{"id":14347,"date":"2023-12-05T10:29:12","date_gmt":"2023-12-05T02:29:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.premierclinic.hk\/?p=14347"},"modified":"2023-12-05T10:29:13","modified_gmt":"2023-12-05T02:29:13","slug":"%e9%86%ab%e7%94%9f%e6%8b%86%e8%a7%a3%e7%88%9b%e8%85%b3%e7%96%91%e6%83%91-%e6%98%af%e7%b3%96%e5%b0%bf%e7%97%85%e6%88%96%e6%98%af%e7%81%b0%e7%94%b2%e5%bc%95%e8%b5%b7%ef%bc%9f%ef%bc%88healthyd-com","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.premierclinic.hk\/en\/news\/%e9%86%ab%e7%94%9f%e6%8b%86%e8%a7%a3%e7%88%9b%e8%85%b3%e7%96%91%e6%83%91-%e6%98%af%e7%b3%96%e5%b0%bf%e7%97%85%e6%88%96%e6%98%af%e7%81%b0%e7%94%b2%e5%bc%95%e8%b5%b7%ef%bc%9f%ef%bc%88healthyd-com\/","title":{"rendered":"The doctor dissected the foot rot and suspected it was caused by diabetes or onychomycosis? (healthyD.com)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although Nancy has just been promoted to grandma, she still maintains a fashionable appearance despite her youthful appearance. She especially likes to wear open-toed shoes because they are comfortable and can show off the beauty of her feet. However, recently, she has changed her habit of wearing sandals. Not only does she only wear "close-toed" shoes, she even refuses to go to a nail salon for manicures when friends meet her. She even gave up bathing in hot springs when traveling in Japan because she didn't want to go barefoot. It turned out that she was too big The nail surface of the big toenail is deformed and turns grayish-yellow, causing embarrassment. During a physical examination a year ago, the doctor warned her that her blood sugar level was "out of bounds." She heard that foot problems were a sign of diabetes, which made her very worried. Her children suggested that she seek medical advice directly to find out whether the cause of the deformed toenails was related to diabetes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Diabetes can easily cause foot problems<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Diabetic patients often suffer from diabetic foot problems. Due to long-term high levels of blood sugar, blood vessels in the lower limbs become diseased, peripheral nerves become less sensitive, muscles atrophy, and uneven pressure causes deformation of the feet and toes. If the patient does not notice it in time and continues to wear inappropriate shoes, his feet may be injured unknowingly. Coupled with poor blood circulation, it is difficult for foot wounds to heal, increasing the risk of bacterial infection and inflammation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Determine if blood sugar exceeds standard by testing HbA1c index<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To know whether you have diabetes, your doctor will first order a simple blood test to measure your glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level. The results showed that Nancy's HbA1c reading was 6.2%, which indicated that she was in the pre-diabetes state. It was recommended to actively control blood sugar through diet and exercise as early as possible, and to monitor the HbA1c index through regular blood tests. Otherwise, when blood sugar further rises to the level of diabetes, more complications may occur, and in severe cases, it may even affect the function of organs throughout the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Open toes facilitate the growth of onychomycosis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The doctor then checked the condition of her toenails and cut off a small amount of the diseased nails for fungal culture testing. It turns out that the \u201creal culprit\u201d that causes toenail deformation is Fungal Nail! Nancy never thought that wearing sandals to free her toes would increase the chance of injuring her toenails, and lurked the risk of fungal infection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Onychomycosis is mainly caused by fungal infection (including dermatophytes, molds and yeasts). The humid and hot summer is conducive to the growth of fungi. Although wearing sandals can keep your feet fresh, it also exposes your toes to danger. For example, if you wear sandals on a rainy day and your feet are exposed to sewage from the street, and if they are not cleaned in time, fungi can easily adhere to the nail surface or toes. If there are wounds between nail gaps, it will increase the risk of fungal infection and form onychomycosis. In particular, onychomycosis is contagious and can be cross-transmitted through contact, so wearing sandals barefoot will also increase the chance of fungal infection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nail manicure is a breeding ground for onychomycosis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition, Nancy is used to meeting friends to get their nails done at a nail salon. In order to create a beautiful nail shape, the manicurist will polish the customer's nail surface and remove the cuticles, but this will cause damage to the fingernails and toenails. In addition, nail polish and other manicure tools are mostly shared. If other customers are suffering from onychomycosis, it is easy to spread the fungus and increase the risk of onychomycosis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some manicure enthusiasts choose to do their own manicure at home, especially with the recent popularity of convenient and easy-to-use nail stickers and manicure strips. However, if nail stickers and manicure strips are not thoroughly disinfected before use, or if there are gaps between the nail surface and the nail strips, dirt and bacteria can easily accumulate; once your hands and feet are wet, water will accumulate in the cracks, causing A breeding ground for mold may deteriorate into onychomycosis if not taken care of promptly and properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Improper treatment of onychomycosis may lead to high risk of complications<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since the symptoms of onychomycosis are not obvious in the early stages and do not cause pain, patients often do not realize they are infected until their toenails become thickened, turn grayish-yellow, or break into pieces, or even when the condition spreads to other toenails. If onychomycosis is not treated properly, it may cause complications, such as cellulitis, which is a more dangerous form of bacterial infection. In severe cases, it may even be life-threatening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sandals increase risk of toe injuries<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of whether you wear flat-soled or high-heeled sandals, if the shoe shape does not fit your feet and the sole is too thin, it will cause friction on the instep, toe seam, and heel, forming blisters and thick calluses. Frequently wearing high-heeled sandals will also cause stress due to prolonged tiptoeing. Unevenness and friction are more likely to cause corns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, the length of toenails will also affect the health of toenails, and sandals are the "accomplices" of foot damage. If the toenails are too long, wearing sandals with the open toes prone to collision will increase the risk of onychomycosis and lead to blood stasis (black toenails), toenail loss and other problems. On the contrary, if the toenails are cut too short and "cut into the flesh", the nail bed lacks adequate protection. When there are small wounds on the toes and are not taken care of properly, there is a chance of infection with bacteria and mold, causing the nail folds on both sides and behind the nails (which are in contact with the flesh). joint) inflammation, that is, paronychia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to wear sandals to protect your toenails<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nancy asked the doctor: "Does this mean that I can no longer wear sandals?" In fact, sandals are not dangerous goods, but it is recommended to wear them less. In Nancy's case, the fungus must be eliminated first to allow healthy nails. Wear sandals only after you are reborn. The doctor suggested that Nancy not only apply onychomycosis lotion, but also use laser to treat onychomycosis. A two-pronged approach would achieve better results. In addition, you should pay more attention to the health of your feet on weekdays, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n