How to treat a fungus on the legs, its symptoms and signs

Skin fungus is the most common dermatological disease. But defeat in the legs is considered the most common. Foot mycoses and onychomycosis are often found in public places, especially in hospitals, saunas, baths, swimming pools and gyms.

Each type of fungus has its own characteristics, symptoms and treatment methods, which are important to know for those who are at risk of contracting a fungal infection.

What is athlete's foot?

Mycosis or ringworm is a dermatological disease caused by a fungal pathogen. Fungus of the skin of the feet is the most common type of this disease, because the skin on the feet is more sensitive, moreover, it is constantly exposed to the external environment, which is affected by fungi.

Risk factors

Athlete's foot is common in men who prefer closed shoes. Feet start to sweat and breeding ground is created. Therefore, most men who have served in the military already know what skin fungus is. Fungal infection in children occurs due to non-compliance with hygiene rules, walking barefoot on contaminated soil and non-observance of sanitary norms in kindergartens.

Often, fungal infections of the feet are also found in women with hormonal disorders or reduced immunity during pregnancy. Infection can also occur during a pedicure using non-sterile tools or towels.

There are common factors that lead to the development of the disease:

1. Wearing very narrow shoes made of synthetic materials.
2. Rarely washing feet, wearing dirty socks.
3. Wearing other people's shoes, using other people's towels and other hygiene products.
4. Diseases that disrupt blood circulation in the lower extremities.
5. Disorders of the immune system.
6. Non-observance of hygiene rules in public places.
7. The presence of corns, wounds and cracks on the feet.
8. Long-term treatment with antibiotics or corticosteroids.

Psychosomatics

The causes of fungus can also be a person's emotional state. Psychosomatics, a medical direction that studies the psychological state of a person and its influence on the development of physical diseases, explains fungal infections by the suppression of negative emotions stored inside.

Constant resentment, anger, feelings of betrayal or frustration can trigger the fungus or prevent a person from fully healing.

As a result of these conditions, human immunity decreases, pathogens present in the body are activated. People with chronic fungal infections that do not go away with drug treatment should reconsider their internal situation or consult a psychologist.

According to many scientists who study the psychosomatic causes of mushrooms, if you do not work on your character and get rid of negative emotions, then the disease will return again and again.

pathogens

There are many pathogenic microorganisms that can cause damage to human skin, but the following types of fungi are most often localized on the feet:

1. Trichophyton rubrum or Tripchophyton purpureum- causes rubromycosis, a disease that most often affects the skin of the feet and nails, but can also spread to other parts of the body.

2. Trichophyton interdigitale or Trichophyton mentagrophytes (Trichophytons)- causes epidermophytosis, which develops between the fingers, but can also go to the entire area of the foot.
3. Candida- candida rarely occurs on the feet, but can also affect the interdigital space, nails and soles of the feet. It mainly develops in women.

Mycosis is an infection, and infection can occur in two ways: directly - from an infected person to a person, and indirectly - through the floor, shoes, clothes and other household items that an infected person comes into contact with. It is very easy to get infected with a fungus of the lower extremities - a second contact with any surface or object touched by a person with a fungal infection is enough.

The development mechanism of fungal diseases starts from the moment the spores enter the human skin. If the conditions are favorable, then development, growth and reproduction begin.

Microorganisms begin to secrete enzymes that destroy keratin proteins and, accordingly, the corneum layer of the skin. Thus, people experience itching and discomfort. The infection spreads very quickly, the fungus penetrates the deeper layers of the skin and infects the surrounding tissues.

If you do not start treatment, very large areas of the skin are affected.

However, the infection does not always develop immediately after infection, sometimes the fungus remains on the skin or shoes for a long time. But as soon as the body's defenses decrease, or as soon as a favorable warm and humid environment is created, fungi begin to develop rapidly.

General symptoms

Ringworm of the lower extremities is a very common infection that requires immediate treatment. However, not everyone immediately turns to a specialist for help, because they do not pay attention to the initial symptoms or believe that they are signs of other dermatological diseases.

Common symptoms of skin infection:

1. Redness and peeling of individual areas.
2. The appearance of blisters or cracks.
3. Itching and burning sensation.
4. Dryness and roughness of the skin.

However, depending on the localization and the pathogen, the disease continues with different clinical manifestations. Fungus on the heels starts with redness and burning sensation of the skin. Over time, bubbles appear that form very painful sores.

Then cracks and growths in the form of peeling. With a long course of the disease, an unpleasant odor begins to emanate from the affected area, and the infection spreads to other areas of the feet and nails.

