At least as important as drug treatment are general measures – both as an accompanying therapy, and as a preventive measure to protect yourself from athlete’s foot. What can you do to prevent infection?
Prevent athlete’s foot
- The most important thing: keep feet dry and warm. Dry your feet well after showering and bathing, do not forget the spaces between the toes. Tip: Take the hair dryer to help.
- Change your towels at least once a week. If fungus is present, use a separate towel for the feet and change it daily.
- Wear boilable cotton socks, avoid synthetic fibers. If you are prone to athlete’s foot, put linen strips in the spaces between your toes.
- Air your shoes, preferably change them daily and disinfect them regularly. Avoid shoes with a poor microclimate (for example, sneakers), which promotes perspiration.
- Walking barefoot is healthy and helps against excessive sweating, but: always wear “bath slippers” in swimming pools, saunas, shower stalls, etc.
- Refrain from barefoot foot disinfection there. It is of no use to wet the feet a few seconds with the liquid. Instead, the floor there is often particularly contaminated and the disinfectants used can cause intolerance reactions.
- Make sure that no one in the family has athlete’s foot – one carrier is already enough to spread more than enough fungus-contaminated dander in the house and infect family members.
Practical foot fungus tips
If you suffer repeatedly from athlete’s foot and a “fungus carrier” in the family is excluded, should be searched for underlying disorders such as diabetes or circulatory disorder. Talk to your doctor.
You can massage your feet regularly with thyme or tea tree oil – this may prevent new fungal infections and in any case promotes blood circulation. Regular alternating foot baths also have a similar effect, preferably with a little apple cider vinegar in the water.
If you are prone to sweaty feet, you can also add oak bark or sage tea to the bath. The latter also – drunk regularly – reduces the general tendency to sweat.
