Recurring athlete's foot

[Kanin]

DH has had athlete's foot for years now. It only bothers him a couple times a year, and goes away quickly with an anti-fungal from the grocery store. Last week he got an itchy spot on his ankle that quickly spread to a splotchy rash on both ankles. The doctor said it's ringworm (same fungus as athlete's foot). The doc said to treat it with Lotrimin cream and if it doesn't go away, he'll prescribe something stronger. Our hypothesis is that DH used his (rough) heels to scratch an itchy spot on his ankle, which allowed the athlete's foot to transfer. Actually, my personal hypothesis is that DH's long standing gut/histamine issues are caused by some kind of yeast/fungus, and I'm thinking maybe these two are connected. Anyway...

Assuming it's just athlete's foot and nothing systemic, does anyone have a strategy for getting rid of the athlete's foot once and for all? The skin on the bottoms of his feet are a little whitish so I'm guessing there's something going on with the whole bottom of his foot, although it never bothers him. 

The ringworm on his ankles is clearing up nicely, so it seems the doc was right with the diagnosis. 

p.s. I wish there was a different name for it than ringworm. Sounds so icky!

Edited February 4, 2022 by Kanin

[ktgrok]

I find veterinary formulations work better...you can get wipes with chlorhexidine and ketoconozole in them. They work amazingly well - i use them when I get ringworm/whatever along my bra line ( I live in Florida - underboob rash is a real thing) and the one time I had athletes foot (from wearing the orthotic boot thing after breaking my toe - again, hot weather and being in a shoe 24/7 meant things were getting gnarly) It cleared up in a bit over 24 hours with the wipes for dogs!, after the athletes foot products for humans didn't do a darn thing. 

Otherwise, as a preventative, using Hibiclense (chlorhexidine soap) in the shower on his legs/feet on the regular - not daily but freqently - should keep it away I'd think. 

And he needs to treat his shoes. 

Edited February 4, 2022 by ktgrok

[Kanin]

1 hour ago, ktgrok said:

I find veterinary formulations work better...you can get wipes with chlorhexidine and ketoconozole in them. They work amazingly well - i use them when I get ringworm/whatever along my bra line ( I live in Florida - underboob rash is a real thing) and the one time I had athletes foot (from wearing the orthotic boot thing after breaking my toe - again, hot weather and being in a shoe 24/7 meant things were getting gnarly) It cleared up in a bit over 24 hours with the wipes for dogs!, after the athletes foot products for humans didn't do a darn thing. 

Otherwise, as a preventative, using Hibiclense (chlorhexidine soap) in the shower on his legs/feet on the regular - not daily but freqently - should keep it away I'd think. 

And he needs to treat his shoes. 

Thanks, I'll look into the wipes! I always wish I could just go to my cat's vet instead of a regular doctor 🙂

I forgot all about the Hibiclens, we have that here! Yay, thank you!

I wonder if treating his shoes will be enough, or if we need to get new ones. He never goes barefoot in his shoes luckily. 

[teachermom2834]

I have dealt with some recurring fungus issues. What I have decided is that the over the counter medications do is cure it enough to drive it back to where you can’t see it but it is still lurking there and not really gone. Then it comes raging back worse than ever. I have needed to go on both topical and oral prescription anti fungals to really get a handle on it when it gets out of hand. 
 

Now at the first sight of any kind of irritation like that I use tea tree oil on it and that does a pretty good job of knocking it out. I’ve sworn off the OTC lotions. They really seem to set off a cycle that makes it worse for me. I guess I’ve become resistant to them or something. 
 

I’m not usually into alternative medicines or essential oils but tea tree oil has been the only non-prescription treatment that has been of any use on fungus for me.

[gardenmom5]

I would make dietary changes to limit anything that feeds yeast.  e.g. sugar (carbs convert to sugar)

And taking a candida yeast supplement.

He can also try doing foot soaks in tea tree oil. 

[Kanin]

16 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

I would make dietary changes to limit anything that feeds yeast.  e.g. sugar (carbs convert to sugar)

And taking a candida yeast supplement.

He can also try doing foot soaks in tea tree oil. 

Thank you! I ordered caprylic acid, which the internet (hopefully not only the woo internet) says breaks down candida cell walls. 

With the soaks, how much tea tree to water should I use? I'm wondering if the tea tree would just float on top?

[Kanin]

21 minutes ago, teachermom2834 said:

I have dealt with some recurring fungus issues. What I have decided is that the over the counter medications do is cure it enough to drive it back to where you can’t see it but it is still lurking there and not really gone. Then it comes raging back worse than ever. I have needed to go on both topical and oral prescription anti fungals to really get a handle on it when it gets out of hand. 

