Nail fungus in children is an infectious disease that most often occurs against a background of weakened immunity, and is easier to treat in the initial stages of development. Therapy includes the use of traditional methods and medicines, diet.
It is important to detect nail fungus in a child at an early stage.
How to recognize
Diagnosing nail fungus in a child 4 years of age and older is very difficult. The initial stages of the disease are asymptomatic. Very often the pathology is detected in an extremely advanced state.
Does nail fungus occur in children? Most often it occurs in children, from birth to the age of 14 years. In 80% of cases, infection occurs from parents. On the skin and infected nails there are scales containing fungal spores. They fall off and remain on the floor, bed, spreading further throughout the apartment.
Forms and stages
Mycosis in a child can manifest itself in several forms:
- Intertriginous form. It is characterized by the formation of external lesions in the interdigital space and peeling of the skin. This type is common in childhood.
- "Athlete's foot" The infection spreads throughout the sole, and characteristic circles form on the skin. A small rash appears between the fingers, which causes itching and burning. The nail takes on a pointed, irregular shape after cutting, and the plate becomes deformed.
- Vesicular form - the fungus appears in the form of blisters on the arch of the foot, which burst and ulcerate. This type is dangerous because the foot can become secondarily infected, the disease becomes chronic and spreads higher - to the lower leg or knee.
Symptoms of the disease
The problem with diagnosing nail fungus is that visible signs are detected late. When the disease has already progressed. In order to detect pathology in time, parents need to examine their nails, skin of their feet and hands daily. Symptoms of nail fungus in children include the following:
- Delamination and brittleness of the nail plate.
- Certain changes are detected in the fingertips. They may become red and slightly swollen.
- The nail begins to thin out, as a result, one can observe the process of detachment of part of the nail plate.
- Its color also begins to change. First, the nail turns yellow, white or gray. And then it may turn black.
- The nail plate loses strength. And it starts to crumble.
The late stage adds unnatural thickening and separation of the nail. Without treatment for nail fungus in children, the outcome will be disastrous. The nail plate will be completely destroyed. Therefore, treatment of the disease must be carried out in a timely manner.
Symptoms of fungal infection of toenails
Often, any mycosis is very difficult to identify at an early stage, which subsequently complicates treatment, especially in children. It is for this reason that you need to remember all the symptoms listed below in order to contact a dermatologist as quickly as possible.
The first signs appear only one and a half to two months after the fungus penetrates the skin.
The affected nail changes its color, structure, its relief and the adjacent cuticle change.
Normally, nails have a shiny, smooth surface with a pinkish tint. With onychomycosis, the nail becomes matte, and various white or gray spots appear on it. The nail plate itself becomes brittle and dry. You may notice the appearance of bumps and irregularities. Due to the fact that inflammation occurs, the tissues begin to swell and redden, which causes pain.
In later stages of infection, the nail thickens and splits. The tissue between the fingers begins to dry out and crack.
Symptoms of fungal infection
Effect of fungal infection
The pathology has some peculiarities. Fungal infections are very resilient. It reproduces in a neutral or slightly alkaline environment. When increased sweating causes a decrease in acidity, a favorable environment for the development of fungi is created. They thrive in a humid environment, where they multiply and grow quickly.
The fungus easily spreads to neighboring nails and can even affect areas of the skin located near the source of infection.
The infection adapts well at low temperatures, and its death occurs at high temperatures within 2-3 minutes. Because of this, treatment of nail fungus in a 6-year-old child is complicated.
Consequences, complications
Nail fungus looks unsightly. In addition, there are a number of complications that such an infection can cause:
- decreased immunity;
- allergic dermatitis;
- bronchial asthma;
- erysipelas;
- worsening of diabetes mellitus;
- deformation of the nail plate;
- complete loss of the nail;
- addition of a bacterial infection.
Upon completion of treatment, the condition of the nail should be monitored. There is a possibility of relapse.
Main causes of the disease
In medicine, nail fungus has a specific name - onychomycosis. The disease is caused by mycosis spores, and its development is provoked by the most common factors that arise in everyday life. The main reasons include:
A child 5 years of age or older is at risk for developing nail fungus if they:
- The immune system is weakened due to a previous illness.
- HIV infection.
- Malignant neoplasms.
- Diabetes.
- Eczema and trophic ulcers.
The fungus can affect the nails of not only the toes, but also the hands; this occurs as a result of contact with a sick person.
Diagnostics
If parents notice a change in the color of their nails in their child, then they should not postpone visiting a dermatologist or pediatrician. In this case, you should not self-medicate, or use little-studied and untested remedies. There are different types of fungi that can only be determined by a specialist by conducting special tests.
After confirming the diagnosis, the doctor prescribes appropriate treatment, selecting medications for a specific case. A fungus diagnosed in the early stages is easier and faster to treat.
