What should I do if I have athlete’s foot and swollen instep? Note for patients with athlete's foot!

Athlete's foot usually causes many symptoms. For example, some patients with athlete's foot suffer from swelling on the instep. The swelling of the instep not only brings great pain to the patient, but also makes the patient unable to walk normally, affecting his daily life. If athlete's foot causes swelling on the instep, you must be careful not to use athlete's foot remedies indiscriminately, not to mix multiple athlete's foot medicines, and to use medicine according to the symptoms of athlete's foot, etc.

1. Do not use athlete's foot remedies indiscriminately

When athlete's foot attacks, patients often suffer from unbearable itching and wish they could change their skin. Therefore, many people buy their own medicine or use "folk remedies" recommended by others to relieve the itching without thinking twice. It is undeniable that some medicines or folk remedies can indeed temporarily relieve itching. However, behind the temporary relief, these drugs or folk remedies can often aggravate athlete's foot or cause more serious contact dermatitis.

2. Do not mix multiple athlete's foot medicines

It is best to choose only one medicine for athlete's foot rather than using multiple medicines alternately, because the more medicine you use, the better it is for the treatment of athlete's foot. It is common in clinical practice that some patients complain that the treatment effects of their athlete's foot medicines are not good, and they often mix several medicines together. In fact, the efficacy of each athlete's foot medicine is different. Using multiple medicines together will not only fail to cure athlete's foot, but will easily confuse the efficacy of the medicines and aggravate the symptoms of athlete's foot.

3. Take medicine according to the symptoms of athlete's foot

⑴ Dry athlete's foot, keratinization and desquamation, itching, and easy occurrence of chapped skin. Medication should be mainly ointments and powders. Because the skin is rough, thick and dry, and keratinized and desquamated, first soak your feet in powder to soften the stratum corneum and kill the fungi outside the dandruff, then dry your feet and apply ointment. Soak your feet for two consecutive days, applying ointment four or five times a day, and it will be cured in about three days. After the symptoms are completely relieved, you should continue to apply the medicine for another week to prevent the recurrence of athlete's foot.

⑵ Wet athlete's foot, severe itching, blistering, maceration, and erosion. When the blisters are not broken and there is no liquid, first use athlete's foot powder to deal with it, then use a sterilized needle (burn it with fire) to pierce the blister, wrap it with absorbent paper and squeeze it, from the periphery to the center, squeeze out the liquid (this liquid contains bacteria, please wash your hands if it gets on them), then squeeze until a few drops of blood come out, then treat it with athlete's foot powder. After two days, when the skin becomes dry and dead, peel it off. Then use clotrimazole cream and hibiscus bark tincture. There may be bubbles in other places, but it’s okay, just deal with it in the same way.

4. If acute inflammation occurs locally, the secondary infection should be treated first.

If there is redness and swelling, you can apply boric acid water or furazolidone solution for local wet compresses to reduce inflammation and swelling. If necessary, antibiotics should be used and you should rest properly as prescribed by your doctor. If fever and local skin redness and swelling occur, and erysipelas or lymphangitis is suspected, you need to see a doctor and use antibiotics for treatment, such as oral erythromycin, amoxicillin, or injectable penicillin.

Patients with athlete's foot should not only rely on medication to treat the disease, but should also pay attention to foot care in their daily lives. For example: soak your feet in warm salt water every day, be sure to dry them thoroughly, wear suitable and breathable shoes, and change socks and shoes regularly every day. Shoes should be exposed to the sun frequently to sterilize. Check your feet regularly and take care of them in a timely manner. And keep your feet with good blood circulation, try to avoid bathing in public bathrooms, and don't wear other people's shoes, socks, and toiletries.