Yes, that sounds exactly like what's happening. Sorry you're dealing with it, it's super stressful (and itchy!). I've got some tea tree around here somewhere. We did try it for athlete's foot once and it wasn't super effective, but we've never stuck with it long term. 

[gardenmom5]

13 minutes ago, Kanin said:

Thank you! I ordered caprylic acid, which the internet (hopefully not only the woo internet) says breaks down candida cell walls. 

With the soaks, how much tea tree to water should I use? I'm wondering if the tea tree would just float on top?

I have dh using this one (toe nail fungus - if he does it every day, it actually does really well . . . if he does it every day . . . . )

[PronghornD]

There are oral meds for fungal infections on the feet. I've had them several times. They would knock it out for a while. You have to get a doctor to prescribe it and monitor its impact on health (blood tests).

I had this problem from childhood on. I think I overcame it through well-ventilated footwear and a lower-carb diet. Either that or I experienced a miracle.

 

[Harriet Vane]

We have had good results from apple cider vinegar soaks. I just dump in a bunch to lukewarm water and soak 20 minutes once a day. Once the raging infection is down, shift over to a maintenance schedule of once or twice a week.

 

[ktgrok]

1 minute ago, Harriet Vane said:

We have had good results from apple cider vinegar soaks. I just dump in a bunch to lukewarm water and soak 20 minutes once a day. Once the raging infection is down, shift over to a maintenance schedule of once or twice a week.

 

If husband is like most guys, he won't stick with this....using a wipe quickly in the morning when putting on his shoes (put wipes near the socks or whatever), and or putting a bottle of hibiclense in the shower next to the body wash  is more likely to happen, in my experience. 

Edited February 4, 2022 by ktgrok

[lewelma]

My husband makes a bucket of oxiclean and puts his feet in it for a few minutes for 3 days (it is strong, so test first on your skin to see how long your skin can tolerate it). He also does a 24 hour soak of his socks and shoes (plastic or cloth but not leather) on a regular basis, and when the infection is ongoing, you need to oxiclean the socks before every wash.  Oxiclean is a sterilizer so will kill the fungus. My guess is that washing with laundry soap is not enough to kill the fungus in the socks, and if you never treat the shoes at all, the fungus also likely lives there and will just reinfect the socks and then the feet. 

Edited February 4, 2022 by lewelma

[Eilonwy]

5 hours ago, Kanin said:

I've got some tea tree around here somewhere. We did try it for athlete's foot once and it wasn't super effective, but we've never stuck with it long term. 

I learned from experience that tea tree oil can give you bad rashes if you become sensitized to it, so if it seems to be making things worse then it’s best to stop. 

[kbutton]

1 hour ago, Eilonwy said:

I learned from experience that tea tree oil can give you bad rashes if you become sensitized to it, so if it seems to be making things worse then it’s best to stop. 

I would be worried about this too. There are lots of products that have it that are not straight tea tree oil, such as soap. 

Diet does seem to help. I think a s. boulardii as a probiotic is also really effective. 

A lot of things suggested here seem to all be mainstream treatments for it; I'd pick something that seems within reach for you.

6 hours ago, PronghornD said:

well-ventilated footwear

I would guess this also helps a great deal. 

I think hormones make a difference as well. Never had an issue prior to getting on hormonal BC, though that coincided with marrying someone with toenail fungus issues, so 🤷‍♀️?

[Kanin]

16 hours ago, ktgrok said:

If husband is like most guys, he won't stick with this....using a wipe quickly in the morning when putting on his shoes (put wipes near the socks or whatever), and or putting a bottle of hibiclense in the shower next to the body wash  is more likely to happen, in my experience. 

Ha, yes, I will need to supervise!

[ktgrok]

fyi - one of the oral meds used is ketaconozole, which is one of the ingredients in the veterinary topical products. Also can get it in a spray, but a wipe is easier for me to get in between the toes. Heck, you can buy it as a dog shampoo to use to wash his feet in the shower or as a foam, lots of options. And many have ingredients to rebuild the skin's protective barrier. often this stuff happens from chafing or skin irritation that lets the nasties take over. 

[Kanin]

1 hour ago, ktgrok said:

you can buy it as a dog shampoo

I love this idea!

[ktgrok]

7 hours ago, Kanin said:

I love this idea!

My oldest had ringworm of the scalp as a kid - it is notriously difficult to cure but at his age oral meds were not advised. I used medicated dog shampoo and topical dog medication (I worked at a vet) and it cleared up without any problem. 

[Kanin]

On 2/4/2022 at 1:22 PM, ktgrok said:

Otherwise, as a preventative, using Hibiclense (chlorhexidine soap) in the shower on his legs/feet on the regular - not daily but freqently - should keep it away I'd think. 

