With summer around the corner, our feet need to be ready for strapy sandals and flip flops.  Athlete’s foot can be very painful and very annoying and it doesn’t look good in thongs!  As you may or may not know, it’s a fungal inflection of the epidermis (top layer of skin) of the foot.  Athlete’s foot usually occurs between the toes but in sever cases it does spread to the bottoms and sides of the foot, it commonly affects men more than women.  The infection causes the skin of the affected area to become dry, flakey and itchy.  Athlete’s foot can also cause blisters or cracked skin which lead to exposed raw tissue, pain and sever inflammation.  In order to prevent, or if you think you may have Athlete’s foot, here are some suggested treatments from Medical News Today:

1. Wash your feet every day, or even twice, with a mild soap paying special attention to the area between the toes. Wear sandals or flip flops in the shower – particularly in public places.

2. Soak the feet in Epsom salts and warm water.

3. After washing or showering, dry your feet very carefully, again particularly the area between the toes.

4. Keep the toenails cut short and straight across.

5. Dust an antifungal powder on your feet and into your shoes. Wear leather or canvas shoes but never plastic. Your feet need to breathe.

6. Wear your shoes in rotation – that is don’t wear the same pair two days running and never put on shoes that are damp.

7. Spray your shoes with a disinfectant and put them out in the sun to help kill germs.

8. Wear cotton socks, or special running socks which absorb sweat, with your trainers when doing sport. Cotton socks are healthier to wear with your everyday shoes as well. Change these socks frequently and always put on clean ones after washing your feet. It is important to keep those feet dry because damp breeds bacteria and bacteria causes rot.

9. Bacteria and fungus love to grow in warm, damp, dark places like sweaty shoes.

10. Sometimes go barefoot at home – especially at night.

11. Avoid tight, closed in footwear especially in the summer – open shoes let the feet breath.

12. Visit the chiropodist if you are at all concerned about the health and well being of your feet.

13. Refrain from popping any blisters which may appear on your feet – this can introduce dirt into a tender area of the skin and may result in infection.

[ Via MedicalNewsToday.com ] 

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