Fungus on the knees is rare, but if cracks appear above or below the knee that do not go away for a long time, then you should see a doctor. Usually, the fungus in this area begins imperceptibly - it starts with redness, then the peeling of the skin intensifies, very rarely blisters form on the surface of the spot, and as a result it is covered with crusts.

Nail damage - onychomycosis - begins with an infection of the skin of the feet. In this case, itching and cracks may appear on the skin, but sometimes the fungus does not touch the skin, but only affects the nail plate.

Stages:

1. Normotrophic- at this stage, only the color of the nail begins to change - it becomes yellow, sometimes it acquires a brown color.
2. Hypertrophic- the healthy shine of the nail disappears, its shape becomes irregular, it thickens and begins to partially collapse. A person may feel pain when wearing tight shoes.
3. Onycholytic- the diseased nail is a plate with collapsing layers, becomes thinner, turns brown. At this stage, detachment from the nail bed begins.

Manifestations of various types of pathologies

Candidiasis of the feet affects only the soft parts of the skin and nails, it can be of two types without affecting the feet:

1. vesicular-pustular- in the first stage, redness appears with open edema of the skin. In the future, the affected area is covered with bubbles filled with liquid or purulent mass, in the process they form erosion. Gradually, the inflammatory process decreases and peeling increases in the foci.
2. Hyperkeratotic- rare, characterized by thickening of the stratum corneum with the formation of scaly dark red furrows.

In most cases, the fungus between the toes is epidermotrophy. Skin changes may occur in this pathologythe following forms:

1. squamous- the skin between the third and fourth toes starts to redden and sometimes itch. This stage is often overlooked.
2. intertriginous- develops from the first stage. Edema develops, fissures form, and the lesion spreads to neighboring areas. Growths form around the diseased area, which makes it difficult to wear shoes.
3. Sharp- large accumulations of fluid-filled bubbles are formed. Wounds and cracks start to hurt, the general state of health deteriorates, the temperature may rise.

If the condition is neglected, the interdigital pathology covers the nails and the entire area of the bottom of the foot, that is, epidermotrophy of the feet develops. External symptoms are similar to weeping eczema, which makes diagnosis difficult.

Rubromycosis of the feet is simultaneous damage to the interdigital folds. The skin dries, reddens, severe peeling begins. If the treatment is not started in time, the process moves to the soles, the lateral area of the feet and the surface of the fingers.

Rubromycosis can also affect other areas of the legs: calves, thighs, hips, as well as any part of the body and head. Lesions are scaly skin, vesicles, or pink patches covered with crusts. They grow rapidly, merging with each other. Rubromycosis of the smooth skin usually proceeds in an acute form and is accompanied by severe itching.

"I have cracks on my legs, but I didn't pay attention. The fungus was discovered during a medical examination at the workplace. The doctor immediately prescribed ointment and pills, and he scolded me for not applying immediately.

Features of traditional treatment

Treatment of fungus on the legs is based on the application of external antifungal agents to the lesions. There are many medicines in the form of ointments, creams, sprays, solutions. Their action is aimed at suppressing the vital activity and reproduction of fungi, as well as slowing down the process of their spread.

Recently, various sprays have appeared from the fungus, which are very convenient for external use in the treatment of skin and nail fungus.

During therapy, you can process shoes and clothes to avoid re-infection. Disinfectant sprays are suitable for this. Treatment can also be carried out with antiseptics.

You can use antifungal agents in the form of a solution.

Before applying ointments, you can use an ordinary alcohol salicylic solution. It actively affects the fungi, at the same time removes inflammation and dries the weeping skin areas.

In case of nail damage, it is recommended to use special antifungal varnishes.

There are many different external remedies and all of them can be bought at the pharmacy without a prescription. But for the treatment to be effective, you need to know how to use external agents correctly:

1. Follow the instructions for the frequency of administration of the drug.
2. Hard areas should be steamed before applying the external agent.
3. With large dry growths, you can take a bath with soda.
4. Treat only the affected areas without affecting the healthy skin.
5. After treatment, wash your hands thoroughly without touching other parts of the body to prevent the spread of infection.

In advanced cases, you should take cork tablets at the same time as using external agents.You can not take pills inside without a doctor's recommendation - only a specialist can prescribe drugs based on the type of pathogen and the severity of the course of the disease.