 

DH actually read the Hibiclens bottle and it says to keep away from eyes and ears because prolonged exposure can cause blindness and deafness. Sooooo, now he's scared of it. Dang it! 

And how should I treat his shoes? Antifungal foot spray? Power?

[CinV]

11 hours ago, Kanin said:

DH actually read the Hibiclens bottle and it says to keep away from eyes and ears because prolonged exposure can cause blindness and deafness. Sooooo, now he's scared of it. Dang it! 

And how should I treat his shoes? Antifungal foot spray? Power?

Selson Blue (or any dandruff shampoo) is what is most popular in the wrestling community to keep fungal infections away. My wrestler uses it as a shampoo and bodywash daily and hasn't had ringworm in years. 

And yes, spray the shoes with the antifungal foot sprays (generic is just as good as name brand) every time he takes off his shoes.

[Kanin]

21 minutes ago, CinV said:

Selson Blue (or any dandruff shampoo) is what is most popular in the wrestling community to keep fungal infections away. My wrestler uses it as a shampoo and bodywash daily and hasn't had ringworm in years. 

And yes, spray the shoes with the antifungal foot sprays (generic is just as good as name brand) every time he takes off his shoes.

Thank you!

[ktgrok]

12 hours ago, Kanin said:

DH actually read the Hibiclens bottle and it says to keep away from eyes and ears because prolonged exposure can cause blindness and deafness. Sooooo, now he's scared of it. Dang it! 

And how should I treat his shoes? Antifungal foot spray? Power?

Well I mean, if you got regular soap in your eyes over a prolonged period of time you'd go blind too probably, lol. He's using it on his feet, not his face! Men..sigh. They even prescribe it as a mouthwash for people with gingivitis, if that helps show him the safety of it. But yeah, don't put it in your eyes or ears, lol. 

That said, the selson blue idea is a good one as well. It's not super strong, but if used daily would help. 

As for cleaning shoes, what kind are they? I need to wash my own sneakers - hot water and soap in the washer should do it, maybe some oxyclean. Or a very dilute amount of bleach. (I got poop on mine so left them outside, then they got rained on and I think bacteria or fungus grew in them after being outside in the wet for days on end - every time I wear them now I get a sore/ingrown toenail type pain on both big toes. They are plenty roomy and never did this before, so guessing something yuck grew in them. They don't smell or anything, look fine after drying out in the house, but yeah...having had cellulitis once in both feet in college from shoes that I walked through puddles in, I am not taking chances. Washing them is on my agenda today). 

If leather, I'm not sure. 

[Kanin]

28 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

Well I mean, if you got regular soap in your eyes over a prolonged period of time you'd go blind too probably, lol. He's using it on his feet, not his face! Men..sigh. They even prescribe it as a mouthwash for people with gingivitis, if that helps show him the safety of it. But yeah, don't put it in your eyes or ears, lol. 

 

I know... he's super skeptical of medicine. I just got him to use ibuprofen willingly for headaches a couple years ago! 

 

29 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

having had cellulitis once in both feet in college from shoes that I walked through puddles in, I am not taking chances. Washing them is on my agenda today). 

Oh wow, how horrible!

I can wash the sneakers, not sure about hiking boots and winter boots. 

[J-rap]

You've gotten some good suggestions.  I haven't used tea tree oil on athlete's foot before, but I've used it on a variety of different things including fungus-type rashes and have had amazing success.  For some reason I can't copy the link (I'm somewhere where the WiFi is really lousy!), but it's called Tea Tree Therapy Antiseptic Ointment and you can get it on Amazon.

 

[ktgrok]

1 hour ago, Kanin said:

I know... he's super skeptical of medicine. I just got him to use ibuprofen willingly for headaches a couple years ago! 

 

Oh wow, how horrible!

I can wash the sneakers, not sure about hiking boots and winter boots. 

The athletes foot spray should help, or maybe wiping down with some kind of product. 

And yes, the cellulitis was terrible, started in one foot (well, toes) and they gave me crutches as I couldn't walk. By a few hours later it was both feet, so crutches were not helpful, lol. So painful, but thankfully the antibiotics worked pretty quickly. I now have a better understanding of the importance of dry feet! I grew up in south florida - I wore flip flops or went barefoot other than at school, and didn't really worry because my feet if they got wet also dried right away. But that day I was in Tallahassee and the area around FSU floods badly. I walked through a bunch of standing water in sneakers (required for my job), went to class for 4 hours, then worked for 4 hours in the library. Toes were sore when I got home, but the next day were too swollen to fit in my shoes!