Features of therapy
Only a specialist can prescribe medicine for nail fungus for children. The therapy includes antifungal agents - ointments, creams, solutions. They have a local effect.
The drugs contain clotrimazole or bifonazole. If their action is ineffective, then complex therapy is prescribed. It includes medications for internal use and local remedies.
In advanced forms of the disease, injections are used. Treatment of fungus is carried out both in the hospital and at home.
In modern pharmacology, there are many tools that allow effective therapy. Nail fungus varnish is very often used for children.
Duration of treatment
Therapy for nail fungus in a child 7 years old and other ages continues for 2-4 months. To prevent the disease from spreading to other family members, it is necessary to disinfect all things that the baby has touched. This:
Linen and clothing must be washed at high temperatures followed by ironing. It is best to treat surfaces with sodium hypochlorite solution.
If you follow these recommendations, you can reduce the duration of therapy and avoid relapses.
How to avoid recurrence of fungus
If the baby has already encountered onychomycosis, then the likelihood of relapse of the disease increases. Very often, an infection occurs due to the child’s failure to comply with individual hygiene rules.
Older children should be taught to use only their personal belongings. If microtrauma of the skin or nail occurs, it must be immediately treated with an antiseptic.
Constantly strengthening the immune system is the key to health. Includes a balanced diet, prolonged exposure to fresh air, and physical exercise.
Drug therapy
Treatment is carried out as prescribed by the doctor. All medications have contraindications and possible side effects, so using them on your own is not recommended. For therapy, nail fungus varnish for children or other local preparations are used. Before using the medicine, it is necessary to trim the damaged nail, remove rough skin and steam your feet in a soap-soda solution.
Iodine is effective in treating fungus. To do this, they treat the affected nail plate and surrounding skin. You should also apply the drug to healthy nails and the area between the fingers. The duration of treatment largely depends on the degree of disease progression. Basically it can take 30 days.
Previously, the main method of therapy was complete removal of the nail plate. Over time, this method was found to be ineffective, because a new one, already infected, grew in place of the old nail. Because such an operation does not stop the development of infection.
The following external preparations can be used to treat the disease without age restrictions:
- Ointment "Clotrimazole" and "Miconazole".
- Varnishes “Loceril” and “Batrafen”.
- Solution "Exoderil" and "Candide".
External preparations are used no more than 2 times a day. They are applied in a thin layer to the affected area with light massaging movements. Before applying nail polish, they are treated with a special antiseptic to degrease. It is applied to all nail plates to avoid re-infection.
Medicines in the form of tablets are prescribed for advanced forms of the fungus. The following drugs are used for therapy:
In the most advanced cases, the fungus is treated with injections.
Antifungal drugs
“Terbinafine”, “Fluconazole”, “Nystatin”, “Clotrimazole”, “Griseovulvin”, “Ketoconazole”, “Intraconazole” and many others that effectively destroy fungus on a child’s feet. But do not forget that each drug has its own dosage and indications, so only a dermatologist can prescribe it.
Before starting treatment you must:
- trim damaged nails;
- remove rough skin;
- the skin should be clean and dry;
- Wash tights, socks and all clothes at a temperature of at least 90 °C, iron on both sides;
- disinfect shoes;
- wash children's toys;
- Treat floors and furniture with Na hypochlorite.
Nomidol+ ointment for nail fungus
Nomidol+ cream, advertised on the Internet, is positioned as an antifungal cream.
It contains natural ingredients:
- herbal oils: St. John's wort, coltsfoot, celandine, string, valerian, etc.;
- beaver musk extract;
- rock salt;
- tea tree essential oils;
- silver;
- vinegar;
- herbs.
The course of treatment with Nomidol is only 15 days to eliminate symptoms and 30 days to prevent the disease.
However, you won’t be able to purchase the product in an ordinary pharmacy; only online pharmacies offer it at an incredible price. And this is already alarming. A more detailed study of the instructions for use turns out that Nomidol is nothing more than a cosmetic cream, and it is not able to eradicate onychomycosis.
Exoderil drops and ointment
A popular remedy for fungus, Exoderil, is available in two forms: ointment and drops. The active substance of the drug is naftifine hydrochloride (10 mg/g). The mechanism of its action lies in the ability to inhibit the growth of fungal cells.
Before applying the ointment, the nail must be cleaned and dried. Apply the product to the affected area of the plate, including small healthy areas.
Using Exoderil twice a day, the course of treatment is extended to six months. The method of using the solution is similar.
Contraindications to the use of Exoderil are individual allergic reactions to the components of the drug.
Varnish Loceril
Treatment of onychomycosis with Loceryl varnish is considered effective at the initial stage of the disease. The manufacturer of the product is the French company Laboratoires Galderma. The active substance of the varnish is amorolfine.
When Loceril is applied to nails, its effect lasts up to 10 days. It is believed that the varnish acts as a means of preventing infection of healthy people from a sick person.
