Causes, Symptoms and Fight against Nail Fungus

The most important points in brief

• Everyone knows that you can get athlete's foot - but nail fungus? Nail fungus is not infrequently a direct result of athlete's foot.
• The trigger for this is a thread fungus, in rare cases a mold or yeast fungus.
• These germs feel good in warm and humid rooms, for example in the sauna, in the communal shower, in public bathing establishments and the like.
• But the question is: How do you get rid of the nail fungus?

Sure, not to come into contact with the mushrooms in the first place, that's the best method. But it is not realistic, after all, we are drawn to public baths or the sauna in order to be able to exercise or to sweat healthily. But once the infection is there, you want to get rid of it as soon as possible. Compared to athlete's foot, however, this project can take longer.

Nail fungus - an underestimated danger

Sure, athlete's foot is much more common in humans - and even with athlete's foot it is not exactly easy to fight it effectively. By the way, only a doctor can diagnose the nail fungus 100 percent. If you suspect that you are suffering from an infection with the filamentous fungi that cause it, then you should consult the doctor very quickly. Incidentally, nail fungus can be a direct result of athlete's foot, and it is not uncommon for the triggers to jump from the spaces between the toes to the nails.

Because if the infection is left untreated, it can have dire consequences. The fungus can, to a certain extent, destroy the infected nail from the inside out, which is painful and - in German - also looks quite disgusting. In addition, the pathogen that triggers the nail fungus, it can also be a yeast or mold, as described above, does not stop in front of neighboring toes and to a certain extent jumps over to the other nails.

Age groups affected and symptoms of nail fungus

Older people are generally more susceptible to such infections because the immune system is often weak or the blood circulation is poorer than in younger people. In particular, diabetics are often affected by foot and nail fungus. Athletes of course live healthier overall, but because they often use changing rooms and communal showers after training or competitions, the risk of infection with the pathogen increases for them. But how is an infection noticeable?

It can start quite harmlessly with itching or a slightly swollen nail that turns yellow or white. The fungal attack is not painful at this stage. But that can still happen if the nail becomes brittle and the plate loosens. This leads - not always, but often - to a painful inflammation of the nail bed.

But what helps against nail fungus?

First of all, the diagnosis should be clear. Early detection of foot and nail fungus is worth its weight in gold. There are a number of products that can help against nail fungus, mostly in the form of tinctures, pens or solutions. If the infection is more advanced, however, you should not do anything without a doctor's report.

The products contain so-called antimycotics, which are active ingredients that kill fungi in a targeted manner or inhibit their growth as long as they are more or less on the surface. However, if the pathogens are already deeper in the nail, the treatment must be carried out from the inside, i.e. with prescription capsules or tablets. The active ingredient is transported via the blood to the infected area, where the fungi are killed.