Mycosis is a contagious skin disease caused by a fungus. As a rule, treatment is carried out with an antifungal cream, which gives good results but does not last long. The following tips will help prevent toe fungus, which can recur even after treatment.
Who can become infected?
Almost anyone can get athlete's foot. However, it is more common in people who sweat more or wear tight shoes and socks, which also causes excessive sweating of the feet.
Mycoses can be transmitted from person to person. For example, this could happen in a public shower used by athletes or swimmers. When you shower, small scales may fall off the fungal-infected skin. Once a small site of infection begins to develop, it usually spreads along the skin. Read here where else you can catch the mushroom.
What are the symptoms
The skin between the little toes is usually affected first. The first signs of a fungus, when the infection has just formed on the skin, are minor. The onset is noticeable when the rash begins to spread and the skin begins to itch and flake. Cracks and inflammation occur. Large tears in the skin between the toes can become larger and be very painful. Tiny flakes of infected skin peel off.
If interdigital mycosis remains untreated, the rash will gradually spread over the entire leg. In some cases it extends to the sole. Often the infection causes peeling of the entire sole and sides of the foot. Sometimes mycosis causes large, blistering rashes all over the sole. In this case we are dealing with athlete's foot.
How serious is this?
Usually no. Most people successfully treat itchy toes before the infection occurs. Sometimes the infection spreads to the skin of other parts of the body. These are usually damp and airless areas, such as the groin area.
Typically, fungi, including toenail fungus between the toes, do not spread deeper, but only on the surface of the skin. However, other microbes (bacteria) can also get into the cracks left by neglected or untreated mycosis. Sometimes this can lead to more serious foot or leg infections.
It happens that the infection spreads to the nail - it can be cured. However, in this case, to get rid of the fungus, you need to take antifungal medications for several weeks to remove the infection from your nails.Therefore, it is better to treat interdigital fungus on the feet in a timely manner as soon as the first symptoms appear.
Treatment of mycoses
Treatment for fungus between toes usually involves the use of various antifungal creams and sprays. You can purchase topical antifungals from your local pharmacy or get a prescription.
To treat fungus between the toes, it is necessary to apply an antifungal drug directly to the affected area, that is, the skin of the feet. There are various medications that help against fungal infections.
They are usually sold in the form of creams, but can also be available in sprays, liquids and powders. These medications are very good at clearing the skin of fungal infections. However, there is no evidence that one remedy is better than another.Gentler medications should be used in children.Other options include undecenoic acid or tolnaftate, which are only used as directed by a doctor.
During treatment, the inflammation often appears to go away fairly quickly, but you may still need therapy for one to two weeks after the rash clears up. This is necessary to completely eliminate fungus on the skin and thereby prevent relapse.
- Preparations with the active ingredient clotrimazole: use 2-3 times a day for at least four weeks.
- Preparations containing the active ingredient miconazole nitrate: Apply twice a day and continue for 10 days after the skin returns to normal.
- Preparations containing the active ingredient econazole nitrate: Apply twice daily until the skin returns to normal.
- Drugs from the triazole group: use twice a day for seven days. To cure nail fungus between the toes, you need to continue using the medication for a few days if the symptoms become more severe. Not suitable for children.
- Preparations containing the active ingredient terbinafine hydrochloride: use once or twice a day for seven days. Not suitable for children.
- Preparations containing undecenoic acid: Apply twice a day and continue for a week after the skin returns to normal.
If you are faced with this disease for the first time and do not know how to cure athlete's foot and do not make a mistake when choosing a drug for treatment, consult a doctor.
For skin, especially inflamed skin, your doctor may prescribe an antifungal cream combined with a mild steroid ointment. They are usually not used for more than seven days. You may just need to use an antifungal cream for a while afterward.
Anabolic steroids reduce inflammation and relieve itching and redness over a short period of time. However, the steroid does not completely eliminate toe fungus, which is why steroid cream alone should not be used for treatment.
Antifungal tablets for toenail fungus are sometimes prescribed to adults if the infection is severe and does not improve with creams. Tablets are also necessary if the infection is localized in many areas of the skin in addition to the legs.
However, this treatment against interdigital fungus is not suitable for everyone.
Pregnant or breastfeeding women and people with liver disease are not always recommended to take antifungal tablets. Children are usually not prescribed antifungal drug treatment.
Although skin fungus between toes can be spread from person to person, you don't have to miss work, school, or sports if you have the fungus.However, in public places such as a swimming pool or sauna, you should try to keep your feet covered until the rash clears up.Also, try not to scratch the broken skin, as this could spread the infection to other areas.
The following tips can prevent recurring athlete's foot:
- It is necessary to wash your feet daily and dry the skin between your toes thoroughly after washing. This is perhaps the most important point. Wear socks if your feet are not completely dry. The moist skin between your fingers is an ideal place for fungi to grow.
- Do not share other people's towels in public locker rooms. Towels should be washed as often as possible.
- Change your socks daily. Fungi multiply in flakes of skin from unwashed socks. Cotton socks and leather shoes are in many ways better than nylon socks and shoes made from artificial materials, which increase sweating.
- Try to rotate different shoes every two to three days to allow each pair to dry completely after wearing them.
- Wear flip-flops or sandals in public locker rooms and showers. This will prevent your feet from coming into contact with the ground, which may have other people's dander on it.
- When you're at home, walk barefoot—without shoes or socks—as much as possible to allow air to reach your feet. However, for some this may not be practical.
If your athlete's foot keeps coming back, you can prevent it by regularly using one of the antifungal sprays or creams as a preventive measure. For prevention, you can use various preventive creams every day.