The cost of Loceryl is quite high, which makes the drug inaccessible to some segments of the population.
Medicine Amorolfine for nail fungus
Amorolfine is the active substance of some antifungal drugs, in particular, Lotseril or Oflomil varnish. Application – external only. After the drug with amorolfine is applied to the nail, the active substance penetrates deeply into all layers of the nail, while having low absorption.
Antifungal drug Mikozan
“Mikozan” is a remedy for nail fungus based on a natural component – rye enzyme filtrate. How to use it?
The drug is used exclusively externally. Serum is applied to a clean nail from which cosmetic polish has been removed. Allow the nail to dry completely.
The procedure is repeated twice a day. Once a week, clean the nail plate with a nail file. A set of disposable files is included with the serum.
Antifungal cream Fundizol
An inexpensive and effective antifungal agent is Fundizol cream. It contains salicylic acid, zinc oxide, potassium iodide, celandine extract, etc.
The cream is applied 2-3 times a day to the affected areas, under the nails, covered with compression paper and fixed for 4-8 hours.
For prevention, healthy nails are also lubricated with cream. A visible therapeutic effect is noticeable after 2 weeks of regular use.
ethnoscience
Treatment of nail fungus in children can be carried out using folk remedies. Before using them, you should consult a specialist.
This method is considered gentle because it is carried out using natural ingredients, on the basis of which baths and compresses are prepared.
Parents should understand that treatment with traditional medicine should be carried out in combination with the use of ointments, varnishes and sprays. Only in this case can a positive effect be achieved.
Traditional medicine recipes include:
- Hydrogen peroxide. Initially, make a bath in a soda solution - 1 teaspoon per liter of water. After the procedure, cotton wool soaked in peroxide should be placed on the nail. Treatment time is 40-50 minutes. The procedure must be repeated twice a day for 2-3 weeks.
- Baths with soap and soda solution. Add soda and soap to the water in a 2:1 ratio. Feet need to be steamed for 10-15 minutes, treatment lasts 3-4 days.
- Mix the juice of garlic, onion and red pepper. The resulting solution is rubbed into the affected nail plate. Then wash it off.
- To treat fungus, use a 9% vinegar solution. It is used to treat affected nails.
- Kalanchoe is used to treat fungus. A piece of the plant is tied to the affected area overnight.
- Take a slice of fresh onion. It is necessary to remove the film from it and apply it to the sore nail. If the skin around it does not burst and there is no burning sensation, then you can leave it on all night. Otherwise, remove the compress.
If treatment is carried out only with traditional methods, the disease may return and the problem will worsen. It is best to carry out complex therapy for the fungus together with medications.
Treatment of nail fungus in a child with folk remedies
Traditional medicine involves treatment with the following means:
- Iodine. As a therapeutic therapy, it is necessary to lubricate the affected areas with a 5% solution every day before going to bed. Do not use in children under one year of age.
- Aloe juice. Cut off the stem and lubricate the marigolds with the released juice. Monitor your reaction every time. After all, the baby may have an allergy to one of the components.
- Garlic. Make a paste of garlic by grating or grinding in a blender. Apply to the nail and wrap with a bandage. Leave overnight.
- Honey. Honey is a powerful healer, but also a strong allergen. You can fight the fungus by using it instead of ointment or making honey cakes.
- Steaming hands in baths of soap and soda.
Disease prevention
Due to the fact that treatment of nail fungus in children is a lengthy process, it is best to prevent the development of pathology and apply the following recommendations:
If you follow these recommendations, the disease will not affect the child, and he will remain healthy.
Fungus on children's toes
Fungus on children's toes can spread from the foot or nails (this is not visible from the photo).
In most cases, a child becomes infected with it from another person. The following factors are to blame:
- Wearing someone else's shoes and clothes. If there is a fungus in the kindergarten or one of the family members, the child can easily catch it. Also, you should not put someone else’s socks and tights on your child.
- Wearing the wrong shoes. Tight shoes injure the foot and cause increased sweating. This creates a favorable environment for the proliferation of harmful fungal organisms.
- Walking barefoot. Especially in public places. In the bathhouse, sauna, swimming pool, on the beach, in the garden.
In most cases, the lesion can be treated with topical medications. In neglected cases, use internal medications.
Ointments are considered the most effective. The most gentle are gels. However, before each purchase you should consult your doctor.
Reviews
Nail fungus in children is an insidious disease. Reviews from patients suggest that at the first symptoms of its appearance on the nails, you should consult a doctor. Doctors, in turn, do not recommend self-medication, because only a specialist can prescribe effective therapy, taking into account the child’s condition. Judging by some reviews, not only traditional medicine, but also folk medicine helps with this. You should not neglect your doctor’s advice and preventive methods.
Source: fb.ru
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