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Mycosis of the feet is an extremely difficult ailment to cure. Long-term treatment often does not bring the expected results, and even if the infection is successfully combated, in many cases reinfection occurs. What to do to prevent reinfection after athlete’s foot? We provide tips that will help you solve the problem once and for all.
Why is it so hard to fight athlete’s foot?
Tinea pedis is caused by pathogenic dermatophytes. They are divided into geophilic, zoophilic and anthropophilic dermatophytes. The first two groups usually do not pose a threat to humans and their infection is extremely rare. However, if they already infect the nail plate and skin, the infection is acute. Theoretically, these groups of pathogens causing mycoses are more dangerous. On the other hand, the acute condition they induce prompts patients to see a doctor sooner and receive treatment.
It is completely different with athlete’s foot caused by anthropophilic dermatorites. It can develop for a long time without symptoms or with mild symptoms, for example in the form of itching. The sick person is not disturbed, meanwhile the infection is thriving. Often, by the time an infected person starts treatment, the fungus is already deep in the nail plate, from where it is difficult to remove. The nail plate becomes fluffed up and layers of air appear in it, which prevent drugs from penetrating the structure and working effectively.
Unfortunately, this is accompanied by the lack of regularity of infected people. Unfortunately, treating athlete’s foot requires persistence and patience, and the treatment often takes several weeks. During this time, great care should be taken in caring for the infected areas, and also make sure that all objects with which the foot comes into contact are spore-free. All this makes mycosis one of the most troublesome skin ailments.
Successful treatment of mycosis – what next?
However, if the patient follows all the recommendations included in the preparations intended for the treatment of mycosis, and the disease was not severe, the infection should disappear after a few weeks. Unfortunately, in people who have had athlete’s foot at least once, the likelihood of reinfection is very high. Are sick people doomed to constant relapses? No – it is enough to eliminate pathogens from your environment once and for all.
If your feet are healed, the first thing you absolutely need to do is disinfect your shoes. If the shoes you were wearing during the infection were made of plastic and were not too expensive, you should get rid of them unscrupulously. However, if you have a lot of leather shoes in your locker, you don’t have to write off all the pairs. Specialist preparations for disinfecting footwear are available in stores, usually in the form of a convenient aerosol. You can also use the 2-in-1 solution and purchase a mycosis treatment agent, which we use on feet, and a preparation for disinfecting shoes. Remember to follow the instructions on the leaflet carefully, as a single use may not be sufficient. It is worth disinfecting all shoes as a preventive measure, even those that you haven’t worn for a long time. This is important because it is difficult to estimate at what point an infection attacked you. If you go to the swimming pool or sauna, throw away the flip-flops you used. There is a high probability that you contracted athlete’s foot right there.
Socks are an issue that can be a bit embarrassing. Unfortunately, washing even at high temperatures does not kill the fungus spores. They can be disinfected with formalin. To do this, place the socks in a plastic bag, with a ball of cotton wool soaked in two tablespoons of formalin. The bag should be tightly closed and left this way for two days. It is worth doing the entire procedure outdoors or in the garage, because formalin fumes are harmful. If your socks are made of plastic, consider also replacing them with natural cotton socks. Not only will you be XNUMX% sure that they are not contaminated with fungi – cotton also allows air to pass through better, thanks to which the foot does not sweat so much and the fungi do not have such good conditions for development.
Towels and bed linen also require disinfection, which is best to boil them!
Also remember that cleaning your home of spores will not protect you from reinfection in the gym or swimming pool. Therefore, take care of foot hygiene. Never go barefoot in public places – use flip-flops. Use sprays to prevent athlete’s foot. Always wipe your feet thoroughly after bathing, with particular emphasis on the space between the toes. Wear cotton socks that allow air to pass through and leather shoes.