With severe internal diseases, poor nutrition, as well as with age, nail growth slows down, its structure goes through changes. Only a doctor can accurately determine the cause of the violation based on test results and microscopic examinations.
But to get an idea of what happens to toenails or toenails, you can use a photo with fungal diseases of various kinds.
Causes of nail deformity
Molds, yeast-like fungi, and dermatophyte fungi cause infectious nail diseases (onychomycosis), which show similar symptoms.
All types of nail fungus on the feet or fingernails deform the nail plate, change its transparency, shine, color, this variety can be seen in the presented photos.
Changes in the nail occur not only in onychomycosis, but also in injuries, chronic paronychia (inflammation of the nail folds), psoriasis, eczema of the hands, dermatitis. Before concluding that there is a fungal infection, you need to consider all possible options.
Signs of fungal infection
The most informative signs of fungal infection are changes in the color of the nail plate, the presence of separation of the nail, surface changes - transverse, longitudinal grooves on the nail plate, dotted depressions, thickening, destruction of the nail.
The pink color of a healthy nail is determined by the transparency of the nail plate and the blood vessels visible through it. In onychomycosis, the nail loses transparency, the color becomes brownish, yellow, rarely green, black.
Candida fungi and dermatophytes cause onycholysis - separation of the affected part of the nail. When infected with dermatophytes, onycholysis is observed from the far edge of the nail, and when infected with Candida, the nail lags behind the nail bottom at the base, in the crescent area.
The symptom of candida fungus can be inflammation of the lateral periungual ridges - paronychia. This disease has bacterial forms caused by streptococcus and staphylococcus, as well as non-infectious ones - eczema, psoriasis, systemic vasculitis.
When the toenail is affected by the fungus Trichophyton rubrum, the plaque is affected, as you can see in the photo, the infection does not affect the roller. The plaque becomes yellowish, very thick, and the accumulated fungal masses are well recognizable under it.
Nail fungus due to dermatophyte infection
In 95% of all cases, nail fungus is caused by the dermatophytes Trichophyton rubrum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes.
Trichophyton rubrum infection
Onychomycosis begins when the fungus penetrates under the nail plate from the free edge. Fungal infection is indicated by the appearance of a yellowish spot, an uneven, crumbly surface of the distal (distant) edge of the nail in the area of the stain.
distal-lateral formdermatophyte fungal infection Trichophyton rubrum is common. In the photo, you can see that the stain created by the introduction of the fungus is located along the lateral periungual fold of the nail.
The fungus Trichophyton rubrum usually affects the toes, causing hyperkeratosis - a buildup of fungus between the nail plate and the nail bed, which in the photo looks like a loose yellowish mass.
At this stage, the fungus occupies an insignificant part of the nail, as in the photo shown, and with the help of local treatment it is possible to deal with a beginner of onychomycosis.
Without treatment, the stain grows, gradually affects the entire edge of the nail, and then moves to the crescent. In the photo, the fungus on the nails looks like yellowish streaks directed towards the growth zone of the nail plate.
With thedistal form of the nail fungus, often found on the big toes, on the distal edge of the nail, in its central part, a yellowish spot of infection appears, as can be seen in the photograph.
In the advanced stage of the fungus on the feet, several nails are affected, as in the photo, and treatment is no longer limited to topical medications and tablets. In addition to antifungal medications, the nail is also subjected to hardware cleaning to remove the nail plate in whole or in part.
Long-term therapy with the use of all known antifungal agents and treatments is carried out on the leg, caused by Trichophyton rubrum, with hyperkeritosis, as can be seen in the photo.
Fungal infection with total nail damage spreads to the entire area of the nail plate, the nail is completely destroyed.
Infection with another dermatophyte, the fungus Trichophyton mentagrophytes, can also lead to a total fungal infection of the nail.Trichophyton mentagrophytes infection
With the complete defeat of the nail on the nail fungus Trichophyton mentagrophytes, the nail plate is deformed, the photo shows that it thickens, changes structure, collapses, yellowish spots appear on the entire surface.
Nail infection with this dermatophyte usually causes superficial white onychomycosis of the thumb, less often the little finger.
