Onychomycosis: nail fungus is well treatable
Onychomycosis is a fungal infection of the fingernails or toenails. Yellowing, whitening or a crumbly thickening, which usually begins at the outer end of the nail, can indicate this. If the nail regularly bumps into the shoes, for example, when walking or playing sports, it becomes susceptible. The disease is often accompanied by athlete’s foot, which can be recognized by scaly, whitish, torn and sometimes itchy spaces between the toes or a scaly sole.
Diagnosis of the disease
In the case of a change in the nail, a dermatologist should always be consulted. He can determine a possible fungal infection with the help of a fine tissue examination and a culture. For this purpose, it is important to remove nail polish beforehand and also not to apply antifungal polishes. Four weeks after the culture is taken, a reliable diagnosis can be made. If it is onychomycosis, it is usually caused by Trichophyton rubrum and can be treated well with the appropriate therapy.
Local treatment
The right way is usually a combination of different procedures. Locally, an antifungal varnish helps, which is applied 1x daily or 1x weekly, depending on the preparation. An accompanying athlete’s foot infection is treated in parallel with an antifungal cream. In addition, laser treatment of the affected nails is possible. In four-weekly intervals, a short, strong heat stimulus is applied to the nail plate, which leads to thermal destruction of spores and hyphae of the fungus.
Accompanying therapies
Every four weeks, a medical podiatrist should support the local therapy. By flattening the nails, she prepares them optimally for treatment. If more than 50% of the nail plate is infected, additional therapy with tablets is often unavoidable. This is especially true if the big toenails are affected. Contrary to their bad reputation, the drugs are very well tolerated and are taken in low doses once a week. To control the laboratory values, blood is taken before the therapy, four weeks after the beginning and later at three-monthly intervals.
Duration of treatment
Depending on the severity, treatment can take up to 12 months. The reason for this is, on the one hand, that the fungi are extremely resistant and well adapted. On the other hand, the nails grow slowly, but this can be accelerated somewhat with biotin as a dietary supplement. It is important for the success of the treatment that the shoes are disinfected with special sprays. This is because fungal spores can persist in them for up to six months. Socks should be washed at 60 degrees, if possible with a hygiene rinse. Patience and effort are rewarded, however, because in the end the nails are finally beautiful again.
Do not be afraid to contact us if your nails have changed. We will advise you in detail and are happy to accompany you on your way. Then the next summer can come soon!
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