According to dermatologists, mycoses, including fungi between the toes, develop against the background of weakened immunity. The skin on the feet and especially between the toes is susceptible to the negative influence of shoes and poor personal hygiene. These factors make it susceptible to mycotic infections. Cracks, micro-abrasions, abrasions, calluses, etc. promote the development of fungi on the toes. Sweaty feet play an important role in the development of this unpleasant disease, which is important for young people. In older people, fungus develops between the toes due to diseases of the extremities, metabolic disorders, etc. Overweight people are particularly susceptible to mycoses on the legs.
Symptoms of a fungus between the toes
Mycoses of the lower extremities begin with an interdigital fungus that then spreads to other areas. The symptoms of a fungus between the toes vary. The number of signs of the disease depends on its stage. In the first phase there are few signs. They manifest themselves as redness between the fingers and itching. If the infection is not stopped, the symptoms will continue to develop. Bubbles appear, burst and form cracks. They can get wet and cause pain. If bacterial flora accumulates at the site of the tear, weeping ulcers develop. A fungus between the toes is characterized by severe itching. If the blisters are scratched, the infection will spread further. This is what toenail fungus looks like between the toes.
Interdigital fungus on the toes is almost always accompanied by onychomycosis, a fungus of the nail plates. The fungus slowly but steadily penetrates healthy areas of the foot skin. The acute form becomes chronic without adequate and timely treatment. The surface of the foot and the spaces between the toes become rough and take on a yellowish-dirty color.
Diagnosis of an interdigital fungus
Before deciding how to treat toenail fungus between the toes, a diagnosis must be made. It is not difficult for a specialist to recognize mycosis of the legs. It is enough to examine the skin between the toes and identify the signs characteristic of this disease. To find out how to treat a fungus between the toes and what type of fungal flora lives on the patient's skin, a swab is taken from the affected areas and sent to the laboratory. Vaccination with fungal spores allows you to accurately determine the causative agent of the disease and then select the most effective methods and means for future treatment.
Treatment
Treatment of fungus between toes and other areas should be carried out in a complex manner. It includes the following types of treatment:
- local;
- anti-inflammatory;
- antibacterial;
- systemic.
Local therapy
In the early stages of the disease, local therapy is effective. First, the doctor selects antifungal drugs. They are effective when the infection has not yet spread beyond the interdigital space. Today the market for such drugs is quite large, which makes it possible to effectively treat fungus between the toes. But self-medication of a disease even at the initial stage is risky due to the wrong choice of remedy, which may not solve the problem, but worsen it. Only a dermatologist can select and prescribe local antifungal drugs. Proven dosage forms are ointments and creams. They should be applied in a thin layer to the interdigital space, covering cracks and ulcers. It is imperative to treat areas not affected by the fungus to prevent further spread of the infection.
Which dosage form is better – ointment or cream? Preferably, the ointment should be applied to flaky, dry areas. It is convenient to use it under a bandage for better penetration into the underlying layers of the dermis. The use of the cream is recommended at the stage of more pronounced symptoms of the disease. It is used for weeping and erosive ulcers between the fingers. Both ointments and creams are usually prescribed. The ointment is applied to the affected areas at night. It is better to use the cream during the day.
Before using ointments and creams, feet must be prepared - washed thoroughly with antibacterial soap and dried.
Anti-inflammatory therapy
Inflammatory symptoms in the affected areas can be treated with foot baths. Baths with a slightly pink manganese solution have a good effect. Such baths dry out weeping ulcers and relieve inflammation around them. After the bath, ointments containing glucocorticosteroids are applied to the legs.
Treating a bacterial infection
An unpleasant odor on the feet indicates a bacterial infection and fungal plaque between the toes. Treatment of a complicated form of athlete's foot involves prescribing combination drugs with antibiotics.
Systemic treatment of fungi with tablets
In patients with diabetes mellitus, diseases of the blood vessels in the legs and patients who have taken antibiotics for a long time, treatment with local drugs may be ineffective. In such cases, systemic therapy is used. Most often these are drugs from the triazole group.
These medications are only prescribed by a specialist for serious indications. They have limitations because their use is associated with side effects in the form of dysbiosis, dyspeptic disorders, impaired kidney and liver function, etc. The course of systemic therapy prescribed by the doctor cannot be interrupted without sufficient justification. Interrupted treatment can lead to drug resistance to a number of drugs, especially antibiotics.
home remedies
Traditional medicine is also used to treat athlete's foot. They can have a good effect in the initial stages of the disease, relieving symptoms such as itching and redness.
One of the tried and tested remedies is Kombucha.
Kombucha treatment
Its effectiveness is explained by the large composition of substances and vinegar contained in it. Grind a small piece of old kombucha, rinse well with water and rub into the interdigital space. You can use kombucha for a month. Repeat the prophylactic treatment after two weeks.
Propolis tincture
Another remedy popular in folk medicine is propolis tincture. It has strong anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antifungal effects. A cotton swab or bandage stick moistened with propolis tincture is wrung out and placed between the fingers. You should wear cotton socks over the top and leave them on all night. The duration of treatment is 15-20 days. Since the tincture is alcohol-based, after removing the lotion, you should lubricate your feet with a nourishing cream.
Celandine juice
An effective remedy for the initial stage of fungus between the toes is the juice of flowering celandine. To obtain it, simply crush the green parts of the plant and squeeze out the juice. It is used as an independent remedy that can be easily used to moisturize areas of skin damaged by fungus. With daily use of celandine juice, uninfected fungi disappear within 2 weeks.
Foot baths
Apple cider vinegar baths have good healing effects. Add 2 cups of apple cider vinegar to 2 liters of warm water. And leave your feet in the bath for 25-30 minutes. After the bath, remove dead skin between your fingers and apply medicinal ointment.
Baths with vinegar can be alternated with baths with celandine.
Prevention of fungus on the feet between the toes
Although fungal infections are common, they can be avoided. The following simple recommendations will help prevent fungal infection:
- Observe the rules of personal hygiene. Washing your feet daily with antibacterial soap helps prevent excessive sweating. To prevent your feet from burning, avoid wearing tight, uncomfortable shoes. From time to time it is necessary to disinfect shoes;
- When visiting public saunas, baths and swimming pools, you must wear special shoes;
- Keep the bathroom clean by regularly disinfecting it with detergents and hot water.
- Personal hygiene items - washcloths and sponges - should be regularly treated with disinfectant solutions. Never use other people's washcloths and sponges;
- Monitor the condition of your feet. For care, use special creams that contain components that prevent the development of fungal infections.
And of course we must not forget about strengthening the immune system. After all, mycotic infections, including fungi on the toes between the toes, occur in people whose immunity cannot cope with fungi, the spores of which are constantly around us. And only people with weakened immune systems develop fungal diseases.