There are usually two known ways of treating athlete’s foot.
The first method is to make sure the area affected by the fungus is not suitable for it to survive. That is to keep the affected area always dry and clean.
It’s important to use shoes made of leather or materials that let air through. Otherwise shoes that don’t allow air can cause your feet to stay moist, setting up a breeding ground for the fungus. Also you may consider cotton socks that let air through and absorb water away from your feet.
Medicated powders like miconazole or tolnaftate are excellent way to make sure your feet are dry. Also your doctor may advise you to soak your feet in a solution of aluminum acetate medically referred as Burrow’s solution and Domeboro’s solution.
Another homemade therapy is to mix white vinegar with water using one part vinegar and four parts water. You can do these 10 minute foot soaks once or twice a day.
The second type of foot fungus treatment is to use antifungal cream and medical washes. There are various medications such as miconazole, clotrimazole, terbinafine sprays, medically termed as Lamisil and various creams. There are also ketoconazole shampoo and cream. Always refer to your health-care professional or pharmacist for to find the suitable remedy. Treating athlete’s foot can last up to four weeks and sometimes one week after all foot fungus symptoms are gone.
There are also oral solutions in case your athlete’s foot is more resistant and in an advanced stage. You will need to complete a two to three week course of an oral pill prescription of antifungal medicine such as terbinafine, itraconazole also known as Sporanox, or fluconazole popularly known as Diflucan. Before you take these pills your doctor may send you to examine your livers to make sure there’s no disease affecting them.
You may want to avoid various topical corticosteroid creams as they can aggravate fungal skin infections feeding the fungus.
If the fungus has reached your toenails they must be treated immediately to stop re-infection of your feet. Often that’s the reason why the athlete’s foot keeps coming back despite applying all the treatments. The nails cannot be disregarded as they can be the nest for your athlete’s foot. It is vital to get rid of all the possible fungus at one time including toenail fungus. In order to get rid of toenail fungus completely the treatment can last up to three to four months and consistent use of oral antifungal drugs.