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Should you moisturise athlete’s foot?

When you have athlete’s foot, there are some definite dos and don’ts. Right practices help to eliminate the infection as soon as possible as well as prevent from spreading to your family members and yourself. This article is a guideline on athlete’s foot care.

Should you moisturize athlete’s foot?

Athlete’s foot home remedy

Athlete’s foot fungus thrives well in a moist and damp environment. Thus you should not moisturize the athlete’s foot. If you moisturize the area between the toes, you will build a perfect condition for infections to breed, and thus increasing the healing process.

While foot moisture is regular and harmless, it can lead to serious athlete’s problems. If the foot is regularly moist between the toes for long periods of wearing closed-toed leather shoes, it can lead to further breakdown of the tissues of the skin. This can cause irregular wear of the skin and even callus formation — symptoms of this include; redness, burning, and itching. Instead, of dry your feet after wash and moisturize the soles of your feet and your heels to prevent cracked heels.

How to prevent athlete’s foot and home remedies to treat?

The following practices will help you to manage an athlete’s foot at home.

Do not over soak your foot - Use warm water for healthy feet, rather than hot, so that you do not strip away the natural oils. For athlete’s foot, use cold water instead of hot and do not moisturize your feet. Use a surgical spirit, or ask your doctor for a fungal ointment to treat athlete’s foot.

Keep your feet warm, dry and comfortable - A moist environment is a perfect environment for fungus thriving.

Use of pumice stone - If you are prone to feet infections, use a pumice stone frequently to remove dead skin. Rub it softly so that you do not leave your skin open to infections. If necessarily see a podiatrist.

Should I wear socks to bed with athlete’s foot?

Athlete’s foot is infectious and can escalate to other parts of the body. Thus it is essential to wear cotton socks to bed to prevent the infection from spreading to places you do not want. Also clean and change your sheets regularly.

You should also change your socks and shoes as often as you need to keep your feet dry. If your socks become dump change them. Wear clean and cotton socks all the time. Synthetic fibers are not good at wicking away moisture as cotton is. Do not share socks to prevent spreading the infections. You might also want to soak your socks in apple cider vinegar to kill the fungus.

Is athlete’s foot contagious?

Yes, athlete’s foot is contagious. It spreads in wet environments such as public showers or pool areas. It might also spread to other regions of the body if an individual touches the affected foot and then touches other body areas such as hands.

Typically, walking around barefoot in warm damp places such as public pools exposes the feet to fungi which do well in those kinds of environment. Sweaty shoes and socks increase the dampness and can make the infection worse. Sharing towels, sheets, clothing, shoes and especially socks with someone who has athlete’s foot can also spread the infection.

Can you swim with athlete’s foot?

No, you should avoid swimming pools, public showers or foot baths as they will make the infection moist. Athlete’s foot is prone to swimmers. As a swimmer, you should always practice smart hygiene practices to reduce the threat of developing an athlete’s foot infection. The following methods can help reduce the risk of athlete’s foot infection at the swimming pool:

What will happen if the athlete’s foot is left untreated?

Will athlete’s foot heal if it is untreated?

If athlete’s foot is left untreated, there is a threat can it will spread to other parts of the body such as the toenails in a condition known as onychomycosis. In such a situation the nail usually become thick, whitish and crumbly. One may feel pain and skin could be inflamed under the nail. Untreated toenail could lead to infections and eventually cause more pain and problems wearing shoes or even walking.

Home remedies for athlete’s foot

Many natural or home remedies can help in getting rid of the fungus that causes athlete's foot. The following steps can be taken at home to treat the infection.

Tea tree oil home remedy for athlete's foot

Tea tree oil is known to have antibacterial and antifungal values. To use tea tree oil, affected individuals should put a few drops into a carrier oil, such as mustard oil or olive oil, and rub it on their feet. Another option could be tea tree oil creams and salves may be available at health food stores.

It is essential to take care when using tea tree oil since it can be irritating to the skin. Some people may require to stop using oil as a result of rashes and irritation. You should not use undiluted tea tree oil on your skin.

