Mycosis is an infectious skin disease caused by a fungus. Generally, treatment with antifungal creams is applied, which gives good results, but not for long. The following tips can help prevent fungus between your fingers that recurs after treatment.
Who can prevent mycosis and how to prevent it?
Mycosis is a fungal infection that affects the legs. This condition is very common - one in four people has a digital fungus on their feet. If this disease starts, it can be very difficult to treat. Fungal pathogens (fungi) are often present in small amounts on human skin and are generally harmless. However, under favorable conditions, they can penetrate the epidermis, multiply and cause infection. Favorable conditions for fungi are warm, moist and airless areas of the skin, such as between the toes.
Mycosis can affect almost anyone. However, it is more common in those who sweat more or wear thick shoes and socks, which causes excessive sweating of the feet. Mycosis can spread from person to person. For example, it can occur in a common shower used by athletes or swimmers. Small crusts of fungal infected skin can fall off while taking a shower. Once a small infection patch begins to develop, it tends to spread throughout the skin. Here's where you can get mushrooms.
What are the symptoms of athlete's foot?
The skin between the little toes will usually be the first to be affected. Inflammation of a fungus is small when the infection is fresh on the skin. The manifestation will be noticeable when the rash begins to spread, the skin begins to itch and peel. Cracks and inflammation may appear on it. Large cracks (fissures) of the skin between the toes can grow and be very painful. Infected skin may peel off small scales. If your interdigital mycosis is not treated, the rash can gradually spread throughout the leg. In some cases, it extends to the base. Often, the infection causes swelling of the entire foot and sides of the foot. Sometimes mycosis causes large blistering rashes all over the sole. In this case, we encounter a foot fungus.
Is the mycosis between the fingers serious?
As a rule, no. Many people successfully treat itchy fingers before the infection spreads. Sometimes the infection spreads to the skin of other parts of the body. These are generally moist and airless areas such as the groin. In general, fungi, including fungus on the toes, do not spread deeper, but only on the surface of the skin. However, other microbes (bacteria) can get into the cracks left by neglected or untreated mycosis. It can sometimes cause more serious infections of the foot or ankle.
The infection spreads to the nail - it can be treated. However, in this case, it will take several weeks to take an antifungal pill to get rid of the fungus to clear the infection from the nails.
Therefore, digital fungus treatment on the feet is best done in time, when the first symptoms begin to appear.
Treatment of mycosis
Treatment of fungus between the toes usually involves the application of various antifungal creams and sprays. You can buy topical antifungals at the nearest pharmacy or by prescription. To treat the fungus between the toes, the antifungal agent should be applied directly to the affected area, ie the skin of the feet. There are different types and brands. It is usually sold in the form of a cream, but can also contain sprays, liquids and powders. The preparations are very good at cleansing the skin from fungal infections. However, there is no evidence that one drug is better than another.
It is necessary to use the drug as much as recommended. It depends on the different treatments, so read the instructions carefully before treating the fungus between your toes. Often, the inflammation goes away very quickly, but you may need to be treated for 1-2 weeks after the rash is removed. This is necessary to completely eliminate the fungus on the skin - it will prevent relapse.
If you are experiencing this disease for the first time and you do not know how to treat athlete's foot, and you do not make a mistake when choosing a drug for treatment, it is better to consult a doctor.
For your skin, especially inflamed skin, your doctor may prescribe an antifungal cream combined with a mild steroid ointment. They are usually used for no more than seven days. After that, you may need to continue using only one antifungal cream for a while. Anabolic steroids reduce inflammation in a short time and eliminate itching and redness. However, steroids do not completely eliminate the fungus between the toes, and therefore steroid creams alone should not be used for treatment.
Sometimes, if the infection is severe and cannot be cleared with creams, antifungal pills for fungus between the fingers are prescribed for adults. If the infection is found on the skin in many places other than the feet, tablets are also needed.
However, the treatment of a digital fungus using the above procedures is not the same for everyone.
Antifungal pills are not always recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women or people with liver disease. Some people may be prescribed another drug that interacts with antifungal pills. Children are generally not given antifungal medications.
The skin fungus between the toes can spread from person to person, so if you have the fungus, you don't need to stay away from work, school or sports. But in public places like a pool or sauna, try to cover your feet until the rash goes away. Also, try not to scratch the damaged skin, as this can spread the infection to other areas.
The following recommendations can prevent recurrent mycosis:
- You should wash your feet daily and dry the skin between your toes thoroughly after washing. This is perhaps the most important point. If your feet are not completely dry, wear socks. Moist skin between the toes is an ideal place to grow mushrooms.
- Do not use other people's towels in public locker rooms! Towels should be washed as often as possible.
- Change your socks daily. Fungi can grow on skin flakes in unwashed socks. Cotton socks and leather shoes are in many ways better than nylon socks and shoes made of artificial materials that increase perspiration.
- Try to switch between different shoes every 2-3 days, this will allow each pair to dry completely after wearing.
- Wear flip flops or plastic sandals in public locker rooms and showers. This prevents your feet from touching the floor, which can be peeling skin from other people.
- When you are at home, walk as barefoot as possible - no air or shoes or socks to reach your feet. However, this may not be practical for some people.
- If the mycosis persists, you can prevent recurrence by applying one of the antifungal sprays or creams regularly as a preventative measure. Can be used daily for a preventative measure.