Duration of the treatment | The treatment of athlete’s foot

Duration of the treatment

The duration of the treatment depends on the medication used and on how severe the athlete’s foot is. The daily cream treatment of the athlete’s foot of most medications – as for example when using Canesten® (active ingredient: clotrimazole) – takes 2-3 weeks. However, there are also other preparations that only need to be applied once and then unfold their effect on the area of the body that has been creamed in for 2 weeks.

When treating athlete’s foot, care should also be taken to ensure that the treatment is continued – even if the symptoms improve after a few days – until the end or at least one week after the symptoms have disappeared, in order to prevent a recurrence of the athlete’s foot. In the case of athlete’s foot treatment, it is possible that a longer treatment period may be required due to more extensive or more persistent athlete’s foot. Therefore, a therapy can also be extended over 6 weeks.

Whether this is probable should then be discussed individually with the treating doctor. Through regular follow-ups, the doctor can monitor the course of the disease and, if necessary, adjust the treatment. Complications are to be expected rather rarely with this illness (athlete’s foot).

Due to the inflamed areas on the skin, superinfections with bacteria can occur, which can lead to a worsening of the disease, such as erysipelas. It is also problematic that the diagnosis athlete’s foot is often made too early and without proof, so that another disease, the cause of the skin scaling, often remains undetected. Also the side effects of the strong drugs, the antimycotics, must be considered, especially if there is currently a desire to have children.

Prognosis

The athlete’s foot has no tendency to heal itself, which means it must always be treated correctly. Although the acute inflammatory attacks subside, the skin disease always returns. After successful treatment, patients who are particularly susceptible can also relapse.