Nail fungus may seem like a minor problem in our daily lives, but in fact it carries huge health risks. Not only does nail fungus affect aesthetics, but it can also lead to more serious health problems and even spread to family members. Have you unknowingly made the following 3 treatment mistakes?
1. Neglect of diagnosis and treatment
Some patients are not painful or itchy, and they feel that it has little impact on their lives. In fact, fungal infections of nail fungus can also spread to the skin and other nails, leading to worsening of local infections and possibly even more serious infections such as cellulitis.
At the same time, the infected fungus can be transmitted to family members, especially children, through daily contact, leading to diseases such as tinea capitis and tinea corporis. Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment is very important.
2. Be in a hurry
The treatment of nail fungus takes time because the nail growth cycle is longer. This is because nails usually grow at a very slow rate, only about a few millimeters per month. So, it can take months or even a year to treat nail fungus thoroughly. However, many patients are often in a hurry and expect quick results.
This mentality is easy to be exploited by some unscrupulous businesses, who launch so-called "fast-acting drugs" that claim to cure nail fungus in a short period of time. However, these medications often contain acidic ingredients that are harmful to the nails and skin, and not only do not completely cure nail fungus, but may also cause more harm to health.
3. Arbitrary medication
Many patients take drugs ad libitum without a clear diagnosis. There are many types of nail fungus, and 50% of nail diseases are not caused by fungal infections, but by other diseases such as psoriasis. Therefore, it is very important to go to the dermatology department of a regular hospital to confirm the diagnosis.
How to treat nail fungus?
1. Local treatment
For early nail fungus, a topical drug containing antifungal ingredients, such as amorolfen hydrochloride, can be applied to the affected area once a week, which can penetrate the nail bed without bandaging and be used for several months.
2. Oral medication
For severe nail fungus, the doctor may prescribe oral antifungal medications, such as terbinafine tablets, which can fight the fungus from the body, but need to be aware of possible side effects and should be used under the guidance of a doctor.
3. Surgical treatment
For refractory nail fungus, surgery may be considered, such as partial or total removal of the infected nail with antifungal therapy.
How can I reduce the recurrence of nail fungus?
1. If there are family members in the family who also have nail fungus, they should be advised to treat it as soon as possible, and at the same time, nail fungus patients should usually use personal items such as slippers and nail clippers separately from their families.
2. In daily life, nail trauma should be avoided, especially when nail art is done, a set of nail tools will be used by many people, so the risk of fungal infection is very large, some people usually think that the use of alcohol spray for sterilization and disinfection can be, see the store's "has been strictly disinfected with alcohol, please rest assured" bulletin board on the rest assured, in fact, alcohol can only kill bacteria, has no effect on stubborn fungi.
3. Wash your hands frequently and wash your feet every day, because the pathogenic time of the fungus is 24-48 hours, and if the fungus is completely washed off before that, it will not be infected.
In order to completely solve the problem of nail fungus, it is important to choose a scientific and formal method for treatment, and follow the doctor's advice and wait patiently for the treatment effect. At the same time, practice good hygiene in daily life to avoid cross-infection. Only in this way can we effectively prevent and reduce the recurrence of nail fungus and protect the health of ourselves and our families.