Fungal Infection on Hands: Signs, Types, and Causes of Infection

You usually notice a change on the skin or nail of your hand by chance — and immediately want to find a similar picture. Similarity proves little: non-fungal nail deformities occur about as often as fungal ones, and redness and peeling of the skin can have various causes. Below is what is known about skin mycosis and onychomycosis on the hands, how they look at different stages, and which tests help with the diagnosis.

What fungal infection on hands is: skin mycosis and onychomycosis

A fungus is a primitive organism: cap mushrooms, mold, mildew. They live in the air, soil, on plants, in water, and some — in the human body, and reproduce by tiny spores that settle on the skin or are inhaled. Skin infection is called mycosis, nail infection — onychomycosis. Onychomycosis is usually caused by dermatophytes Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton interdigitale, and Trichophyton tonsurans, less often by other species. Nail fungus is more common on the feet, but also occurs on the hands. Such infections are not considered a serious threat, but they take a long time to treat.

What fungal infection on the skin of the hands, palms, and between the fingers looks like

The skin form manifests as itching, redness, and peeling of the skin around the nail. Exactly what fungus on the palms and between the fingers looks like cannot be determined from a single description: the assessment is made by a doctor, and a photo helps little, because similar changes can be of non-fungal nature.

Nail fungus on hands: signs of the initial stage

The infection usually starts at the edge of the nail and gradually captures the entire plate, which becomes thicker and changes color to white or yellow. At an early stage, color is most noticeable: stripes and spots appear, while shine and thickness remain normal — this is what the normotrophic form looks like. Then the plate thickens, loses shine and deforms, the edges partially break down (hypertrophic form), and in the onycholytic form the affected part thins and separates from the nail bed. The plate crumbles, delaminates, and sometimes an unpleasant odor appears. By localization, distal, lateral, proximal, and total forms are distinguished. In an advanced case, the nail comes off entirely, and the skin around it swells and hurts.

Causes and routes of fungal infection

Spores fly in the air and settle on the skin; the risk is higher in people with weakened immunity and in those taking antibiotics. Among the causes of onychomycosis are insufficient nail care, working in damp rooms and frequent wearing of rubber gloves, sports, tight shoes made of synthetic materials. In women, a separate factor is prolonged gel polish: a closed space forms between the plate and the coating, where the infection develops calmly. Fungus is also transmitted through shared towels, other people's shoes, and other people's manicure tools. The prevalence of onychomycosis increases with age; among diabetics, nail lesions occur in every third person, and with psoriasis — 56% more often.

How fungal infection of the hands is diagnosed

First, the doctor examines the skin and nails and distinguishes fungus from non-fungal changes. The laboratory decides the rest: a nail sample is taken and checked to see which pathogen is growing there. Examination by photographs does not replace this chain, because the forms of onychomycosis visually resemble other nail deformities.

When to see a doctor

The reason for a visit is a severe lesion in which previous treatment has not helped, or the infection spreading to other nails. A separate category is diabetes and weakened immunity, for example after organ transplantation or during chemotherapy. Below are the signs that require examination.

• the nail has become dull, yellowed or darkened, lost its smoothness, and stripes or spots have appeared at the free edge;
• the plate thickens, crumbles, delaminates, or begins to separate from the bed;
• the skin around the nail reddens, itches, peels, and the finger swells and hurts;
• changes have spread to other nails;
• there is diabetes or weakened immunity — after transplantation, during chemotherapy.

Fungal infection of the hands by itself is not a reason to call an ambulance; 103/112 — for life-threatening conditions (by general emergency signs), while changes in the skin and nails are assessed by a doctor on a routine basis.

This material is for reference: it helps you notice details and come to the doctor with specific questions, but does not replace a consultation — the final answer is given by examination and a laboratory test.

This content is for reference and does not replace a doctor's consultation. Medical disclaimer