A healthy nail should look good - to be smooth and even.Its color should be beige or slightly pinkish, which is due to the presence of blood vessels under it.When defects appear, the nail may lose normal color, become dark or painted in a different color.When the thickness changes, the nails become untidy and look sloppy.In some diseases, the nail plates can be deformed up to their disappearance.
Development malformations can be both congenital and acquired.In the first case, this is due to damage to the ectoderm-fabric-predecessor of the nail.It looks like deformation of the nail or its absence immediately after the birth of a child.
The acquired vices can develop for various reasons.The most common problem is a fungus, which in one form or another is present in every third person.The fungus can be not only external, in which only the plate is affected, but also by internal ones - the fabric of the finger can be affected with their subsequent destruction.
In addition, such diseases can lead to step -by -step deformation:
- Psoriasis - with this pathology, the thickness of the nail changes.It becomes denser than usual and unpleasant to the touch.In addition, pain develops - on palpation, discomfort is felt.Multi -colored spots develop under the plate - from red to purple - this indicates a hemorrhage.When the infection is joined, suppuration with hematomas under the nail can be observed.Local detachments from the skin may be observed - cavities form in these places that give their hands an untidy look.Further development of the disease can lead to onycholysis.
- Eczema is often accompanied not only by local defeat, but also by generalized.That is, in addition to damage to the plates, skin symptoms can also be observed.Eczema is manifested by changes in the nail roller and the plate directly.The fabrics of the finger become swollen, peeling can develop.The affected surface itches and hurts.At the same time, the nail becomes dull and pale, its stratification or brittleness is possible.
In addition to these reasons, the deformation can be provoked by a fungal infection of the nail plate.
The fungus is a disease that, with a careless attitude, can lead to a complete destruction of the plate.At the initial stage, this is manifested only by a change in color and thickening, at the end, the defeat leads to the loss of the nail plate.
Signs of infection with a fungus
When infection with onychomycosis, there is no intensive sharp pain and disability - therefore, people often prefer not to notice it.In addition, the fungus at its early stage is not manifested by expressed changes in the nail plate and it is difficult to distinguish.
First of all, itching of the skin of the feet appears.It is intense and can distract from work or rest.It is caused by the propagation of microorganisms in the dermis, which is perceived by the body as irritation.With constant itching, a person may be disturbed by sleep and appetite.When combing the skin, it is likely to bring bacteria into microcracks, then the annexation of a secondary infection will develop.
If treatment measures are not taken, then organic changes in the nail and tissues occur.The plate becomes muddy and opaque, spots and stripes develop on it, which can both light and dark - it depends on the pathogen.
A change in the shade indicates that the yeast fungus captures completely the tissue of the plate.Often the color becomes yellow, but brown and white may also occur.
The brittleness and fragility of nails also indicates the fungal process.At the same time, the nails are divided, become untidy.Because of this, painful ingrowths or thawing of the nail from its bed in the event of an injury may occur.
If all these symptoms appear or at least one of them, you must consult a doctor about treatment - without this, the disease can go into a chronic form.
Stages of development of infection
Unlike many pathologies, nail fungus is a slowly developing disease.It is characterized by a gradual flow that is difficult to miss.The therapy of the fungus is effective at an early stage, therefore, the earlier the help is provided, the better.
The initial stage often does not manifest itself visually.Therefore, it is impossible to show how the fungus of nails in the legs in the photo in the initial stage looks.But the first symptoms appear already at this time.An anxious bell in relation to the fungus is intense skin itching, which intensifies throughout the day and reaches the greatest intensity by night.The only sign that can be subject to the idea of a fungal infection is the appearance of a pathological color of the nail-this is manifested by the development of spots and stripes from pale yellow to a white shade.There may be dark areas.
The stage of normotrophic lesion is manifested by moderate symptoms.This is evidenced by the fact that the nail has not yet been thickened and the pronounced deformation is not observed in it.However, stains and stripes become extremely distinct and visible to others.In addition, an unpleasant smell that comes from the feet joins.If you do not start treatment, the disease will inevitably go to the last stage.
With hypertrophic lesion, a thickening of not only the plate itself, but also surrounding tissues is observed.This is manifested by deformation of the nail, it can change the direction of growth, crumble and break even from a slight effect on it.As a result, the nail can be reduced, in its place in a severe course of the disease, the new plate does not grow.
In the presence of concomitant pathology, the transition from the first stage to the launched occurs extremely quickly, in just a few weeks.This can happen due to the presence of immunodeficiency, cancer and weakness of the body, which develops in old age.
Injections in adults also provoke the development of the disease.This can be a direct damage to the nail, as well as surrounding tissues, when, due to the insufficiency of blood circulation, the metabolism of the nail changes.At this time, ideal conditions are created for a fungus.
With obesity and diabetes mellitus, the nail fungus on the legs develops in 95 cases out of 100. This is due to the fact that fungal microorganisms receive many necessary for the growth and reproduction of substances - for example, glucose and lipids.Therefore, in such patients, pathology is extremely difficult.
Nail fungus when infected with dermatophytes
Dermatophytes are the most common cause of pathology.Infecting them is quite simple - through common towels, showers or even indoor slippers.