Treatment of fungal lesions on the legs at an early stage will not take much time, provided that the drugs are used correctly and the instructions are followed. In severe cases, long-term treatment of up to 3-6 months may be required. If the prescribed drugs do not give the desired effect, then you should contact a specialist and get new recommendations.

"The fungus on the lower extremities was treated with various ointments for my husband, I tried 8 different fabrics, but only tablets from the group of triazole derivatives helped. Well, he continued to apply allylamine cream externally.

Folk remedies

Very often, non-traditional methods are used for the treatment of fungus on nails and feet.However, patients should remember that such remedies are effective in the initial stage of the fungus, and in severe cases, they cannot always help, on the contrary, they aggravate the course of the disease.

Before getting rid of the fungus on the feet with folk remedies, you should consult a doctor to make an accurate diagnosis, because the symptoms can indicate various dermatological diseases.

Herbs from the cork are used to make baths, rubs and lotions:

1. Pour a handful of calendula flowers with 50 ml of alcohol and 100 ml of water and leave for a day in a dark place. Apply twice a day. Best for nail infections and skin candidiasis.
2. Mix dry mint leaves and fine salt in equal proportions. Apply to the affected areas for a day, secure with a bandage. After the time has passed, remove the bandage, wash your feet, dry and repeat. Use only on nails and keratinized skin.
3. Pour five tablespoons of dry celandine in 100 ml of vodka, leave for two weeks. Use to wipe, trying to avoid contact with healthy skin.
4. Brew two tablespoons of thyme in a glass of boiling water, leave for an hour and use for lotions.

You can use cork tar soap:

1. Grate the soap, add a little water and melt it in a water bath, add a spoonful of resin and 2 tablespoons of any oil. Mix well and pour into molds to make healing soap. Use it to wash your feet.
2. Mix a tablespoon of crushed soap with 2 teaspoons of soda and add a little water to get a thick mixture. Apply to clean feet at night and cover with a bandage.
3. At the initial stage of the disease, it is enough to apply soap foam from laundry soap to the affected areas of the skin and keep it for 15-30 minutes.

Effective garlic for fungus:

1. Apply crushed garlic to the steamed areas and secure with a bandage. Keep it all night.
2. Insist a mixture of garlic juice, water and vodka taken in equal proportions for 3 days. Apply to the affected areas 1-2 times a day.
3. Pour 2 finely chopped garlic into a glass of vinegar. Infuse for 2 weeks in a covered container in a dark place. Use for rubs and lotions.

Vinegar can be used for rubbing or bathing. To prepare a bath, you need to buy 100 ml of 9% table or apple vinegar for 1 liter of water. The duration of the procedure is 15 minutes, after which it is necessary to remove the softened skin and put on clean socks.

"At work, I walk in shoes for days, my feet are constantly sweating and I often get foot fungus, I immediately start taking baths with vinegar and treat all my shoes with it. It passes very quickly. "

Conclusions and predictions

Many believe that mushrooms are not harmful, except for aesthetic concern. But fungal infections carry other dangers. First of all, there is a danger of fungi spreading to other areas of the skin.

The infection passes from the feet to the skin of the hands, face, body, and scalp. This happens if you do not wash your hands after touching the affected areas of the skin or if the immunity of the patient is greatly reduced. If sanitary rules are not followed, the infection of family members occurs from an infected person.

With deep lesions, it becomes impossible to wear ordinary shoes, there is severe pain when walking, and the nail bed rises when the nails are damaged. There is a risk of inflammation of nerve endings.

Skin lesions, if left untreated, lead to the addition of viral and bacterial infections. The following complications often occur:

1. warts.
2. Phlegmon.
3. Pyoderma.
4. Erysipelas.
5. Malignant mycosis fungi.

A fungus of the skin on the legs that lasts for a long time worsens the work of the immune system, patients become more sensitive to allergic manifestations, urticaria, bronchial asthma, conjunctivitis and rhinitis. Mycoses are often accompanied by atopic dermatitis and eczema. The general condition worsens, weakness occurs, body temperature may rise from time to time.

Yeast infections can damage internal organs.

In addition to physical complications, fungal infections cause psycho-emotional instability. Infected people are irritable, irritable, and often hate others. Nervous system instability slows recovery, so patients may need psychological support.

It is very easy to treat finger fungus if you start therapy at the first manifestations of the disease. With the daily use of therapeutic substances, the fungus can be eliminated in 10-14 days. But with an advanced infection, the treatment will be longer and more difficult and will not be without the use of systemic drugs. Therefore, doctors recommend not to delay visiting the clinic.