If you have problems with your nail plate, it's important to know which doctor treats onychomycosis so that you don't have to wait for complications to see a specialist.For someone new to fungal infections, it can be difficult to understand the name of this specialist.Dermatologists and mycologists deal with the problem of fungal diseases, so visiting a therapist is not recommended.
What is onychomycosis
Diseases caused by parasitic microorganisms are called pathogenic fungi.The disease affects the cuticles (nails) and the surrounding skin of the legs and progresses rapidly, causing discomfort and inconvenience.Dangerous parasites live in the body, poisoning the body with toxins and worsening general conditions.You can become infected by wearing someone else's shoes, not maintaining good foot hygiene, or walking barefoot at the beach or pool.有此类问题的人需要知道哪位医生可以治疗灰指甲，以预防并发症并接受适当的治疗以消除这种令人不快的疾病。
disease symptoms
Which doctor treats the symptoms of toenail fungus depends on the severity of the damage to the plate affected by the fungus and the nature of the lesion.Fungal appearance has the following characteristics:
- Normal nutrition type: There are ocher yellow or white stripes and spots on the side of the nail, the nail plate is easily separated from the skin, and the skin under the healthy nail is itchy;
- Hypertrophy: The plate is thickened, loses its luster, is broken, loses its luster, is severely deformed, and is dark yellow or gray in color;
- Atrophy: The toenail bed is brownish-gray, loses its luster, is pale, necrotic and destroyed;
- Side and distal: color loss, transverse yellowish grooves, broken, rough, exposed toenail bed, foot skin swelling, redness, thickening, pain, pus may appear in advanced cases;
- Proximal: Whitening, destruction;
- Overall: Complete destruction of toenail due to lack of treatment;
- White superficial: white spots, chipping, layering, pain.
Which doctor treats onychomycosis
Knowing which doctor treats nails is useful for every patient suffering from onychomycosis.In this case, a therapist will not be able to help; you will need to see a specialized specialist.The doctor is a dermatologist who advises in the early stages of the disease.In advanced cases, it is necessary to consult a mycologist - a specialist who treats nail fungus in a highly targeted way.
dermatologist
This doctor can prescribe the right treatment and get rid of the onychomycosis.His qualifications allow him to eliminate skin problems including viral and infectious lesions, dermatitis, eczema and parasitic diseases.The latter include fungal infections.If the condition is not serious, you should contact a dermatologist at a local clinic or dermatology and venereology clinic and sign up for a first check-up.Based on the signs, he can refer the patient to a mycologist.
mycologist
In difficult cases, the answer to the question about which doctor to treat toenails is to contact a mycologist.This is the name of the same dermatologist who only treats fungal infections of the skin, hair, and nail plates.Not every clinic or even city offers this service.Consultation with a mycologist includes treatment and prevention of fungal diseases: onychomycosis, candidiasis, microsporomycosis, trichophyton, epidermophytosis, podiatry.You will need to contact your dermatologist after their referral.
How did the date go?
Once you find a doctor who treats onychomycosis, make an appointment immediately.During the first visit, the nail specialist will ask the patient about when the problem began, how he is feeling, and the patient's lifestyle.After gathering the information, a preliminary examination of the affected area of the foot is performed, a diagnosis is made, and the stage of infection is determined.
External signs may not always indicate the fungal species, so scrape the dead scales for laboratory examination.The resulting medical material is examined under a microscope and spread on nutrient media.You need to see a doctor as early as possible in order to cure the fungus without consequences for the patient and his or her body.
Repeated consultation
Upon receipt of laboratory testing, a second consultation will be conducted.A mycologist or dermatologist will report on the cause of fungal growth, its presence and type, and recommend the correct treatment plan.Medications are selected based on the patient's individual characteristics.The treatment of this disease is long, so you will need to visit a specialist several times to monitor the treatment and prevent the patient's body from becoming infected.
treatment plan
After research into the cause of the fungus affecting the toe nail plate, a treatment plan is developed.It is not recommended to choose medications on your own because of the risk of side effects.Main antifungal drugs used and treatments:
- Orally administered – tablets, capsules, full action against parasites from within;
- Topical effects - external use, including ointments, creams, compresses, drops, varnishes;
- Special laser treatment - improves internal penetration of drugs and tissue microcirculation;
- In extreme cases where recovery is impossible, surgical removal of the nail is recommended.
Popular and effective drugs are divided into the following groups according to their action against fungal pathogens:
- Antifungal varnish.
- Remove plate preparation (sometimes necessary to cure fungus).
- Antifungal tablets.
- Creams, ointments, sprays.
- Other treatments: liquid medicine, tea tree oil, etc.