How to tell if it's onychomycosis

Onychomycosis is a very common skin disease. If you suffer from onychomycosis, there is usually accumulation of dirt and other substances on the nails, and the color is opaque. If onychomycosis is not treated in time, it will become very serious in the later stages, causing the entire nail to change color or deform. Therefore, the treatment of onychomycosis needs to be taken seriously and urgently. So, how do you determine whether it is onychomycosis?

1. Self-diagnosis to determine whether you have onychomycosis

The first situation: turbidity: the deck is opaque, cloudy or stained, and loses its luster;

The second situation: hypertrophy: accumulation of keratin under the nail;

The third situation: the nail surface is uneven: the accumulation of keratin under the nail causes the nail plate to be damaged;

The fourth situation: Onycholysis: the thickened keratin falls off, causing the nail plate to separate from the nail bed;

The fifth situation: severe discoloration: the diseased nails are white, yellow, gray, brown, or even black;

The sixth situation: Nail plate atrophy: after being infected by fungi, the nail plate becomes thinner and smaller;

The seventh situation: nail plate falls off: the nail plate is completely destroyed, with only a small amount remaining on the nail bed;

The eighth situation: the nail plate is lifted: the keratin under the nail falls off, and only the root of the nail plate is connected to the nail bed;

2. Identify the early symptoms of onychomycosis

1. There are two types of onychomycosis. One is manifested as white nails, which often start from the root of the nail. Small white spots appear on the surface of the nail plate and gradually expand, causing the nail plate to soften and sink. These early symptoms of onychomycosis are relatively common.

2. In the early stage of onychomycosis, small depressions or transverse grooves appear on the nail plate, which gradually develops into a brittle, fragile, thickened, and brownish color. The accumulation of debris under the nail often causes the nail to become hollow, lift up and separate from the nail bed, and the surface of the nail plate to be uneven, rough and dull.

3. The nail plate of onychomycosis often appears uneven and black, and the nail plate often has slight atrophy but not thickening. This is also an early symptom of onychomycosis.

4. Onychomycosis starts from the end or both sides of the toenail and then spreads to the root. In the early stages of onychomycosis, the tip of the toenail and the surrounding area turn white, the surface layer at the front end of the toenail separates from the bottom layer, the middle layer becomes thicker and thicker, and the nail becomes very brittle and falls off like powder.

4. Then it gradually becomes deformed, turns yellow-brown and loses its luster, which is also an early symptom of onychomycosis.

3. Traditional Chinese medicine treatment of onychomycosis

1. Use a cotton swab dipped in compound Tujinpi tincture to soak the nails once a day for 10 minutes each time. Before using the medicine, use a knife to scrape off the gray nails (toenails), and scrape them once every week.

2. Grind the acne, artificial bezoar and Sichuan pepper into fine powder, mix it into a paste with white wine, and add a little glycerin to mix well and apply to the affected area.

3. Mash the white balsam flower and apply it on the nails, wrap it with cloth, and change it once a day until it is healed.

4. Take equal parts of Sophora flavescens, Kochia scoparia, and Fennel, soak them in 75% ethanol, apply the liquid to the affected area several times a day.

However, this method is not very effective and may damage the skin if used improperly, so it is not recommended.