Managing Athlete’s Foot

Preventive Measures

Keep your feet clean and dry: To prevent fungal infections on your feet, it's important to wash your feet twice daily with warm, soapy water. Be sure to thoroughly rinse and dry your feet, paying close attention to the area between your toes. You can also use antifungal foot powder to help keep your feet dry and reduce the risk of athlete's foot.

Change socks regularly. Remember to change your socks regularly to keep your footwear relatively dry. Ensure your feet are dry before putting on socks, stockings, or tights. Also, opt for moisture-wicking socks, such as those made from cotton, to help keep your feet drier than nylon socks do. If your feet become very sweaty and moist, consider changing socks more frequently.

Change shoes: Remember the following tips for foot hygiene:

- Rotate between pairs of shoes to allow them to dry after each use.

- Wear lightweight and well-ventilated footwear.

- Avoid sharing shoes, socks, or other items that come into contact with the feet to reduce the risk of spreading infections.

- Choose shoes made of leather or canvas and avoid synthetic materials like vinyl or rubber.

- Take off your shoes as soon as you are back home or after exercise or sports to let your feet breathe.

- If possible, opt for lightweight and well-ventilated shoes, especially in warm weather, and consider wearing sandals to air out your feet.

Keep nails clipped short:  Nails can more easily pick up bacteria and fungi when they are long. Therefore, it is important to always keep your nails short and clean. Additionally, it is crucial to use separate nail clippers for infected toenails to prevent the spread of athlete’s foot to others.

Protect your feet in public places: Always remember to wear waterproof sandals or shoes in bathrooms, public pools, showers, locker rooms, and other wet areas. If someone with athlete’s foot uses a bathtub or shower, be sure to disinfect the area after each use until the condition is fully treated.

Do not scratch the rash: Try not to scratch the athlete's foot. It can spread the fungal infection to other parts of your body. Soothe itching feet by soaking them in cool water.

Treatment Options

Treatment options for athlete's foot include antifungal medications that can be taken orally or applied topically to the infected skin. Both prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) antifungal medications are available in various forms such as pills, creams, ointments, gels, powders, or sprays. These products contain active ingredients like clotrimazole, miconazole, tolnaftate, and terbinafine, which effectively treat athlete’s foot.

• Topical Treatments: These are cream, gel, ointment, and spray products that can be applied directly to the affected skin after washing and drying the feet. Usually, antifungal products are applied twice a day or as directed until a week after the rash clears up. It might take 2 to 4 weeks to see results. If the condition repeats itself, you might need to start applying the product again. But if the athlete’s foot is severe and symptoms do not start to clear up after using topical cream for 2 weeks, then your doctor may prescribe a stronger product.
• Oral Treatments: Oral medication may be prescribed by a doctor for more severe cases of athlete’s foot or when topical treatments have not been effective. Common oral medications for treating athlete’s foot include terbinafine, itraconazole, fluconazole, ketoconazole, and griseofulvin. It's important to note that medications have side effects, so they should be used under the guidance of a healthcare professional. The best course of treatment can be determined by a doctor based on the severity of the athlete’s foot and the overall health of the patient.

An athlete's foot is an unpleasant condition. It can be itchy and annoying and may also cause bad odour on your feet. If you have this condition, it's important to seek medical help to prevent it from getting worse. Completing the full course of treatment is crucial for treating an athlete's foot effectively. Stopping the treatment too soon may result in the condition coming back and being more difficult to treat.

REFERENCE

Information from https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/understanding-athletes-foot-basics, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/261244#athletes_foot_complications, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/athletes-foot/symptoms-causes/syc-20353841, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22139-athletes-foot-tinea-pedis was used in this story