HEALING FOR ATHLETE'S FOOT

WHAT IS ATHLETE'S FOOT?

It is a fungal infection that causes a bright red rash on the feet, itching, redness, burning, injury, blistering and peeling. Foot fungus likes dark, moist and warm environments. It is a common and contagious skin disease. It is most commonly observed in young and adult males; It can also be seen in women and children under 12 years of age. If left untreated, it can spread to the toenails and hands.

There are 3 types:

Toenail fungus: The most common type of athlete's foot. It usually occurs between the smallest toes. It can cause itching, burning, scaling and infection spreading to the soles of the feet.

Moccasins: Causes irritation, dryness, itching or flaking of the skin on the feet. If the fungus is not treated, the skin thickens and splits. It can spread to the entire sole of the foot and to the sides of the feet.

Blistering: The least common type of athlete's foot. It usually occurs when the skin under the feet collects water and the blisters suddenly burst.

WHY DOES ATHLETE'S FOOT OCCUR?

Trigger factors for athlete's foot include:

• Wearing tight, closed shoes that do not get enough air
• Sweating of the feet in shoes
• Not drying feet after shower
• Wearing shoes when feet are wet
• Humid and hot environments
• Doing sports for a long time
• Not wearing protective shoes in public pools, gyms, wet areas and changing rooms, stepping on the ground with bare feet
• Tools such as common foot towels, slippers, pedicure set
• Weakening of immunity
• Diabetes

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF ATHLETE'S FOOT?

Athlete's foot can occur anywhere on the foot. But it is most commonly seen on toes or between the toes. Its symptoms are:

• Red rash
• Itching, stinging between the toes while standing
• Burning sensation
• Scaling on the skin
• Rash on the soles of the feet
• Wounds with blisters on the feet
• Splits and inflammation between the toes
• Thickening of the toenails, getting a dark yellow color
• Toenails moving away from the nail bed

PREVENTION OF ATHLETE'S FOOT

The most important step you can take to help prevent athlete's foot is to avoid skin contact with surfaces that may harbor the fungus. That means wearing flip-flop shower shoes in a public locker room, gym or shower, college dorm bathroom, and the like.

Here are a few important preventative steps that can help reduce the risk of getting athlete's foot:

• Dry your feet and between your toes thoroughly after bathing.
• Ventilate your feet by walking barefoot at home.
• Wear socks made of breathable fibers such as cotton or wool, or synthetic fibers that wick moisture away from your skin.
• Keep your feet dry by wearing clean and dry socks every day. Change your socks if your feet sweat.
• Wash socks, linens and towels in water at 60°C or higher.
• Avoid sharing towels, shoes, slippers and socks with others.
• Wear shoes that allow your feet to breathe. Avoid wearing rubber or plastic shoes, closed shoes in summer unless they have ventilation openings.
• Ventilate your shoes as much as possible.
• Alternate between two pairs of shoes, wearing each pair every other day to allow time for your shoes to dry between uses.
• You can disinfect your shoes using disinfectant sprays.
• You can use talcum powder to keep your toes and feet dry.

HOW TO HEAL ATHLETE'S FOOT?

Treatment of early diagnosed fungal infection can be done with creams or sprays applied on the skin. Since fungal infection is a stubborn disease, the probability of recurrence is quite high. Oral fungicides are recommended for progressive fungal infections. In case of fungal infection in the nails, it may be necessary to use a fungicide for at least 3 months and nail polish for 1 year.

What You Can Apply At Home

There are natural methods that you can apply at home for treatment:

• Vinegar is added to water that is heated to a temperature where the feet can be immersed, and the feet can be kept in this water until the water cools down.
• Some water can be heated, carbonate can be added and the feet can be kept in it until the water cools down.
• Baking soda can be added to less warm water and mixed until it reaches a paste-like consistency and applied to the affected area.

Usually, if the treatment is working, athlete's foot will heal within 2 weeks.

A Natural Supplement: Medicinal and Aromatic Plants’ Oils

With prescription or over-the-counter drug treatments, side effects such as skin irritation or ingrown nails can be observed. For this reason, many people prefer to try natural remedies such as essential oils to help treat foot and nail fungus.

If you are considering using essential oils in the treatment of fungus, you should choose the ones with antifungal characteristic. Some essential oils with this characteristic are:

• Tea Tree Oil:  Research shows that tea tree oil contains a number of compounds, including Terpinen-4-ol, which helps kill some fungi [1]. It has also been shown in research to help get rid of nail fungus when used alone or in combination with other natural remedies. [2] [3]

• Peppermint Oil:  Shows antifungal characteristic. It also exerts a cooling and soothing effect, which can help relieve itching thanks to its high menthol content [4] [5] [6].

• Lavender Oil:  Lavender oil shows antifungal characteristic. Thanks to the high amount of linalool and linalyl acetate it contains, it supports the healing of fungi [7] [8].

• Lemon Peel Oil:  It shows antifungal characteristic thanks to the pinene component it contains [9].

