7 Athlete’s Foot Home Remedies that Actually Work (2024)
posted: Jan. 22, 2021.
7 Athlete’s Foot Home Remedies that Actually Work
What is Athlete’s Foot?
Athlete’s foot is a fungal infection that starts between the toes of people who get sweaty feet and wear tight, enclosed shoes for long periods. Also called tinea pedis, it appears as a scaly, itchy rash that can also cause a burning sensation. People with athlete’s foot also tend to have raw, moist skin between the toes.
Athlete’s foot is easily treatable, so using the right home remedies can help you effectively eradicate it.
Here are some remedies that may work.
1. Hydrogen Peroxide
It may sound like a dangerous chemical, but hydrogen peroxide is an effective home remedy for treating athlete’s foot. The chemical works by killing all surface bacteria and funguses on the skin. When applied directly to the affected areas, it disinfects the area, allowing the skin to heal and form a barrier against new infections. Before treating with hydrogen peroxide, check with your podiatrist or family doctor.
Over-the-counter treatments like antifungal powders, sprays, and lotions can also effectively treat athlete’s foot. After applying them for two to three weeks, most symptoms disappear, and reinfection does not occur. However, you must complete the prescribed period of application to avoid a resurgence.
3. Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree oil has long been used as an antibacterial and antifungal home remedy. Its properties make it a great choice when treating athlete’s foot at home. Rub the oil into the skin at least twice a day to reduce scaling, itching, and burning. For best results, apply daily for up to a month.
4. Rubbing Alcohol
Rubbing alcohol has the same germ and fungal killing properties as hydrogen peroxide. As such, regular application can help eliminate surface infections. Effective application can be achieved in two ways: direct application using a clean cloth or soaking your feet for 30 minutes at a time in a rubbing alcohol bath diluted with an equal amount of water.
5. Sea Salt
Sea salt is known to have strong antifungal and antibacterial properties, making it another ideal home remedy for treating athlete’s foot. Treating athlete’s foot with sea salt involves either soaking your feet in a sea salt bath or making a paste out of sea salt and vinegar and applying it to the feet.
Keeping Your Feet Dry, Aired, and Clean
Athlete’s foot starts when a person’s feet remain enclosed in tight shoes for long periods. Despite the effectiveness of the home remedies above, keeping the feet clean, aired, and dry is necessary to ensure that athlete’s foot does not recur. After treatment, practicing healthy foot habits can prevent this and other related conditions from emerging. If you think you have athlete foot and is not responding to home remedies, see your podiatrist as athlete foot leads to fungal infection.
After washing and drying your feet, apply an antifungal product. The antifungal terbinafine (Lamisil AT) has been shown to be very effective. Another option is clotrimazole (Lotrimin AF). You may need to experiment to find the product and formulation — ointment, gel, cream, lotion, powder or spray — that work for you.
After washing and drying your feet, apply an antifungal product. The antifungal terbinafine (Lamisil AT) has been shown to be very effective. Another option is clotrimazole (Lotrimin AF). You may need to experiment to find the product and formulation — ointment, gel, cream, lotion, powder or spray — that work for you.
For mild forms of this condition, a vinegar soak might work well. The antifungal properties also make vinegar soaks a good idea for people with toenail fungus. Soak your feet for 10 to 15 minutes daily in a vinegar bath until the infection subsides.
Hydrogen peroxide kills the fungus that causes athlete's foot. It can also kill bacteria that live on the surface of the skin and can worsen athlete's foot or cause additional infections. Use hydrogen peroxide on athlete's foot two times per day until the infection is gone.
The key to getting rid of foot fungus is to keep your feet clean and dry, treat the infected area with an antifungal medication, and maintain good overall foot hygiene.
Athlete's foot and eczema both cause itchy, red, inflamed skin. Athlete's foot is a fungal infection, while eczema is likely to have genetic or environmental causes. Athlete's foot typically occurs on the feet and toes, while eczema is more widespread.
However, there is currently no reliable evidence to suggest that any home remedies, including vinegar, are useful in the treatment of athlete's foot. However, a vinegar soak may soothe and ease symptoms and is unlikely to cause any harm. Medications are still the most effective form of treatment for athlete's foot.
It may also be an effective way to cure athlete's foot. A study in Mycopathologia found that sodium bicarbonate, also known as baking soda, does have antifungal abilities when used on the skin. To make a foot soak, mix about a half cup of baking soda in a large bucket or basin of warm water.
Vicks VapoRub has eucalyptus oil and menthol, both of which have antifungal properties. Plus, the menthol can have a cooling effect and soothe your burning feet. You can apply Vicks VapoRub to your feet at night after you've applied your antifungal cream or lotion.
Clorox® disinfectant cleaner and sanitizer providing superior coverage to disinfect and sanitize hard and soft surfaces thoroughly. killing 40 pathogens including MRSA, Staph, Herpes, HIV, Athlete's Foot Fungus and more.
Don't Go Barefoot in Public Places. The first thing you should know about the dermatophytes that cause fungal toenails is that they just love environments that are warm, humid, and dark. ...
Hydrogen peroxide can effectively kill the fungus on the surface level of the foot, as well as any surface bacteria that could cause an infection. Pour hydrogen peroxide directly onto the affected area. Note that it may sting, and it should bubble, especially if you have open wounds.
Instead of medications or debridement, Dr. Frankel offers a laser therapy treatment with an 80% success rate at permanently treating nail fungus. It's painless and performed in-office with three 10-minute procedures every four weeks. For some patients, additional treatments may be required.
Trying a different antifungal cream may also be helpful. Some studies have reported that products containing terbinafine (Lamisil) were more effective than those with clotrimazole (Lotrimin) and similar medications. Prescription oral medications may be required to treat more severe cases. — William Kormos, M.D.
Athlete's foot is unlikely to get better on its own, but you can buy antifungal medicines for it from a pharmacy. They usually take a few weeks to work. Athlete's foot treatments are available as: creams.
Clorox® disinfectant cleaner and sanitizer providing superior coverage to disinfect and sanitize hard and soft surfaces thoroughly. killing 40 pathogens including MRSA, Staph, Herpes, HIV, Athlete's Foot Fungus and more.
If you have athlete's foot, it's a good idea to wear socks to bed, especially if you share your bed with another person. This can help prevent transmitting the fungus to others. Athlete's foot (tinea pedis) is a fungal infection caused by a ringworm.
Introduction: My name is Aracelis Kilback, I am a nice, gentle, agreeable, joyous, attractive, combative, gifted person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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