If you have problems with your nail plates, it is important to know which doctor treats toenail fungus in order to consult a specialist without waiting for complications.It is difficult for a person facing a fungal infection for the first time to understand the name of this specialist.Dermatologists and mycologists deal with problems related to fungal diseases, so it is hardly advisable to consult a therapist.
What is nail fungus
A disease caused by parasitic microorganisms is called a pathogenic fungus.The disease affects the horny integument (nails) and the skin of the legs surrounding them, develops quickly, brings discomfort and inconvenience.Living in the body, dangerous parasites poison it with toxins and can worsen the general condition.You can become infected by wearing someone else's shoes, not following proper foot hygiene, or walking barefoot on the beach or in the swimming pool.People suffering from such problems should know which doctor treats nail fungus in order to prevent complications and receive proper treatment to eliminate this unpleasant disease.
Symptoms of the disease
Which doctor will treat the symptoms of nail fungus depends on the severity of the destruction of the plate affected by the fungus and the nature of the lesion.The following characteristic signs of the appearance of a fungus are distinguished:
- normotrophic type: stripes, spots on the side parts of the nail of ocher-yellow or white color, ease of separation of the plate from the skin, a person suffers from itchy skin under healthy nails;
- hypertrophic: thickening of the plates, loss of shine, crumbling, dullness, significant deformation, dark yellow or gray color;
- atrophic: brown-gray coloring, loss of shine, pallor, necrosis and destruction of the nail bed of the toes;
- lateral and distal: loss of color, yellowish transverse furrows, crumbling, roughness, exposed toenail bed, swelling, redness, thickening, pain of the skin of the foot, advanced cases may be characterized by the appearance of pus;
- proximal: bleaching, destruction;
- total: complete destruction of the toenail due to lack of treatment;
- superficial white: white spots, crumbling, delamination, pain.
Which doctor treats nail fungus
Knowing which doctor treats nails is helpful for every patient with toenail fungus.In this case, a therapist will not help you;you must consult a specialized specialist.This doctor is a dermatologist, he advises from the early stages of the disease.In advanced cases, a consultation with a mycologist is necessary.This is a specialist who treats nail fungus in a very targeted manner.
Dermatologist
This doctor can prescribe the appropriate treatment and eliminate nail fungus.His qualifications allow him to eliminate skin problems, including viral and infectious lesions, dermatitis, eczema and parasitic diseases.The latter includes a fungal infection.If the case is not advanced, you should contact a dermatologist at a local clinic or dermatovenerological dispensary and sign up for the first examination.Depending on the indications, he can refer the patient to a mycologist.
Mycologist
In difficult cases, the answer to the question of which doctor treats toenails is to contact a mycologist.This is the name of the same dermatologist who only treats fungal infections of the skin, hair and nails.It is not available in all clinics or even in town.The consultation of mycologists includes the treatment and prevention of fungal diseases: onychomycosis, candidiasis, microsporia, trichophytosis, epidermophytosis, foot mycosis.You must contact them after recommendation from a dermatologist.
How does the meeting go?
Once you have found which doctor treats toenail fungus, do not hesitate to make an appointment.During the first visit, the ongologist questions the patient about the date the problem appeared, the sensations felt and the patient's lifestyle.After collecting the information, a preliminary examination of the affected areas of the foot is carried out, a diagnosis is made and the stage of infection is determined.
External signs do not always indicate a fungal species, so scraping of dead scales is carried out for laboratory examination.The obtained medical material is examined under a microscope and spread on a nutrient medium.You should consult a doctor as soon as possible in order to cure the fungus without consequences for the patient and his body.
Repeated consultations
After receiving the laboratory analyses, a second consultation is carried out.A mycologist or dermatologist reports the cause of the growth, the presence of the fungus, its type and prescribes the appropriate treatment.Medicines are selected based on the individual characteristics of the patient.The procedure for treating the disease is long, so you will have to consult a specialist several times to monitor the treatment and prevent infection of the patient's body.
Treatment options
After studying the etiology of the fungus that affected the toenail plate, treatment is prescribed.It is not recommended to select your own medications because there is a risk of side effects.The main antifungal drugs and treatment methods used:
- oral – tablets, capsules for a comprehensive effect on the parasite from the inside;
- local effects - applied externally, these include ointments, creams, compresses, drops, varnishes;
- special laser treatment – improves the penetration of agents into the interior and tissue microcirculation;
- a recommendation for surgical removal of the nail is given in extreme cases where recovery is impossible.
Popular effective drugs, divided into groups depending on their effect on the fungal pathogen, are:
- Antifungal varnishes.
- Preparations for removing plaque (sometimes necessary to cure the fungus).
- Antifungal tablets.
- Creams, ointments, sprays.
- Other remedies: medicinal liquids, tea tree oil and others.