Fungal Diseases

Fungal infections are transmittable diseases with pathogenic agents, fungal spores, everywhere around us.

The spread of disease is stimulated by the following factors:

Outside: swimming pools, communal showers and baths, gyms, alkaline cleaning agents, synthetic clothes, bad hygiene, etc.
Congenial conditions that cause the deterioration of defensive functions of tissues, excessive sweat (caused by dysfunctional vegetative nervous system), weak immune system, endocrine disorders, hereditary skin and skeleton diseases, prolonged intake of certain medications.

Most common forms of fungal infection:

Inguinal fungus, found mostly in groins, although might occur in armpits and under breasts; the infection is spread through direct contact with contagious objects: thermometers, sponges, towels, etc.), and epidermophythia pedum (athlete’s foot; mostly occur between toes, followed by allergic rash; toe nails are affected in 20 to 30 percent of cases). This type of fungus spreads in baths, swimming pools, gyms, through footwear.
Versicolor pityriasis (a fungal infection on the skin surface with hyper pigmented, hypo pigmented and red spots)
Trichophytosis (skin, hair, and nail disorder; spread through contacts with other people, animals, and infected objects: hats, clothes).
Microsporia (mostly affects scalp skin; transmitted through cats and dogs, rarely through direct contacts with other people).
Candidiasis (the agent is often found on the skin and mucous membranes of healthy people; mostly affect mucous membranes, the skin feet and palms, and nails).

How to diagnose fungus?

If you have suspicions about a fungal infection, our advice is to contact a dermatologist, to undergo all necessary laboratory tests for the diagnosis of your condition which might be not easily detected.
Before the visit to the doctor, do not cut your nails short, as a slice of your nail will be needed for laboratory tests.
Tissues will be send to the lab for the examination under the microscope.
Also, a laboratory culture testing might be performed for the pathological agent. This method allows to determine the type of fungus.
Early treatment of the disease helps achieve best results.
The treatment of nail fungus, as any fungal infection, is a long and complicated process due to high resilience of fungi. Typically, nail fungal infection is treated with oral medication, ointments, and by surgical removal of the nail. Sometimes, the combination of the above mentioned methods is applied.

In our clinic, fungus also is treated by laser. Depending on the disorder, treatment can last from 3 to 5 sessions with the interval of 4 to 5 weeks.