Onychomycosis is a fungal infection of the fingernails or toenails. Yellowing, whitening or a crumbly thickening, which usually starts at the outer end of the nail, can indicate this. If the toenail constantly bumps into the shoes when walking or doing sport, for example, it becomes susceptible. The disease is often accompanied by athlete’s foot, which can be recognized by scaly, whitish, cracked and sometimes itchy areas between the toes or a scaly sole of the foot.
Diagnosis of the disease
A dermatologist should always be consulted if there is a change in the nail. He or she can determine a possible fungal infection with the help of a histological examination and a culture. It is important to remove nail polish beforehand and not to apply any antifungal polish. A reliable diagnosis can be made four weeks after the culture has been taken. If it is onychomycosis, it is usually caused by Trichophyton rubrum and can be treated very well with the appropriate therapy.
Local treatment
The successful way is usually a combination of different methods. An antifungal varnish, which is applied once a day or once a week depending on the preparation, helps locally. An accompanying athlete’s foot infection is treated in parallel with an antifungal cream. Laser treatment of the affected nails is also possible. A short, strong heat stimulus is applied to the nail plate every four weeks, which leads to the thermal destruction of spores and hyphae of the fungus.
Accompanying therapies
A medical chiropodist should also support the local therapy every 4 weeks. By flattening the nails, she prepares them optimally for the treatment. If more than 50% of the nail plate is infected, additional treatment with tablets is often unavoidable. This is particularly true if the big toenails are infected. Contrary to their bad reputation, the medications are very well tolerated and are taken once a week in low doses. Blood samples are taken before the therapy, four weeks after starting and later at three-monthly intervals to check the laboratory values.
Duration of treatment
Depending on the severity, treatment can last up to 12 months. One reason for this is that the fungi are extremely resistant and well adapted. On the other hand, the nails grow very 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 regularly disinfected with special sprays. This is because fungal spores can persist in them for up to six months. Socks should be washed at a minimum of 60 degrees, preferably with a hygiene rinse aid. However, patience and effort will be rewarded: in the end, your nails will be beautiful again.
Do not hesitate to contact us if your nails have changed. We will advise you in detail and look forward to accompanying you on the path to healing.
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