What to do if there is a rot between the toes

The condition of rot between the toes is called wet toe rot, which is a relatively common foot disease. There are many symptoms of wet and rotten toes. In addition to rotten toes, in severe cases the entire sole of the foot may turn red, accompanied by peeling, which has a great impact on health and life. It can also be contagious to others. It is important to receive timely treatment in this situation. So, what should you do if there is a rot between your toes? Let’s take a look below.

Wet toes

Wet and rotten toes is a common disease in people's lives. In severe cases, the entire sole of the foot may become red and peel. Wet and rotten toes not only seriously affect the patient's daily work and life, but are also easily transmitted to others.

Some people confuse "athlete's foot" with "wet and rotten toes", which is wrong. Medically, "athlete's foot" is a systemic disease caused by vitamin B deficiency, while "wet and rotten toes" is a common skin disease caused by fungal (also known as toxins) infection.

Pathogen type: In medicine, toe rot is usually divided into three types: erosive type, blister type, and keratotic toe rot. 1. Erosive type: often occurs between the third and fourth, and between the fourth and fifth toes. Initially, the spaces between the toes are damp, whitish or small blisters appear. After drying and scaling, the dandruff reveals a moist, flushed eroded surface that is extremely itchy and prone to secondary infection. 2. Blister type: often occurs on the edge of the foot. Initially, they appear as small blisters with thick and full walls. Some of them may merge into large blisters. The blister fluid is transparent and there is no redness around them. The patient feels extremely itchy, and scratching often leads to secondary infection, such as erysipelas and lymphangitis. 3. Keratinic type: often occurs on the heels. The main symptoms are thick and dry skin, keratinization and desquamation, itching, and easy cracking. This type of disease has no blisters or suppuration, and the course of the disease is slow and does not heal for many years.

Clinical manifestations: Wet and rotten toes are a common disease in people's lives. Once the disease occurs, patients often feel unbearable itching, and red spots and scaling appear between the toes. In patients with severe symptoms, the entire soles of the feet will become red and peel off. Wet and rotten toes not only seriously affect the patient's daily work and life, but are also easily transmitted to others. However, not many patients seek medical attention for toe ulcers. Zhao Junying, director of the dermatology department at Beijing Friendship Hospital, said that most patients with wet and rotten toes only come to the hospital when the symptoms are more serious. In the early stages of the disease when the symptoms are milder, they usually use some folk remedies for self-treatment. Using folk remedies to treat wet and rotten toes can sometimes relieve itching, but it will definitely not get rid of the root cause. Moreover, some folk remedies are very irritating and may cause allergic reactions. If you apply garlic to the affected area, it will cause redness, swelling and even discharge, making the condition worse. Therefore, Director Zhao reminds patients with toe rot that they should receive treatment as soon as possible once symptoms of toe rot appear. Early treatment not only requires less medication but is also conducive to recovery. Once the condition worsens, treatment becomes more difficult. From the clinical point of view, toe ulcers can be divided into three types, and the treatment methods vary according to the type. When the patient's feet show symptoms of peeling and cracks, it belongs to the keratosis and dryness type. For this type of patients, creams and ointments should be the main medications. If it is the blister and erosive type, that is, the affected area is oozing water, this type of patient should not use overly irritating drugs or ointments like patients with keratosis and dryness type. Instead, the affected area should be treated to be drier first, and then powder drugs should be used for treatment. There is also a type of patient who belongs to the interspersed type, that is, some parts are dry and peeling, and some parts are erosive and oozing water. At this time, medication should be used according to the specific situation. In addition to differentiation of types of medication, patients should also take medication for a full course of treatment under the guidance of a doctor. Many patients with wet toe rot only focus on taking medication during the acute phase and stop taking medication once the symptoms are alleviated. However, they do not know that wet toe rot is a disease that is very prone to recurrence. No matter what medication the patient uses for treatment, he or she must persist in taking a sufficient course of treatment to completely eliminate the wet toe rot. In addition to medication, daily foot care is also very important for treating wet and rotten toes. According to Professor Li Ruoyu from the Department of Dermatology at Peking University First Hospital, wet toe ulcers are a disease caused by a dermatophyte, which is more likely to grow in a relatively humid and high temperature environment. Therefore, people should pay attention to keeping their feet dry, choose more sweat-absorbent socks and breathable, loose shoes; wash their feet every day, and dry their feet and between their toes.