What do I have to consider when taking a shower? | How contagious is athlete’s foot?

What do I have to consider when taking a shower?

Showers should not be used barefoot in public facilities, as many people use these showers and the risk of athlete’s foot infection is accordingly very high. For your own protection you should wear bathing shoes. In your own household this measure should also be taken if you or someone else suffers from athlete’s foot.

This minimizes the risk of infection, which is very high for people living in the same household. The shower must also be cleaned thoroughly. Towels should not be shared by several people.

Furthermore, it is not advisable to wash the feet with disinfectant shower gel or solutions. This weakens the natural skin barrier and increases the risk of infection. The use of normal shower gels is preferable. The feet, especially the spaces between the toes, must be dried well. After showering, the feet can also be dried with warm air.

What do I have to pay attention to when washing?

Since athlete’s foot is a very contagious infectious disease of the skin, small skin flakes can lead to transmission. Direct skin contact is only rarely the cause of transmission. Often the infection with a skin fungus is caused by sharing towels, bed linen or clothes.

To prevent infection, towels of infected persons should not be shared with other persons. Especially if the partner suffers from athlete’s foot, a daily change of bed linen is also advisable. The linen should be washed at over 60°C.

Especially towels, socks and bed linen are best cooked. Socks and underwear must be changed daily. Clothing should also be washed and changed frequently. Do not use towels more than once and do not share them with other people.

What should be considered with babies?

Foot fungus is extremely rare in babies. As a rule, athlete’s foot does not appear until childhood and adolescence. Nevertheless, in rare cases, even babies can get infected with athlete’s foot.

In order to prevent infection, care should be taken to ensure that the baby’s feet are always well dried. After bathing, especially the spaces between the toes are often forgotten when drying. If you want to make sure that the feet are really dry, you can blow-dry them with warm air.

The same applies to other skin folds and especially to the diaper area, as fungal infections mainly appear in these areas. Babies usually get infected in adults, so do not use your own towels for baby care. In principle, however, the skin of babies and children is very capable of regeneration and less susceptible to athlete’s foot.