• Eucalyptus Oil:  Eucalyptus oil helps reduce some fungi, thanks to its high content of 1.8 cineole. [10]

• Oregano Oil:  It has strong antifungal characteristic thanks to the Carvacrol and Thymol it contains [11] [12]. With this feature, it helps to improve skin conditions such as fungal infections [13] [14].

If you are suffering from athlete's foot, you can use these essential oils as a natural support.




Usage Suggestion

Topical Application: You can use these essential oils individually or as a mixture by diluting them with carrier oils at the appropriate rate to relieve the symptoms of athlete's foot. You can drop 2 - 3 drops into 15 ml (1 tablespoon) of carrier oil and mix. In the morning and evening, you can apply 2 drops of this mixture to the areas showing signs of fungus between your feet and toes and apply it with circular movements. As a carrier oil, you may use oils such as aloe vera gel, calendula oil, sesame oil, jojoba oil, which also have antifungal characteristic.

We recommended that you consult your doctor before using these herbal oils.

Consulting Your Doctor

If over-the-counter medications or home treatments don't start to improve the fungus, or if you notice the infection getting worse, be sure to see your doctor.

You may need prescription topical or oral antifungal medications to fight the infection. You may also need antibiotics if a bacterial infection has developed.

If you have diabetes and have athlete's foot, you should definitely see your doctor. If you have diabetes, you may not feel pain in your feet due to nerve damage. In later stages, there may be a risk of developing a secondary bacterial infection.

ACADEMIC STUDIES

[1] Hammer, K. A., C. F. Carson, and T. V. Riley. 2003. Antifungal activity of the components of Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil. J. Appl. Microbiol. 95:853-860.

[2] T. A. Syed, Z. A. Qureshi, S. M. Ali, S. Ahmad, S. A. Ahmad (1999). Treatment of toenail onychomycosis with 2% butenafine and 5% Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil in cream. Trop Med Int Health. 1999 Apr;4(4):284-7.

[3] D. S. Buck, D. M. Nidorf, J. G. Addino (1994). Comparison of two topical preparations for the treatment of onychomycosis: Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil and clotrimazole. J Fam Pract. 1994 Jun;38(6):601-5.

[4] Husain FM, Ahmad I, Khan MS, et al. Sub-MICs of Mentha piperita essential oil and menthol inhibits AHL mediated quorum sensing and biofilm of Gram-negative bacteria. Front Microbiol. 2015;6:420.

[5] Hossain F, Follett P, Dang Vu K, et al. Evidence for synergistic activity of plant-derived essential oils against fungal pathogens of food. Food Microbiol. 2016;53(Pt B):24–30. 

[6] S. Saeed, A. Naim, P. Tariq (2006). In Vitro Antibacterial Activity of Peppermint. Pak. J. Bot., 38(3): 869-872, 2006.

[7] Moon T, Chan YF, Wilkinson JM & Cavanagh HMA (2004). Antifungal activity of Lavandula essential oil and oil volatiles. AICA National Conference, 2004; abstracts p46.

[8] H. M. A. Cavanagh, J. M. Wilkinson (2005). Lavender essential oil: a review. Australian Infection Control, Vol10 Issue 1 March 2005.

[9] L. Jing, Z. Lei, L. Li, R. Xie, W. Xi, Y. Guan, L. W. Sumner, Z. Zhou. Antifungal activity of citrus essential oils: A review. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry – March 2014.

[10] C. Morcia, M. Malnati, V. Terzi (2012). In vitro antifungal activity of terpinen-4-ol, eugenol, carvone, 1,8-cineole (eucalyptol) and thymol against mycotoxigenic plant pathogens. Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess. 2012;29(3):415-22.

[11] A. Nostro, T. Papalia (2012). Antimicrobial activity of carvacrol: current progress and future prospectives. Recent Pat Antiinfect Drug Discov., 2012 Apr;7(1):28-35.

[12] R. D. Castro, T. M. P. A. Souza, L. M. D. Bezerra, G. L. S. Ferreira, E. M. M. B. Costa, A. L. Cavalcanti (2015). Antifungal activity and mode of action of thymol and its synergism with nystatin against Candida species involved with infections in the oral cavity: an in vitro study. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine volume 15, Article number: 417 (2015)

[13] H. G. Preuss, B. Echard, A. Dadgar, N. Talpur, V. Manohar, M. Enig, D. Bagchi, C. Ingram (2005). Effects of Essential Oils and Monolaurin on Staphylococcus aureus: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies. Toxicol Mech Methods, 2005;15(4):279-85.

[14] Aljaafari, M.N.; AlAli, A.O.; Baqais, L.; Alqubaisy, M.; AlAli, M.; Molouki, A.; Ong-Abdullah, J.; Abushelaibi, A.; Lai, K.-S.; Lim, S.E. (2021).An Overview of the Potential Therapeutic Applications of Essential Oils. Molecules 2021, 26, 628.