Prevention of Athlete’s Foot
Treatment of athlete’s foot must always begin with prevention. It is unfortunate that very few methods of treatment and prevention can help to prevent the spread of the fungus that causes athlete’s foot; they can however, help you in the management and cure of this annoying ailment. If you are prone to get athlete’s foot, then you should know that the saying ‘an ounce of prevention is equal to a pound of cure’ certainly applies to you in this case. Hopefully, the following tips will help you to stop the spread of the fungus in your household.
As you probably already know, the fungi that cause athlete’s foot thrive in moist areas such as shower rooms, wet towels, and wet footwear. The athlete’s foot condition can also be easily spread from person to person, so do not share towels, foot wear, or other possibly infected items with another person when you have this condition. You can help to prevent yourself from getting this condition by always keeping your shoes and towels as dry as possible. You should also spray problem areas such as the bathtub and bathroom floor with disinfectant after each use. Make certain that you wash your clothing, sheets, towels, and bedclothes often in hot water to kill off the fungus. You should also change your towels and bed sheets at least once a week. Do not share towels and bed sheets among members of the household. Also, be sure to use a separate towel for the infected areas of your skin, not doing so could cause it to spread.
Another method by which you can aid the prevention of athlete’s foot is to use antifungal soap, such as Gym Soap. These soaps can help to prevent athlete’s foot infection as well as contamination of other fungi. These soaps contain active ingredients such as tea tree oil that have been known to be an effective treatment for the condition. These soaps are also made with deionized water, as it lacks sediments and chlorine, and Aloe Vera which helps to keep the skin soothed and moisturized. It may also be an effective method of killing off fungus as well.
When in public places you will have to be extra careful as you have less control over the environment. When in locker rooms, public showers, and public baths, make certain that you always wear shoes and sandals. Wash your feet thoroughly, especially within the toes, with soap and dry them thoroughly when finished. If you are prone to suffering from the condition, or have suffered from it recently, make sure you treat your feet with a topical athlete’s foot treatment when in these public places as well. This will provide you with some extra protection.
If you make sure to always follow these tips for the prevention of athlete’s foot, you will find that you and your family will not suffer from it nearly as often if at all. If you can stop athlete’s foot before you get it, you can save yourself the bother and annoyance that it brings and save yourself the money that the medications will cost.
It has long been said that “Prevention is the best kind of cure” and when referencing athlete’s foot the point holds steadfast. Preventing athlete’s foot can be easily accomplished by taking simple steps to protect your feet when they are wet and therefore most susceptible to infection.
Prevention at Home
Due to its contagious nature, preventing the spread of athlete’s foot among persons that commonly share objects fungi use as breeding grounds is paramount. At home, taking simple steps to prevent infestation areas include:
- laundering underclothes, sheets, and towels weekly in hot water to kill fungus.
- disinfecting bathtub and bathroom floors regularly (immediately after use by a person that has athlete’s foot).
- avoid sharing of towels, shoes, and socks.
Prevention in Public Places
Public areas such as common showers, swimming pool surfaces, and locker rooms are known to provide ideal conditions for easy transmission to its new host’s foot. Common sense and clean practices are often times enough to prevent athlete’s foot when visiting public breeding grounds. Smart practices that thwart infestation include:
- wearing shoes at all times when in public places such as baths, locker rooms, and other moist surfaces.
- wash your feet immediately upon exposure to wet surfaces, and dry them thoroughly taking time out to ensure that the areas between the toes are dry. Use a blow dryer if necessary.
- Never share shoes or socks of any kind with others.
Daily Practices
Although 70% of the population will be infected with athlete’s foot at some time during their life, you can greatly reduce your chances of acquiring joining this statistic by practicing good hygiene daily. Common practices that will help you prevent athlete’s foot include:
washing your feet daily, and ensuring they are kept dry by paying special attention to the areas between the toes.- wearing cotton socks, foot powder and socks that wick to easily remove moisture from the feet.
- wear open-toed or well-ventilated shoes to allow your feet to breath, to reduce sweating of the feet, and to expose the fungi into poor breeding conditions.
- alternate the shoes you wear daily to allow shoes to dry out completely.
- change socks after activities that may cause your feet to sweat (such as exercise).
- replace sole inserts and old sneakers regularly.
- add a touch of baking soda to your non-ventilated footwear on a regular basis.