Garlic as a home remedy for athlete's foot

Garlic has a long history of treatment use, and various studies have found garlic to be effective against some fungi and bacteria. A garlic foot bath using fresh garlic cloves is one approach for people to try this treatment at home. Crush three or four garlic cloves and stir them into a basin of warm water — soak feet for about thirty minutes, twice a day for up to a week. However, the potent compounds in garlic can leave a lasting garlic smell on the skin.

Hydrogen peroxide as a home remedy for athlete's foot

Hydrogen Peroxide and Iodine are used to disinfect cuts and wounds and to kill germs on the skin. To attempt this treatment, combine iodine solution and hydrogen peroxide in a bucket or large bowl. Iodine solution is accessible at most drugstores in the wound care section. Immerse the feet directly in the solution or use a cotton pad to smear it to the affected areas.

Never use Iodine on the skin without diluting it since it can destroy the skin if used by itself. Hydrogen Peroxide may sting if the skin is broken or irritated, and it can bleach hair and fabrics. Besides, Iodine may easily cause stains. Using this mixture in a bathtub or shower may prevent unwanted stains, bleaching, and spills.

Baking soda as a home remedy for athlete's foot

Baking soda is a product most people have readily accessible. It is also an effective way to cure athlete's foot. To make a foot bath, combine about a half cup of baking soda in a basin of warm water. Soak feet for at least fifteen minutes, twice a day dry the feet thoroughly but do not wash them off when done.

You can also wash your feet regularly with soap and water and immerse your feet in salt water or diluted vinegar to remove blisters

Athlete’s foot blisters

Athlete’s foot might sometimes cause fluid-filled blisters. Blisters are ordinary in Moccasin-type athlete’s foot. This type of foot athlete does not cause itching or swelling. The whole sole and heel become dry and flaky with loose, white scales which appear in a moccasin-like pattern. In some cases, the toenails could also become infected, which could make the condition worse to treat.

Individuals with vesicular athlete’s foot suffer from sore, fluid-filled blisters which happen between the toes and on the arch and sides of the foot. The blisters develop in response to an allergic reaction to the fungi causing the athlete’s foot.

What are the symptoms of athlete’s foot?

Athlete’s foot can occur to one or both feet, and there are various types of athlete’s foot. But the following are common symptoms for most of the athlete’s foot type:

How long can athlete’s foot live in shoes?

The fungus causing athlete’s foot do well in dark and damp places such as shoes. The fungus can thrive in the shoes as long as it is wet and warm creating a suitable environment for the fungus. But the fungus will be damaged once you dry your footwear out or you can use talcum powder to keep your foot on a drier surface or a touch of apple cider vinegar inside the shoe to degrade the fungus.

Should I throw away my shoes if I have athlete’s foot?

Yes, if you cannot be able to damage the fungus completely, it is best to throw the show away. However, very cheap non-plastic shoe espadrille treat athlete's foot by using borax or boric acid powder and borax lotion to treat athlete’s foot. You can use the boric acid powder in your shoes and then air them out to kill the fungus. When an athlete’s foot is gone, you might want to buy new shoes.

How do you treat dry athlete’s foot?

Athlete’s foot treatment

There are many ways of treating athlete’s foot both over the counter and home remedies.

Over the counter topical medicine for athlete’s foot

There are various nonprescription antifungal creams, solutions, gels, sprays, ointments which can be useful for treating athlete’s foot. Some take one to two weeks to work, while others must be used for at least eight weeks before they get rid of the fungal infection. Faster acting medicines tend to be more expensive than the others but need less medication to finish treating athlete’s foot.

Over the counter antifungal treatments usually contain one of the following as its active agent; clotrimazole, miconazole, terbinafine or tolnaftate. The treatment can last for up to eight weeks depending on the medication you choose. When applying the topical antifungal wash your hands before and after treating the athlete’s foot. Ensure the area is dry before you put medicine directly onto the rash as well as the surrounding region. Even though the rash disappears, the fungus could still be on the skin so do not stop using the medicine.

Always use the medication as you are directed on the box, tube or pamphlet that comes with the drug. Do not skip doses. Also, do not tear off the skin which is flaking.

How to tighten skin?

To make our skin tighter, eat healthily, exfoliate your skin, limit UV exposure, and use

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