Athlete’s Foot Remedies

Some things in life like athlete’s foot symptoms never cease to surprise us. While there are some that we simply ignore, everyone would agree that a bad athlete’s foot, above all, needs some serious attention.

Indeed, having a smelly, itchy and inflamed foot is the least you should attend to when you have a career to focus on or a reputation to protect. However, all means of prevention sometimes just isn’t enough. In fact, some people do catch athlete’s foot fungus without them knowing it, even with the most prudent measures of precaution. Thus, ways and means to treat athlete’s foot are employed by athletes, male adolescents, and even mothers who need to get rid of their kid’s athlete’s foot fungus.

Medication is usually paired with a change in environment and better foot hygiene as a start in the treatment of athlete’s foot. This would not only kill the fungus on the infected area but would also discourage any further infection. Foremost kind of treatment employed is the use of topical ointments such as terbinafine, econazole, clotrimazole, lotrimin, tinactin and micatin.

Good foot hygiene, is simply done by washing the feet in plain water, wiping then dry, and applying the cream to the inflamed area. Continued use of an antifungal cream for three to four weeks, even after the disappearance of the symptoms, may be necessary to get rid of the infection. Oral medication or antibiotics may also help for more serious cases of bacterial infection as when the infection does not ease after two weeks of treatment.

Home remedies for athlete’s foot have proven quite useful alternatives as well, to expensive ointments that do not bring lasting results. A dry and clean foot is a start. Changing to sandals or slippers after a few hours of wearing shoes would also help keep the foot well-ventilated. Changing socks regularly, preferably twice a day, is equally important as the material of the socks. Cotton or wool absorbs moisture and keeps the feet dry.

Powdering the feet with antifungal powder is also advised. Avoiding the use of the same towel for the feet and the other parts of the body would also prevent the infection from spreading to other areas. Likewise, towels should not be shared with other individuals, even members of the same family, in order to prevent infecting other people. Stinky shoes, on the other hand, should also be washed with detergent and bleached in order to eliminate both the smell and the fungus.

Natural cure for athlete’s foot has also recently been found to exist, thus providing a much cheaper alternative to the ones existing in the market today. For example, vinegar as a treatment for athlete’s foot has proven useful and effective a solution by simply washing the foot with it and warm water. Other alternative treatments include topical oils like tea tree oil and the use of onion and garlic extract. Athlete’s foot cures are not hard to find, if only you look around in the kitchen.