Avoid Athlete's Foot in the Shower

Nearly 75 percent of people will contract something like athlete’s foot at some point in their lives—almost always from moist, common-use areas while walking around barefoot. Parasitic fungus grows in warm, wet areas like school swimming pools, locker rooms and showers. Transmissions can happen in any amount of standing water, even small puddles on otherwise uncontaminated tile floors.

So with your kids back in school (and therefore back in the gym, locker room and dorm room) here are five easy tips to help prevent contracting athlete’s foot and other communicable foot and toe fungi. We’re happy to help you avoid needing us!

1. Wear sandals, water socks, shower shoes (even flippers, if you have to) in gym, locker room and dorm showers—anything that will keep your feet off the floor just enough to avoid prime fungal havens. Avoid sharing towels and footwear.
2. Avoid wearing the same pair of shoes or socks day after day. Replace smelly shoes—they’re stinky for a reason (fungal bacteria should never be mistaken for potpourri).
3. Dry your feet. Dry your feet. Dry your feet—thoroughly, after bathing, showering or swimming. Dry everywhere—top, bottom and between your toes.
4. While back-to-school shopping, use socks when trying on shoes. You never know whose feet have been there before you.
5. Watch for these kinds of symptoms:

• Dry, scaly, itchy skin
• Unusual bumps on the bottom of your feet.
• Cracked, peeling skin between the toes
• Redness and scaling on the soles of your feet
• “Cheese-like” skin between the toes producing a putrid smell
• Rash that spreads to your foot’s instep
• A yellow, pale or dark colored toenail that becomes thick, brittle or rigid

If you spot any of these, treat quickly to avoid letting the infection spread.

The Dangers of Wearing Flip-flops

1. Wear in moderation
   Flip-Flops are great for walking short distances, like along the beach or walking poolside, but never long distance, as they provide little or no support or cushioning. They are not for everyday use and if worn too often, they can lead to heel and arch pain.
2. Choose your flip-flops wisely
   If you must, choose a well-constructed flip-flop with built in arch-support and a sturdy sole
3. Apply sunblock
   When wearing flip-flops or open-toed shoes always remember to apply sunscreen to any sun exposed area. Feet are typically not a sun exposed area and prolonged unprotected sun exposure presents a risk for developing skin cancers including carcinomas and melanomas of the skin. Try Neutrogena Sunblock, Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch SPF 55 or Aveeno Continuous Protection Sunblock.
4. Beware of fungus
   Summer fun could lead to a fungal disaster with an increase in bare feet in and around pools and locker rooms. Summer hotspots are potential breeding grounds for fungal infections. If you do develop a fungal infection of the foot and/or a toe fungus, a flip-flop can be your best friend. It gives your feet an opportunity to breath. Additionally, use an OTC antifungal cream such as Micanozole™ for athlete’s foot, and Miranel™ for toe fungus.
5. Watch out diabetics
   Flip-flops are extra risky for diabetics, or people with poor circulation and diminished sensation. The thong that goes between the first and second toe can serve as a source of irritation leading to potential skin breakdown and infection. Skin breakdown or infection in a diabetic, or a person with significant poor circulation can be catastrophic, sometimes leading to loss of foot and/or loss of limb

However, it’s worth bearing in mind that simple measures can make a significant difference to foot health and help to keep fungal infections at bay.

• If at all possible go barefoot in areas where it is safe to do so, at home for example. It’s no use risking going without shoes in areas where you are likely to tread on stones or other sharp objects. Even minor damage to the feet, such as a thorn or a small fragment of glass can cause an array of problems. So be careful when you abandon shoes, even in your own back yard or garden. If you don’t feel comfortable barefoot choose light socks that are made from pure cotton – the nylon content in some socks encourages the feet to sweat and overheat.
• When it’s appropriate to do so, opt for open-toed sandals or even flip flops. Allowing the air to get to your feet prevents them from getting hot and sweaty.
• We’re probably all guilty of not drying our feet properly after a bath or shower. It’s so easy to forget and go about our business after bathing. So, always ensure that you dry your feet thoroughly with a clean towel. It’s worth keeping a separate towel for your feet if you do have a fungal foot or toe infection.

Remember that fungal infections can spread so good hygiene and proper attention to foot care is vital if containment and successful treatment of the ailment is to be achieved.

Facts about You and Fungal Toe and Foot Infection

• You’re not alone if you feel ashamed of having a foot or toe infection. Most sufferers admit to feeling embarrassed and view the complaint as one that is mildly disfiguring.
• If you’ve found that previous products haven’t worked for you, again, yours is not an isolated case. Many people have tried different treatments and found them to be ineffectual.

Although having fungal toe and foot infections can be the cause of discomfiture it really is important to talk to your pharmacist about an over the counter cure if you haven’t seen your general practitioner about the problem. Bear in mind, as with lots of ailments that pharmacy staff are qualified to help you and are quite accustomed to dealing with customers’ problems with discretion. An end to fungal foot and toe infections is in sight with an effective over the counter antifungal treatment that is as powerful as a prescription drug, without the side effects.

Summer is soon upon us and anyone who’s battled with foot infections will know that that can mean trips to the beach become a worrying option, so too the thought of wearing open-toed footwear.  Summer can be tricky if a foot or toe infection has taken hold. No one with a fungal foot or toe infection wants to broadcast the fact, and keeping the feet encased in order to hide them in hot weather is a sure-fire way to make the problem worse. It’s a real dilemma for many people and the reason so many cases of foot infection worsen.

Foot fungus infections can happen to anyone; nevertheless we consider them embarrassing and sometimes are even guilty of letting a mild infection take hold rather than nip it in the bud. It may be that previous over the counter preparations haven’t worked. A lot of people who suffer with foot and toe infections have found that many non-prescription anti-fungal medications simply aren’t powerful enough to beat progressive cases of this uncomfortable, distressing complaint. And sometimes herbal remedies like tea tree oil, eucalyptus, menthol and camphor seem not to combat the infection successfully when used in isolation.

However, that’s not to decry the merits of the aforementioned natural preparations. When used in conjunction with miconazole nitrate they make part of a highly effective cure that’s as powerful as prescription medications but available to purchase over the counter.

Foot and toe infections are caused by fungus that lives and breeds on the skin and beneath the toe nails. Were we running barefoot more often we mightn’t suffer these irritating, unsightly and embarrassing complaints. But our lifestyles see us enclosing our feet in hose, socks and shoes. Our feet get warm and even sweaty - the perfect environment for fungus to breed.

There are various types of foot and toe infection. Most commonly the itchy rash that appears on the soles of the feet and/or in between the toes is referred to as athlete’s foot, though it does not confine itself to athletes and can affect anyone whose feet are subjected to long periods in shoes and even socks that trap heat and moisture.

Although many of us spend a great deal of time on our feet, it’s an area of our body that we often overlook in terms of general care and maintenance. This oversight is thought to account for the number of cases of foot and toe infection that do get left to advance to unreasonable proportions when proper treatment would solve the problem with expediency.

The discomfort, not to mention the unsightly appearance, of fungal foot infections can be extreme, and where cases of athlete’s foot have progressed the symptoms of itching and even peeling skin can become unbearable. Not all conventional antifungal treatments ease the itching of such complaints and that’s something that is important. Scratching the affected areas only serves to exacerbate the problem. That’s why a preparation that is formulated not only to treat the fungus that causes foot and toe infections and help to sooth the discomfort, such as Miranel Antifungal,  is a welcome addition to any pharmacist’s stock list.