I have itchy skin on my feet.

Tinea pedis (commonly known as "athlete's foot" or athlete's foot) is caused by fungal infection. The skin damage often occurs unilaterally (i.e. one foot) first, and then infects the other side after several weeks or months. Blisters mainly appear on the soles and sides of the toes, most commonly between the third and fourth toes, and can also appear on the soles of the feet. They are deep small blisters that can gradually merge into large blisters. A characteristic of the skin lesions of tinea pedis is that they have clear boundaries and can gradually expand outward. As the disease progresses or scratching occurs, erosion, exudation, or even bacterial infection and pustules may occur.

Treatment 1. If there is erosion or exudation between the toes, do not use strong irritating drugs externally. It is best to let the wound surface astringent and dry before using the medicine. You can apply a 1:8000 potassium permanganate solution as a wet compress, then apply external oil or powder, and after the skin is dry, switch to creams or ointments such as terbinafine hydrochloride. 2. If the skin is severely keratinized and thickened, antifungal drugs are difficult to penetrate and absorb. You can first use 10% salicylic acid ointment or compound benzoic acid ointment to soften the cuticle, and then use antifungal drugs. If the skin is obviously dry and cracked, you can soak it in warm water each time to soften the cuticle, and then use antifungal drugs. For those with obvious dry and cracked skin, you can apply ointment locally after soaking in warm water each time, then seal it with plastic film and wrap it with a bandage. Remove it after 24 to 48 hours and then use antifungal drugs.

3. If small blisters appear on the feet but have not broken, you can first soak them in 3% boric acid solution, and then use antifungal creams such as bifonazole cream. 4. For tinea pedis complicated with bacterial infection, in principle, local anti-bacterial treatment should be used first. Furazolidone solution or 1:2000 berberine solution can be used for wet compresses. For severe infection, oral antibiotics can be used, such as cephalexin capsules, erythromycin, etc. 5. Systemic treatment For stubborn tinea pedis, oral medications can be given if there are no contraindications. Such as terbinafine, itraconazole, fluconazole, etc. These oral medications are effective, but attention should be paid to their possible side effects and they should not be used by people with poor liver function. 6. Adhere to the medication. Tinea pedis is a chronic infection. Fungi grow and multiply in the stratum corneum. Long-term medication is required to completely eliminate it. Therefore, after the symptoms of tinea pedis are relieved, you still need to continue taking the medication. The skin's metabolic cycle is about 28 days, so the medication must be taken for more than four weeks. It is best to conduct fungal examination and culture, and it is considered cured only if the results are negative for three consecutive weeks. 7. Don’t abuse medication

The most important thing about using medicine for tinea pedis is to carry out consistent and regular treatment according to the classification. Do not blindly treat the disease on your own, as this often delays and worsens the condition. 8. Medication should be used according to the specific conditions of the lesion. Tinctures should not be used on ulcerated areas, and ointments should be used on thickened skin and cracks. 9. When tinea pedis develops a secondary infection and local acute inflammation occurs, it cannot be treated as a normal tinea pedis. The secondary infection should be dealt with first. If there is redness or swelling, apply boric acid water or furazolidone liquid for cold or warm compress locally, and if necessary, apply antibiotics systemically.

<<: Hard skin on feet

>>: Peeling feet do not itch or smell, just peeling skin