How to Treat Athlete’s Foot at Home?

Do you feel an itching, stinging, or burning sensation on your feet and between your toes?

Do you have blisters on your soles? It’s most likely an Athlete’s Foot.

Also known as tenia pedis, it is a fungal skin infection more common on athletes but affects non-athletes as well. Fortunately, there are many known home-made but effective remedies that can relieve a person from Athlete’s Foot. Read further and we will teach you how to treat Athlete’s Foot at home.

What is Athlete’s Foot?

This is a fungal skin infection that usually begins on the soles of the feet or between the toes. It causes an itchy rash, often causing redness in the affected areas. Sometimes it can even spread to the hands and other parts of the body. While Athlete’s Foot is normally not life-threatening, it is still recommended that this should be treated as soon as possible.

What Causes Athlete’s Foot?

The most common cause of Athlete’s Foot is having sweaty or moist feet. This is the reason why it is more common among athletes. However, even non-athletes can have sweaty feet perhaps due to the nature of their activities, or maybe they just have naturally sweaty feet. This makes them more prone to Athlete’s Foot. Other causes include having tight shoes, having moist environment or even simply having worn shoes of other people who are already infected.

What Are the Remedies to Athlete’s Foot?

Here are some remedies you can use that may help you on how to treat Athlete’s Foot at home:

Over-the-counter medicine and treatment

The first thing you should try is to get some over-the-counter treatment. There are many available treatments to Athlete’s Foot you can simply buy on a pharmacy without any prescription from a doctor. Mostly being external treatments, these include ointments, lotions, powders, and sprays. This is the most reliable option and it is also pretty easy to do. Also, many cases of athlete’s foot, especially the milder ones, can be cured just from these. You can apply these treatments directly to the affected area in the comforts of your own home. You may want to use these treatments for more than a week just to make sure the symptoms do not come back.

Salt Water and Vinegar

Another alternative to over-the-counter treatment is to use salt water alongside other substances. Using saltwater may help you relieve the symptoms of Athlete’s Foot. Salt water is an enemy against fungi and bacteria. Since Athlete’s Foot is both fungal and bacterial in nature, salt water treatment is an effective remedy against it. Simply soak your feet or any affected area into a basin filled with salt water every day for at least 20 minutes. Another thing you can do is to mix the salt water in your basin with other natural substances like vinegar which are also useful for the treatment due to their antibacterial properties.

Using Garlic

Garlic is also a good treatment against Athlete’s Foot. To use it, take out four cloves of garlic crush it. After crushing them, apply them over the affected areas. You can do this twice a day.

Using Alcohol

Applying rubbing alcohol to the areas affected by Athlete’s Foot can also help. While this alone will not cure the infection, rubbing alcohol can help kill all the fungus that’s on the surface level of your skin. One thing to note, however, is that the treatment may sting if there are any open wounds in the area. You can simply apply the rubbing alcohol to the affected areas. Alternatively, you can soak your feet in a footbath with around 70% rubbing alcohol and 30% water for more than 20 minutes.

Cleaning your feet

Since the main reason for Athlete’s Foot is sweaty feet, the best thing you can do to is to simply keep your feet clean for this will help inhibit the further growth of fungi. To keep your feet clean, make sure to change your socks regularly, wash your feet as much as possible, and try to use clean and well-ventilated shoes.

See a doctor and ask what to do

We know that hospital bills are expensive. Sometimes, however, we don’t have a choice. If the remedies fail, and the symptoms still persist and even worsen. Not only treating Athlete’s Foot at home but also consulting a doctor may be the best course of action. After all, our health is more important above all else.

Summary

Athlete’s Foot or tenia pedis may be an annoying infection, but we have many remedies to help battle against it. If we are aware of these methods on how to treat Athlete’s Foot at home, then dealing with the problem is much easier and more convenient.