcium, phosphorus and protein, with anemia, and also due to lack of nutrition. If the diet is complete, but the grooves still appear, this may indicate a malfunction of the small intestine and insufficient absorption of the substances entering it.
To correct the amount of nutrients for the body, an additional intake of vitamin complexes is usually prescribed. Sea calcium also favorably affects the nail plate. It is equally important to control fluid balance. After all, it is precisely because of the lack of moisture that a convex groove can appear in the middle of the nail. If such treatment is ineffective, you should consult a dermatologist, onychologist, family doctor, who will prescribe another drug.
Split nails
The reasons why nail splitting occurs are associated with frequent stress, nutritional problems, vitamin deficiency, metabolic disorders and reduced immunity. Therefore, when this problem appears, it must be solved as soon as possible: to perform an examination and undergo a course of treatment. Immunomodulatory and multivitamin preparations are usually prescribed, as well as a therapeutic diet.
The most common causes of delaminationnail:
- negative effects of household chemicals;
- unbalanced diet;
- wrong nail care;
- hidden diseases of body systems and its internal organs;
- insufficient fluid intake;
- mechanical damage.
Exfoliating nails look thinned or, conversely, thickened, scales are separated from them, longitudinal cracks may even appear. The edges of the nail plate are rough, uneven, the natural glossy sheen disappears, the color of the nail plates becomes grayish or yellowish.
If the nails exfoliate due to diseases, then it is necessary to treat them. With fungal infection, the use of creams, ointments, tablets, therapeutic baths and gels is indicated. With vitamin deficiency, special attention should be paid to the use of foods with a large amount of minerals and vitamins.
Hypertrophy
The development of such a disease is often caused by external infection or hereditary factors. Nails become very hard, thickened. They elongate and take on the appearance of claws and ram's horns.
Nail plates usually acquire a brownish, gray, yellowish color, ribbing and stripes may also be noted. If the hypertrophy affects the sides of the nails, it is called an "ingrown toenail". In the event that inflammation of the periungual roller is added to it, we can talk about the development of paronychia. Panaritium (inflammation with pus) may also occur due to a puncture of the phalanx of the finger.
The prognosis of the course of hypertrophy of the nail plate is usually favorable if it occurs due to mechanical influences. But the situation can be complicated by disorders that occur due to rather dangerous diseases of the spinal cord or brain - paraplegia, hemiplegia, etc.
Atrophy
Began to notice how the structure of the nails has changed - have they become thick or too thin, stripes, depressions have appeared on them, the color has changed, grooves have formed, the nails have lost their shine? Go see a dermatologist. This is nail atrophy - a disease of the nail plate. It is both congenital and acquired. The reasons may be different. Congenital pathology is associated with a violation of the endocrine system, and the acquired causes are as follows:
- Various skin diseases: ringworm or psoriasis.
- Deficiency of essential vitamins - A, B, C, E, which are responsible for skin condition.
- Various bumps, injuries that often happen when wearing shoes with a narrow toe.
- Inflammation.
- As a result of antibiotics.
- I got an infection.
You can treat the disease at home, using various antifungal ointments.
The list of nail diseases (photos and descriptions of some are presented above) goes on and on. Only the most common ones are described here.
