Athlete's Foot! (painful, infections, skin, treat)

[ncole1]

When trying to get rid of it, how thorough are you with repeatedly disinfecting things, e.g. shower floors, shoes, socks? How long does it really linger on dry surfaces? Also, how important is it and how through does one have to be with washing and drying feet before applying topical medication, especially in a time crunch when away from home?

[Hedgehog_Mom]

When you're away from home, can you pack a small blow dryer and use it on a cool setting to dry your feet? (assuming you're showering at the gym or something like that) If you're at work and you need to wash your feet, get a pack of diaper wipes or personal care wipes and use those. Hand sanitizer might also do the trick and it dries fast, but it could be very painful depending on how open the rash is.

I've never had athlete's foot but I've had problems with other fungal rashes and allowing the area to dry completely several times a day is a key part of getting rid of the rash.

[daliowa]

These detailed Mayo Clinic pages on athlete's foot may be helpful to the OP.

Athlete's foot - Mayo Clinic

[openmike]

Try various anti fungals both oral and ointments like tonsonate ,Orally - oil of oragano, coconut oil ( organic),
Olive leaf and or Silver Sol ( 1tsp bid X 6 days) .

[Hedgehog_Mom]

Originally Posted by openmike

Try various anti fungals both oral and ointments like tonsonate ,Orally - oil of oragano, coconut oil ( organic),
Olive leaf and or Silver Sol ( 1tsp bid X 6 days) .

Oil of oregano works really well...dilute it in olive oil and apply topically. You will smell like a pizza but it gets the job done. You can also treat yeast infections with it...soak a tampon with the diluted oil of oregano mix and insert.

[cindersslipper]

OK I get athletes foot and have never done anything special except - treat my feet.

Its the DAMP that causes it. You have the bug on your skin all the time no matter how many times you scrub your shower.

You have to keep them tootsies dry. Bone dry. Not so easy when you shove em in sweaty shoes all day so go barefoot whenever you can.

Tea tree oil is absolutely fantastic for athletes foot. Apply it straight to the area, and I put it in the water when I pedicure.

As long as I make sure to dry my feet properly, I do not get it.

Since I've been putting TT in my foot soak its been far, far better in general. Also smells way better than oregano oil!

Tea tree cures just about everything, every Aussie house has at least one bottle.

[Gerania]

I have no idea how long fungus lives on a dry surface. I don't think it would be a long time, but you can find that information on the internet.

Shower floor - Spray with water with bleach every day.

Socks - Throw them in the laundry basket.

Shoes - Put athlete's foot powder in them daily.

The old fashioned cure for athlete's foot was to soak your feet in urine. Maybe you could just pee on the shower floor.

[jtur88]

When you're in the shower, pee on your feet.

[ncole1]

Update: It has now spread to my hands (!!!!!). I guess I have a really aggressive case, though I have been treating my feet every day and it seems controlled there. What's next - I get jock itch and onychomycosis too? I've bought ALL the Fungicure out of several local stores. If this keeps spreading there is no way I can buy enough to cover such large areas of my body twice a day. As far as I can tell, there is no such thing as a 16 oz or 32 oz bottle of the stuff!!!

For those recommending tea tree oil and others, how can I get enough to cover large areas of my body without the costs running into the hundreds or thousands of dollars, assuming this keeps spreading?