Onychomycosis, or fungal nail disease, is most often caused by filamentous fungi (dermatophytes) and yeasts. It mainly affects the legs, but the hands are no exception. The ideal conditions for growth and reproduction are warmth and humidity.

Symptoms:

• change in color (the nail is usually dull; the plate can be white, yellow, brown or green),
• deformation of the nail (thickening, crumbliness, brittleness, possible separation from the nail bed).

Risk factors for mold formation:

• closed, non-breathable footwear,
• visiting public swimming pools, swimming pools and saunas,
• diseases that increase susceptibility to fungal disease (diabetes, reduced immunity, etc.),
• nail injury during sports activities or tourism,
• increased use of certain drugs (antibiotics, corticosteroids).

Treatment of mycosis:

If you discover mycosis, it is essential to start treatment as soon as possible and not to rely on the fact that it will disappear on its own (risk of spreading the fungus or transmission to other members of the household).

If a smaller part of the nail plate is affected (approx. up to 25 %), local forms of drugs that are available in pharmacies without a prescription (solutions, creams) can be applied.

These are preparations containing:

• clotrimazole (application 2-3 times a day),
• bifonazole (application once a day),
• naftifine (application 2 times a day) etc.

Before using the products, it is necessary to thoroughly wash and dry the affected area. It is also advisable to break the thickened nails by filing before applying the drugs for better penetration of the antifungals.

The treatment is long-term (weeks to months) and requires a considerable amount of patience. In case of a larger extent of damage or when it is discovered that the condition does not improve (max after 1-2 weeks) or even worse, it is necessary to see a doctor. He will assess the seriousness of the disease and prescribe medicinal products linked to a medical prescription (e.g. containing ciclopirox or amorolfine). In certain cases, it is necessary to support treatment with systemic antifungals (oral administration).

Free according to the web portal of the Czech Pharmaceutical Chamber for the public Lékárnické kapky, 28/06/2024