Fungus on the nail – How it happens and treatments for mycosis

Nail fungus can be a slow problem to solve, requiring special ointments and nail polishes when treating recurrent mycosis.

Nail fungus is a problem that can be very easy to appear. Many people don’t even know that these living beings are living in their nails and causing the well-known mycosis.

In short, nail fungus appears when a person wears a lot of closed shoes, socks, tends to bite their nails a lot and other habits that muffle the nails, leaving them moist and hot.

What causes nail fungus?

Fungi that occur on fingernails and toenails survive in these places because they begin to devour the keratin in the nails, their main composition.

So, there are many frequent habits or bad luck that make these small living beings, fungi, grow on our nails, causing the famous mycosis. In general, they appear easily and tend to stay for a long time if not treated correctly.

Therefore, some groups of people tend to find it easy for nail fungus to appear, in addition to other habits. Are they:

• Nail biting;
• Wear closed and tight shoes consistently;
• Synthetic socks;
• Shared sandpaper, nail polish and manicure or pedicure objects;
• People with poor vascularization/blood circulation in their hands and feet;
• Diabetes;
• Advanced age.

How to identify

The signs of nail fungus are very clear to identify. Firstly, it is possible to notice small changes, such as white or yellowish spots on the nail – depending on the type of fungus, the spots can be brown or blackish – even involving detachment.

Furthermore, over time, the nail can become coarse, with certain waves and deformations. However, symptoms vary depending on the fungus. For example, the Candidait can even cause the skin around the nail to become inflamed.

How to prevent and treat nail fungus

There are several treatments for those with nail fungus. In short, the remedies are in the form of creams, ointments, nail polishes and oral medications. However, the treatment is not quick and can last from 6 to 12 months, as the fungi create a natural protective layer.

Prevention

Certain precautions prevent ringworm from attacking our feet and hands. Here are some of them that are essential in everyday life to avoid nail fungus:

With these habits, it is possible that mycosis will not come close to your nails. However, if you develop ringworm, there are the correct treatments for it.

Treatments

First of all, it is important to consult a dermatologist so that the best treatment is indicated in your case and that your health is not compromised.

Therefore, treatments for nail fungus are:

1. Local remedies: Generally, they are varnishes (specific nail polishes and bases for mycosis), creams and ointments to be applied to the region where the fungus is, directly on the nail.
2. Oral remedies: Oral tablets to treat mycosis in general are more recommended for cases where treatments with ointments and nail polish do not do the job. In short, ingestion remedies do not have a very strong effect, as they take time to be absorbed by the body and act against the fungus that is in areas where blood takes a long time to reach, which are the hands and feet.
3. Laser: when the case is more serious, laser treatment is carried out with a methylene blue dye applied to the affected nail, then passing the red laser to heat the area with fungus on the nail; It can be done from one to three weekly sessions, for up to three months.
4. Home treatment: Copaiba oil is great for treating mycoses. So, just order it, in the form of a cream or oil, through a compounding pharmacy, and apply it to the nail fungus. Source: News Magazine

Additionally, soaking hands or feet affected by fungus in 3% hydrogen peroxide in a basin of water for 30 minutes also helps. Thus, home treatments reinforce treatments carried out with medicines.

Signs that nail fungus has improved

In short, when the ringworm starts to improve, the signs are of an improvement in the yellowish or whitish color, in addition to the disappearance of the ripples and scales. Therefore, it is important to maintain the corrective treatment for the time stipulated by your doctor.

Sources: Health – Abril Magazine, Tua Saúde

Images: Revista News, Vix, Jornal de Brasília, Folha Vitória