Athletes Foot Treatment

Athletes foot is a condition caused by fungi penetrating the surface of the skin and spreading, which can cause a variety of cracks, sores and lesions on any part of the foot.

Athletes foot can be a huge annoyance, and can cause extreme pain and can look very unsightly. There are many different kinds of medical athletes foot treatment and many other things you can do to either prevent athletes foot in the first place, or to halt the progression of athletes foot and begin to clear the condition up.

If you have athletes foot, or suspect you have athletes foot, the first thing you should do is see your G.P. to get a confirmed diagnosis. Your G.P. will then be able to give you a prescription to clear up your condition, which will usually come in the form of tablets you swallow, or a cream. It is also important that people with other disorders, particularly diabetes remind their G.P. they are diabetic, or if they have other ailments or take other medication, as this can influence the kind of medication you will be prescribed.

Here are some additional tips for athletes foot treatment:

• Change your socks daily.
• Wearing cotton socks will help you socks to soak up much of your foots moisture, thus drawing it away from the skin and minimising you chances of developing athletes foot.
• Wash your feet daily, taking particular attention to scrub underneath the toenails where much of the fungi hide out.
• After washing your feet, ensure you dry them thoroughly, paying particular attention to drying in between your toes.
• Use less soap when washing your feet. Often soap can wash away the natural protective oils which are present in the skin of you feet. By washing these oils away, you can often leave you feet more exposed to fungal infections.
• Try to keep you feet as dry as you can. Wearing sandals for instance, is a great way to get some air circulating around your feet.
• Continue to use your medication for around a fortnight after your athletes foot looks to have clear up. This will ensure the infection has been well and truly destroyed.

Left untreated, athletes foot can also spread to other parts of the body such as the hands and face. Athletes foot can also cause fungal nail infections.