This type of fungus has two dangerous representatives who can equally cause fungal lesions - this is Trichophyton Rubrum and Trichophyton Mentagrophyphytes.
The first representative begins penetrating under the nail plate from its free edge, while moving further.Signs of infection with this fungus - a change in the color of the nails on the legs with pink to yellow with black interspersed, the texture of the plate deteriorates - it becomes brittle and fragile, crumbles with physical exposure.
For accurate diagnosis, you need to know how the nail fungus looks like.The most characteristic feature is the appearance of a detachment of the nail near its side edge.In this space, the accumulation of dirt occurs, which is favorable for the development of microorganisms.During this period, it is still possible to get rid of the fungus without loss of nail, just using ointments and creams in parallel with antifungal pills.
There is a so -called distal form of the disease, which is manifested by the beginning of the lesion in the nail bed.This form is much less common, since in order to penetrate there, microorganism is necessary for the input gate - a microcrack or other damage.This situation is not uncommon after an injury.With this option, it is necessary to remove the nail plate completely, since any conservative treatment will be ineffective.
If the cause of the fungus is Trichophyton Mentagrophytes, then the signs of the disease will be as follows:
- thickening - there will be significant hypertrophy of the plate with the presence of deformations and defects of the fabric;
- The color of the plate becomes intensively yellow, with a honey tint;
- an abscess on a finger near the nail appears;
- At the late stage, skin lesion also joins - in the interdigital gaps, peeling and cracking of the skin is observed;
- The appearance of white strips and spots develops - these are the places where the fungus parasitizes the most intensively;
- In hand, this type of pathogens never parasitizes.
To get rid of this fungus, it is necessary to undergo the correct comprehensive treatment with both oral drugs and local remedies - gels and ointments.
In severe cases, you may need to remove the nail and laser cleaning to remove microorganisms.This method has many positive reviews.It is forbidden to use varnish.
Changes in the nail when infected with a fungus of the genus
This disease is characterized by damage not only to tissues on the limbs, but also to localization on the brush.The leading hand is more often affected, for example, the right -handed hand is the right hand.From frequent contact with water, the disease progresses faster.
A characteristic feature of this disease is the damage to the nail from the box.Over time, more tissues are captured - first the cellular division zone, and then the free edge.
With this disease, more often than the rest, a secondary infection occurs.Candidiasis is accompanied by pain in the roller and bed, on palpation it is possible to secrete a serous or purulent discharge.
The nail is gradually deformed and rises above the skin, its thickness can reach several millimeters.At the same time, the nail becomes wave -like, which is manifested by the presence of the so -called scallops that can go in different directions.However, with candidiasis, the most common form of nail damage is precisely horizontal blackening.
In severe pathology, the nail is gradually separated from the nail bed, this is accompanied by discomfort and pain.In case of accidental trauma of such a nail, it is possible, accompanied by significant bleeding.The wound surface in this case is delayed for a long time.
If the fungus affects the free edge of the nail, then this is often combined with a skin or generalized form.It is called distal.This variant of the course of the disease passes harder and is more difficult to treat.The distal form indicates that human immunity is weakened and affected by microorganisms.
The treatment of candidiasis differs in different forms and stages of the disease.At first, you can try to influence microorganism with the help of local means, but with a generalized or rapidly progressive form, you need to take systemic oral drugs.In addition, if there are signs of extensive damage to the fungus, it is necessary to prescribe a complete medical examination for the search for diseases that have reduced the level of immunity.
Changes in the nail with molds damage
The defeat with mold mushrooms is less common than the rest of the pathogens.This is due to the fact that a person is not so often in contact with this type of microorganism due to their specificity.Most often, these mushrooms are infected against the background of an existing lesion.The most favorite colony, which the mold joins, is Trichophyton Mentagrophytes.Against this background, you can often see the combined effects of both mushrooms and bacteria.
This disease is characteristic of elderly people.In this period, a decrease in cellular immunity and the weakening of the body occur, due to which the mushrooms develop more intensively.
A characteristic feature of these pathogens is their selectivity.They do not affect the skin and soft tissues, localized exclusively on the nails.
Among the causative agents, the most types are most found:
- Alternaria - this fungus determines the development of deformation of the nail and hyperkeratosis.In order to recover from this disease, it is necessary to remove the nail plate, since microorganisms are extremely deep into the tissue and it is quite difficult to eliminate them.
- Scytalidium dimidiatum - most often such microorganisms appear in patients with diabetes.In order to get rid of such a fungus, it is necessary to carefully monitor the level of glucose in the blood and be observed in parallel with the endocrinologist.
- Scopulariopsis brevicaulis is more often found in public places, for example, in baths, pools, showers.When it is localized in the nail plates, there is a change in their color from pink to white.
- Fusarium is common in rural areas, it is a lot in the ground, from which it can easily switch to fabric.This fungus, when penetrating into the body, can cause mycosis of internal organs, which is very difficult to treat.Therapy for such a terrible disease should be carried out only in the hospital, since treatment is serious enough for the patient.
Therapy of mold damage is very complex, since it is necessary to treat the body from several colonies of microorganisms.In order to produce quite high -quality therapy, a combination of antibiotics and antifungal drugs is used.In severe cases, they are not administered orally, but intravenously.