This fungus practically does not appear on the nails of the hands, often causes interdigital dermatophytosis on the feet, as in the photo, and requires simultaneous treatment of the skin of the feet and nails.
The symptom of fungal infection on the nails, usually on the feet, are white spots of various sizes, as in the photo, which are reminiscent of leukonychia - a disease of the nail plate itself.
But unlike leukonia, in which white spots are caused by the appearance of air bubbles in the nail layers, white spots in fungal infection are the result of the activity of Trichophyton mentagrophytes.
Rarely superficial white onychomycosis is caused by mold; in AIDS, the cause of this type of fungus can be Trichophyton rubrum and affect the nails on both feet and hands.
Nail changes due to Candida infection
The fungus usually occurs in women, affecting the nails on the working hand, which is more often in contact with water.
Candidal onychomycosis is characterized by a proximal form of infection in which the fungus first affects the crease of the nail at the base of the nail, and then penetrates the growth zone and the nail bed. It then gradually moves along the nail from the base to the edge, covering an increasing area of the nail plate.
The causative agent of candidal onychomycosis is Candida albicans. This fungus attacks the toenails and toenails, spreading from the crescent zone at the base of the nail plate, to the free edge, as can be seen in the photo.
Sign of Candida nail infectionalbicans is inflammation of the nail folds (paronychia), separation of the cuticle from the nail plate, pain, discharge of pus when a bacterial infection is attached.
Candida albicans is able to penetrate the nail and from its free edge. In this case, they are talking about the distal form of infection, which is combined, as a rule, with cutaneous candidiasis.
Treatment of candida fungus on nails of hands and feet with damage to more than half of the nail plate surface, as in the photo, includes not only the fight against onychomycosis, but also measures to reduce candida activity in natural reservoirs of their storage - intestines, oralcavity, genital mucosa. . .
Mold Attack
Molds cause fungi much less frequently than Candida or dermatophytes. As you can see in the photo, the main symptom of a nail fungus infection is a change in the color of the nail plate to blue, black, greenish.
Signs of mold on nails can be dark spots, dots on the nail plate or, as in the photo, a black longitudinal stripe.
Antifungal preparations
Antifungals with fluconazole, ketoconazole, terbinafine, itraconazole, griseofulvin are used to treat nail fungus caused by dermatophytes, as in this photo.
Antifungals with terbinafine are effective in dermatophyte infections.
Antifungals with voriconazole are very active against dermatophytes.
Usedandto treat mold on nailson feet, hands andagainst yeast candida. The spectrum of action includes molds such as Aspergillum, Fusarium, Penicillium.
Itraconazole-based preparations are worn with molds.
Fungal nail diseases
A grayish tingewith eczemasometimes appears on the nails. In this case, the nail plate can move away from the nail bed, which is observed in fungi.
Externally very similar to onychomycosismanifestations of psoriasis. With this disease, not only doesthe color change, but also thenail plate thickens.
Dotted depressions were found on its surface, separation of the nail plate from the nail layer was recorded. But there are differences from fungi: in psoriasis, the healthy parts of the toenail are separated and eventually separated by a pink, yellow band.
Blue colorgets the nailby pseudomonas nail infection. Frequent mechanical rubbing of the nail folds causes the appearance of surface grooves, wavyness of the nail.
White spots of leukonia, the appearance of whichis associated with metabolic disorders, can also be mistaken for a superficial white fungus with a large spot area.
Color changes, shape of nails that cause injuries. The big toes are at greatest risk. The nail with the injury, as well as with the fungus, thickens and darkens.
The difference between injury and fungus is that changes during injury are recorded only on the injured finger, nails on other fingers remain unchanged, they are not infected by a diseased finger, as in onychomycosis.
Trauma can result in partial separation of the nail from the nail bed, creating a cavity that is rapidly colonized by fungi under adverse conditions.
The nail plate can separate from the nail layer under the influence of light (photoonycholysis), with iron deficiency anemia, hormonal diseases. Splitting, nail loss occurs in erythematous lichen, bullous dermatosis, nail trauma.
But you can finally be sure that the conclusion is correct and start treatment, you can only after you seek the help of a dermatologist - a specialist in skin diseases or mycologist - a doctor who treats fungal diseases.