If you have problems with your nail plates, it is important to know which doctor treats toenail fungus in order to see a specialist without waiting for complications.For someone who is struggling with a fungal infection for the first time, it is difficult to understand the name of this specialist.Dermatologists and mycologists deal with the problem of fungal diseases, so a visit to a therapist is hardly advisable.
What is nail fungus?
A disease caused by parasitic microorganisms is called a pathogenic fungus.The disease affects the calluses (nails) and the skin of the legs around them, developing rapidly and causing discomfort and inconvenience.Dangerous parasites living in the body poison it with toxins and can worsen the general condition.You can become infected by wearing someone else's shoes, not maintaining foot hygiene, or walking barefoot on the beach or swimming pool.People with such problems need to know which doctor treats nail fungus in order to prevent complications and receive appropriate treatment to eliminate the unpleasant disease.
Symptoms of the disease
Which doctor treats the symptoms of toenail fungus depends on how badly the nail plate affected by the fungus is destroyed and what type of lesion it is.The following characteristic signs of the appearance of a fungus are distinguished:
- normotrophic type: stripes, spots on the lateral parts of the nail of ocher-yellow or white color, easy separation of the plate from the skin, a person suffers from itching of the skin under healthy nails;
- hypertrophic: plate thickening, loss of luster, crumbling, dullness, severe deformation, dark yellow or gray color;
- atrophic: brown-gray color, loss of shine, pallor, necrosis and destruction of the nail bed of the toes;
- lateral and distal: loss of color, transverse yellowish grooves, friability, roughness, exposed nail bed of the toes, swelling, redness, thickening, pain in the skin of the feet, advanced cases may be characterized by the appearance of pus;
- proximal: brightening, destruction;
- overall: complete destruction of the toenail due to lack of therapy;
- white surface: white spots, crumbling, delamination, pain.
Which doctor treats nail fungus?
It is helpful for every patient with toenail fungus to know which doctor takes care of the nails.In this case, a therapist won't help;You need to see a specialized specialist.This doctor is a dermatologist and provides advice in the early stages of the disease.In advanced cases, 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 right 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 involves a fungal infection.If the case has not yet progressed, you should contact a dermatologist at a local clinic or dermatovenereological pharmacy and sign up for the initial examination.Depending on the indication, 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 exclusively treats fungal infections of the skin, hair and nail plates.It is not available in every clinic or even in the city.Consultation with mycologists includes the treatment and prevention of fungal diseases: onychomycosis, candidiasis, microsporia, trichophytosis, epidermophytosis, mycosis of the foot.You must contact them after a referral from a dermatologist.
How does the appointment work?
Once you find out which doctor treats toenail fungus, don't hesitate to make an appointment.During the first visit, the nail specialist asks the patient about how long ago the problem occurred, what sensations they are experiencing, and what the patient's lifestyle is like.After collecting 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 may not always indicate a type of fungus, so scraping off dead scales is used for laboratory examination.The resulting medical material is examined under a microscope and plated on culture media.You need to see a doctor as early as possible in order to cure the fungus without consequences for the patient and his body.
Repeated advice
After receiving the tests from the laboratory, a second consultation takes place.A mycologist or dermatologist reports the cause of the fungal growth, the presence of the fungus and its type and prescribes the correct treatment.The selection of drugs depends on the individual characteristics of the patient.Treatment of the disease is lengthy, so you need to visit a specialist several times to monitor therapy and prevent infection of the patient's body.
Treatment options
After studying the etiology of the fungus that affected the nail plate on the toes, treatment is prescribed.It is not recommended to choose medications yourself due to the 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, including ointments, creams, compresses, drops, varnishes;
- special laser treatment – improves the penetration of active substances into the interior and microcirculation of the tissue;
- In extreme cases where healing is not possible, surgical removal of the nail is recommended.
Popular effective drugs, which are divided into groups according to their effect on the fungal pathogen, are:
- Antifungal varnishes.
- Preparations for removing the plate (sometimes necessary to cure the fungus).
- Antifungal tablets.
- Creams, ointments, sprays.
- Other remedies: medicinal liquids, tea tree oil and others.