Athletes Foot, Tinea Pedis, Best Natural Treatment

Medical term: tinea pedis

Athletes foot is one of the most common skin diseases among young male recruits during military service. Many experience few or none symptoms, and will consequently loose their chance to be treated and thereby get rid of the carrier status. Tinea Pedis may be uncomfortable, embarrassing and itchy, but is after all an insignificant and harmless infection.

Tinea pedis develops when we get infected with fungal spores in the outer layer of the skin. Usually these spores will not thrive on the skin. When there is a damp milieu like when one wears tight footwear during sports, military service and during the warm season, it may start an infection and cause symtoms to appear. It usually manifests between the toes, most commonly between fourth and fifth toe, but may also lodge in the skin under the foot and along the outer edge of the foot. The fungus may be present for months without causing any discomfort or distress in any way. Given the favourable milieu of sweaty foots in tight footwear, the fungal spores thrives and starts to divide and multiply, causing symptoms of tinea pedis to occur.

This infection is transmitted from person to person via wet floors in public showers and baths, locker rooms and gyms where people with tinea pedis have walked and left the spores.

It usually starts in the space between toe IV and V. The skin becomes grayish and edematous, cracked and starts to scale and fall off after being undermined, starting in the weeping cracks, and extending to the sides. It is very itchy, especially when one scratches. A slight pain may be felt, especially after scratching. The new skin underneeth is usually red and inflamed.

young adults, athletes and military personell. This is because they often walk in tight, warm and wet shoes and other footwear. Children are less at risk, but it does definitely happen that even children get the disease. Foot-rashes in children is more often a result of different excemas than athletes foot. People with much sweating on their feet, and who have a weakened immune system (stress) are also more prone to fungal diseases, both fungal diseases in general, but also athletes foot in particular.

Keep the skin as dry as possible. (In areas where people walk barefoot all life, athletes foot is rarely seen!) Dry the feet well after showers and baths, especially between the toes. Avoid tight and warm shoes as much as possible. If necessary use antiperspirants for the feet. This is necessary only if profuse sweating on feet is a problem. Change socks every day, and wash them in at least 60 degress celcius in order to kill fungal spores.

Start as early as possible. It is then easier to get rid of, and it is easier to avoid spreading to the other foot, other skin areas or the nails. Good over the counter remedies are available from the pharmacies. These are ususally effective, and have very few side effects when used for this purpose. Put the cream on even if it burns a little, and even when the skin is cracked. It may be slightly painful, but it is not dangerous.

Many remedies are available; klotrimazol (Canesten, Klotrimazol), miconazol (Daktar), ekonazol (Pevaryl) all are able to treate the condition in 3-4 weeks. Terbinafin (Lamisil) treats it in one week. They are all very good, but differs in the treatment-time. Beware of possible relapses, and don't stop the treatment before you are fully healed.

This is how you do it:

Wash and dry well before applying the cream, salve or ointment. Apply to the affected area, and massage the substance into the skin. Make sure the cream covers the entire area + 2-3 cm extra in all directions so that fungus and spores that are not visible is also treated. Between the toes cream should be applied twice daily for 1 week or 3-4 weeks depending on which remedy that has been chosen. If done as prescribed, and symptoms are still present after 1 week (terbenafine), seek a doctor, as the condition might not be athletes foot.

Consider also tamanu oil, as it cures every phase of the illness!

Must the rest of the people in the household be treated as well?

No,- there is no reason for this. Only people with symptoms need treatment.

The fungus may spread to larger areas of the skin and even to the nails. The fungus then settles underneeth the nail and gives it a thick yellowish appearance. It may also spread to other areas of the body, for example to the groins (tinea cruris or jock's itch), but most fungal infections between the toes remains localized to the feet.