Ringworm is an infectious skin disease caused by a fungus. Antifungal cream treatment is generally used, which gives good results, but does not last long. The tips below will help prevent toe fungus, which may reappear even after treatment.
Who can be infected
Almost anyone can get athlete's foot. But it is more common in individuals who sweat more, or in those who wear tight shoes and socks, which also causes excessive sweating on the feet.
Ringworm can be transmitted from person to person. For example, this could happen in a public shower used by athletes or swimmers. Small flakes of fungus-infected skin may fall off while showering. Once a small patch of infection begins to develop, it usually spreads across the skin. Read about where else you can catch the fungus here.
What are the symptoms
The skin between the little toes will usually be affected first. The first signs of fungus, when the infection has just formed on the skin, are minimal. The onset will become noticeable when the rash begins to spread and the skin begins to itch and peel. Cracks and inflammation will appear on it. Large cracks in the skin between your toes can widen and be very painful. Small flakes of infected skin will peel off.
If interdigital ringworm is not treated, the rash will gradually spread across the entire leg. In some cases it extends to the sole. Often, the infection causes scaling over the entire sole and sides of the foot. Sometimes ringworm causes large, blistering rashes all over the bottom of the foot. In this case, we are dealing with foot fungus.
How serious is this?
As a rule, no. Most people successfully treat itchy toes before infection takes hold. Sometimes the infection spreads to the skin on other parts of the body. These are usually damp, airless areas, such as the groin.
Typically, fungi, including nail fungus between the toes, do not spread deeper, but only on the surface of the skin. However, other microbes (bacteria) can enter the cracks left by neglected or untreated ringworm. Sometimes this can cause more serious foot or leg infections.
It happens that the infection spreads to the nail - it can be cured. But in this case, to get rid of the fungus, you will need to take antifungal tablets for several weeks to eliminate the nail infection.Therefore, it is better to treat interdigital fungus on the feet in a timely manner, as soon as the first symptoms begin to appear.
Ringworm treatment
Treating fungus between the toes usually involves using various antifungal creams and sprays. You can buy topical antifungals at your local pharmacy or get one with a prescription.
To treat fungus between the toes, it is necessary to apply an antifungal medication directly to the affected area, that is, to the skin of the feet. There are several medications that help against fungal infections.
They are usually sold in the form of creams, but can also come in sprays, liquids and powders. These medicines are very good at eliminating fungal infections from the skin. However, there is no evidence that one medicine is better than another.For children, milder medications should be used.Other options are undecenoic acid or tolnaftate, which are used only as directed by your doctor.
During treatment, the inflammation often seems to disappear quickly; however, you may need therapy for 1 to 2 weeks after the rash has disappeared. This is necessary to completely eliminate fungus from the skin - which will prevent relapses.
- Preparations with the active ingredient clotrimazole: use 2 to 3 times a day for at least four weeks.
- Preparations with the active ingredient miconazole nitrate: apply twice a day and continue for 10 days after the skin returns to normal.
- Preparations with the active ingredient econazole nitrate: apply twice a day until the skin returns to its normal state.
- Medicines from the triazole group: apply twice a day for seven days. To cure nail fungus between your toes, you should continue using the medicine for a few more days if the symptoms are more severe. Not suitable for children.
- Preparations with the active ingredient terbinafine hydrochloride: apply once or twice a day for seven days. Not suitable for children.
- Preparations with undecenoic acid: apply twice a day and continue for a week after the skin returns to normal.
If you are facing this disease for the first time and do not know how to cure foot fungus and are not mistaken in choosing a medicine 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 generally not used for more than seven days. You may need to continue using just an antifungal cream for some time after that.
Anabolic steroids reduce inflammation and relieve itching and redness in a short period of time. However, steroid does not completely eliminate toe fungus and therefore steroid cream alone should not be used for treatment.
Antifungal tablets for nail fungus are sometimes prescribed for adults if the infection is severe and does not go away with creams. Pills are also needed if the infection, in addition to the legs, is localized in several places on the skin.
However, this treatment for interdigital fungus is not suitable for everyone.
It is not always recommended to use antifungal tablets for pregnant or breastfeeding women, or people with liver disease. Children usually do not receive treatment with antifungal medications.
Although fungus on the skin between your toes can be spread from person to person, you don't need to stay away from work, school, or sports if you have the fungus.However, in public places such as swimming pools or saunas, try to keep your feet covered until the rash disappears.Also, try not to scratch the broken skin, as this can spread the infection to other areas.
The following tips can prevent athlete's foot from recurring:
- It is necessary to wash your feet daily and dry the skin between your toes well after washing. This is perhaps the most important point. Wear socks if your feet are not completely dry. The moist skin between your toes is an ideal place for fungus to grow.
- Do not share other people's towels in public changing rooms. Towels should be washed whenever possible.
- Change your socks daily. Fungi multiply on flakes of skin on dirty socks. Cotton socks and leather shoes are in many ways better than nylon socks and shoes made from artificial materials, which increase perspiration.
- Try to alternate different shoes every 2-3 days, this will allow each pair to dry completely after use.
- Wear flip-flops or sandals in public locker rooms and showers. This prevents your feet from coming into contact with the floor, which may contain other people's skin flakes.
- When you're at home, go barefoot as much as possible – without shoes or socks – to allow air to reach your feet. However, this may not be practical for some.
If athlete's foot keeps coming back, you can prevent it from coming back by regularly using one of the antifungal sprays or creams as a preventative measure. As a preventive measure, you can use various preventative creams daily.