Come on, get to know more about onychomycosis (toenail fungus)

What is onychomycosis?

Onychomycosis is a toenail fungal infection that is most common in adults and the elderly. This infection, which is also known as tinea unguium, is divided into several subtypes, namely:

Subicular lateral distal (fungus that infects the nail bed and under the nail plate layer caused by Trichophyton rubrum) .
White superficial onychomycosis (a fungus that infects the coating of the nail plate, making the nails a white opaque color caused by Trichophyton mentagrophytes) .
Proximal subungual onychomycosis (a fungus that infects the nail fold, proximal part of the nail to penetrate the nail plate caused by Trichophyton rubrum)
Candida onychomycosis (Candida paronychia fungal infection that attacks the nails)
Total dystrophic onychomycosis (fungal infection that affects the entire layer of the nail)

What are the signs and symptoms of this toenail fungus?

In fact, oncomycosis does not cause painful symptoms, unless the nails have thickened so that it hurts when wearing shoes. This condition really bothers you when walking, standing, or exercising. Other symptoms that may occur include:

The infected nail area thickens and hardens.
Nail color changes, initially whitish to opaque yellow to brown.
Parathesia occurs (a prickling, tingling, or crawling sensation on the nails and surrounding skin). This condition is usually when the infection has damaged the nerves.
The tips of the nails become more brittle, which makes them easy to scrape, peel, and become rough to the touch.
Sometimes it causes feet to smell bad due to chemicals produced by bacteria that attack moldy feet.

What causes toenail fungus?

The main cause of toenail fungus infection is fungi that feed on keratin (the protein that makes up the nails), such as Epidermophyton, Microsporum, and Trichophyton. These fungi thrive in dark, damp, and stuffy environments. Well, mold growth will be out of control if you have habits like the following.

Wearing narrow socks and shoes that increase friction on your toenails
Using dirty shoes and not keeping your feet clean
Wear wet shoes or socks or wear shoes when your feet are wet
Have diabetes or HIV
Have circulatory problems that reduce blood flow to the toes
Do not use slippers when in a muddy room, such as a changing room, gym or swimming pool and bathroom

How to treat toenail fungus?

Untreated toenail fungus infection can damage the nails. As a result, the appearance of your nails is unsightly and makes you feel insecure about wearing sandals or shoes that are exposed to the part of your toenails. To prevent further nail damage, you can follow the following treatments.

Using drugs

Medicines to treat toenail fungus are available in the form of oral pills as well as ointments or creams that are applied directly to the nails and surrounding skin. The use of drugs is usually used simultaneously because the ointment or cream alone is not effective enough to penetrate the nail surface.

Some of the commonly used toenail fungus medications are ketonazole, naftifine, ciclopirox, miconazole, butenafine, and toliaftate. However, before you decide to use drugs, first consult your doctor. The reason is, there are several types of drugs that should not be taken by people with impaired liver function or who have experienced heart failure.

Laser surgery and techniques

Surgery may be performed to remove the problem nail in several ways, including:

Using urea compounds to remove thickened nails
Dissecting the nail plate with drug therapy
Using a laser beam that can penetrate the nail tissue and kill the fungus that causes toenail infections