What is athlete’s foot?
Athlete’s foot is an infection that causes the skin to be dry, red and itchy. It is can happen in between your toes or underneath your foot. Athlete’s foot, when left untreated, can spread around your feet and toes and even contaminate your nails. When your athlete’s foot spreads to your nails, they become fungal nails.
What causes athlete’s foot?
Athlete’s foot happens when the feet are sweaty and closed up in a shoe. Our skin presents a very delicate balance of bacterias, fungus, and other microorganisms. They all cohabit in harmony, but in the humid and dark environment of a shoe, certain bacterias or fungus will grow in number, overpowering the other microorganism. This creates a skin infection called athlete’s foot.
How to treat athlete’s foot?
Athlete’s foot is relatively easy to treat with medication. Note that treating any excessive feet sweating is equally important, as this will prevent the athlete’s foot from spreading or reoccurring.
1. Prescribing at-home medication
Your podiatrist can prescribe medication to apply on your athlete’s foot. Note that these treatments are stronger than what you would be able to buy yourself at the pharmacy. Your podiatrist can also prescribe medication to treat your excessive sweating, protecting you against a second round of athlete’s foot.
2. Podiatric advice
Your podiatrist can advise you on proper care at home to prevent your athlete’s foot from happening again.
How to treat athlete’s foot at home?
While waiting for your podiatric consultation, you can reduce your chances of infection at home by following these steps:
Change your socks often
By changing your socks frequently (at least twice a day), you reduce the overall level of moisture around your feet.
Spray your footwear
To reduce the chances of recontamination associated with excessive sweating, spray your footwear on a daily basis with an anti-bacterial spray, such as Lysol.