The treatment of nail fungus takes at least six months, and with the right therapy. Many people, especially on the eve of summer, are concerned about the question: how quickly will the nails return to their previous healthy appearance? What will they look like right after starting treatment? And in a month or two?
In addition, whether the treatment is effective or not can also be determined by the appearance of the nails. Let's take a look at what you should pay attention to in the appearance of your nails after treating fungus.
Why is nail fungus difficult to treat?
Onychomycosis (fungal infection of the nail plate) is very difficult to treat in all people. There are three reasons for this:
The microbe gets into the nail bed and not all topical medications can reach it. In addition, most fungi provide themselves with "protection" in the form of thickening of the nail plate.
In most cases, onychomycosis is accompanied by a fungal infection of the feet. And as soon as a person heals his nails, the fungus again enters the nail bed from the skin of the feet.
Re-infection also occurs through one's own socks, shoes, and also when bathing in a bathtub/shower.
Classical types of treatment of onychomycosis
Medicine currently uses three main approaches to treating nail fungus:
Systemic drugs in the form of tablets or capsules. They can help, but for this they must be taken long-term - from 4 to 18 months. All these drugs are toxic to the liver, their reception can be complicated by the development of diarrhea, skin rashes and changes in taste. Therefore, during treatment, you must strictly follow a therapeutic diet, stop drinking alcohol and periodically do blood tests - "liver tests".
Local means (creams, varnishes). They do not always penetrate the nail plate well. Therefore, it must be prepared in advance: cut the overgrown masses of the nail with scissors or remove it using a knife. You cannot do this yourself: you can damage the cells that give rise to the nail plate.
Combined therapy: simultaneous application of a systemic drug and application of a local antifungal agent on the affected nail. It is used in severe cases to slightly reduce the severity of the side effects of systemic drugs. The effectiveness of such treatment is also not very high.
In some cases, dermatologists remove the affected nail plate before prescribing a topical treatment. Now they try to do this less and less, limiting themselves only to filing the affected area - to avoid infection of the nail bed with bacteria.
It seems that onychomycosis may be incurable, but in fact it is more than an aesthetic defect. It can lead to a severe mixed (fungal and bacterial) infection of the foot or hand that can even lead to gangrene.
What do nails look like after fungal treatment?
During the first 2-3 months of starting the use of local drugs, the nail plate will still not change noticeably. The fungi remaining in the under-nail space continue to multiply and thickening or, conversely, thinning is formed on the nail again. The growing plaque retains its pathological color for some time: yellow, milky white, black or brown. It may still be scaly, ribbed, or curved. It may have chips on it or an area where it moves away from its bed.
When treated with tablets, pathological changes in the growing nail plate can be observed in less than two months. Then, after treating the fungus, the area of the nail closest to the hole should take on a healthy appearance:
- become smooth;
- discoloration to pink or reddish, uniform color;
- acquire normal thickness.
If the nail grows back after the entire nail plate is removed, it has the right to be a little thinner. This is also an indicator of his health.
If, despite the treatment, after 2-3 months the nails remain discolored, thick or smooth, then the therapy should be reconsidered.
How quickly the entire nail will become healthy
It depends on the rate of growth of the nail plates. Influenced by:
- age: the younger the person, the greater the speed;
- the nature of nutrition: insufficient intake of vitamins and trace elements reduces the rate of nail growth;
- Ambient temperature: nails grow faster in warm climates;
- frequency of nail injuries: they slow down the growth of the plate;
- hormonal status: for example, during pregnancy, the growth rate of the plate increases;
- the presence of common chronic diseases: slow down the growth of nails;
- taking drugs that affect the rate of cell division.
On average, a healthy nail after treatment of a fungus on the hands grows in 6 months, on the feet in 12-18 months. Fingernails and toenails grow more slowly than others. So, if the nail plates of 2-5 fingers of the lower extremities grow at a rate of 1 mm/month, then on the first finger this rate is up to 0. 7 mm/month.
How can you speed up the treatment of onychomycosis?
Laser therapy can be used for faster recovery of nails after fungal treatment. It represents treatment of the nail plate with a neodymium laser device with a wavelength of 1064 nm. Its radiation freely penetrates the nail bed and there heats the fungal cells to high temperatures, as a result of which they die. In addition, the heat from the laser activates blood circulation in the nail bed, which accelerates the growth of a healthy nail plate.
The laser is used in conjunction with topical therapy. After a laser treatment session, the patient should apply the recommended cream or varnish to the nails, as well as carefully treat the shoes with an antiseptic to avoid re-infection.
The effectiveness of neodymium laser treatment of onychomycosis has been tested in several foreign multicenter studies. It is an excellent addition to local treatment, has a short duration of the procedure and is not accompanied by side effects.
Thus, a healthy nail plate should begin to grow within the first months of starting treatment. It may be slightly thinner than usual, but have a uniform pink color and smoothness. The healing process is greatly accelerated when the affected plates are treated with a neodymium laser.