Cómo Tratar y Prevenir la Onicomicosis (Hongos en las Uñas de los Pies)
18% of the adult population suffers onychomycosis; Both men and women. As the chances of getting this annoying fungal infection in toenails increase with age, the prevalence of onychomycosis in patients over 70 years of age can reach 50%.
Do you want to know how to prevent onychomycosis,and the best treatments for it?
Keep reading and discover how to protect your feet from onychomycosis all year round, but especially during summer.
What is Onychomycosis?
Onychomycosis is an infection in the nails (especially in feet), produced by fungi.
What causes Onychomycosis?
The main risk factors that favor the onychomycosis are: aging, humidity, other skin diseases (such as psoriasis, ringworm or athlete’s foot) and genetic predisposition.
Since the ideal broth for fungi is moisture and heat, there is a greater risk of developing onychomycosis in the summer months, since it´s the season when more people go to the pools.
What are the Symptoms of Onychomycosis?
Onychomycosis is manifested by a change in color or shape in a fingernail, usually the big toe.
Usually the nail becomes yellowish and thick although it may also have a whitish appearance and a fragile, brittle or deformed look.
As the infection doesn´t initially hurt, patients often delay in going to the doctor and when they do, the onychomycosis has spread to the rest of the toe nails.
Therefore, I insist so much in the need of tasking for help when the first symptoms of the onychomycosis are detected and a change in the appearance of some nails is noticed.
The longer it takes to be treated, the higher the risk of infection to spread and for pain to appear (which can even become chronic).
How to Prevent Onychomycosis?
Prevention is the best medicine, so before we have to cure, it is best to anticipate and try to avoid contagion as much as possible.
To do this, I recommend following these simple recommendations as prevention of onychomycosis:
Keep your toenails short: to avoid bacteria accumulating, lead to fungal infection.
Wear breathable shoes: Will avoid excessive sweating, especially in summer,and when you can air your feet so they are as dry as possible.
Wear cotton socks: and change them often to prevent moisture from accumulating.
Take care in public showers: Always wear flip-flops or shoes that insulate your feet from direct contact with the floor. This same measure applies at all times when you go to the pool. The curbs are usually wet, which increase the risk of onychomycosis.
Take care of your well-being: Poor nutrition and stress weaken the immune system, making it easier for you to have onychomycosis.
Do not share your bath towel or your shoes.
What Treatments Exist to Combat Onychomycosis?
Apart from the surgical intervention, which is reserved for very specific cases in which it is necessary to remove the nail, currently the best treatments to cure onychomycosis are 3: creams, drugs and laser.
Let’s see the features of each one of them.
Antifungal Creams
Topical antifungals are one of the traditional treatments for curing this disease. However, the duration of the pattern is very long (several months), so it is an uncomfortable technique.
In addition, depending on the degree of infection of onychomycosis, efficacy may not be as expected and relapses are frequent
Oral Drugs for Onychomycosis
In the case of drugs, we have the same inconvenience: the duration of its administration, as for them to be effective it is necessary to take between 4 to 6 months.
On the other hand, because they are chemical antifungals, there are possible side effects and there are people who can not take them for health reasons.
Laser to Remove Onychomycosis
The third option to cure onychomycosis is laser treatment, This is painless, safe and effective.
It only takes 3 or 4 sessions to end this infection, unlike the long treatment periods demanded by the alternatives.
Laser treatment for onychomycosis is a very interesting option for both the doctor and the patient, as it has no side effects and does not require recovery time.
The main benefits of laser to treat onychomycosis are:
Non invasive and painless
Quick and simple: so you can resume normal activities immediately.
Comfortable and effective: it avoids having to be aware of the treatment for months, with the risk of abandonment or mismanagement due to forgetfulness.
What is Laser Treatment to Cure Onychomycosis?
This procedure consists of the application of heat by means of laser in the affected area. The thermal effect of the laser penetrates the nail and weakens and eliminates the fungi that have caused the infection.
In addition, Fotona laser technology acts on the tissues of the skin and stimulates the production of natural collagen, which boosts the mechanisms of regeneration of the body itself without the need for chemical administration or surgical incisions.
Do you have onychomycosis? Ask for a free diagnostic session at our clinic of Aesthetic Medicine in Marbella and let a specialist doctor study your case.
Request your free session now! Available 24/7 on: WHATSAPP (+34) 662 388 888
