Athlete's foot is a very common fungal infectious skin disease. About 70-80% of adults have athlete's foot, with varying degrees of severity. It often worsens in summer and improves in winter, but some people suffer from it all year round without recovery.

bubble_chart Etiology

This disease is caused by dermatophytes (fungi or molds). Excessive sweating of the feet, dampness, or poor ventilation in shoes and socks can all trigger the condition. Dermatophytes are often spread through contaminated bathhouses, swimming pool floors, towels, shared slippers, and foot-washing basins.

bubble_chart Clinical Manifestations

In medicine, foot qi is typically classified into three types: erosive, vesicular, and hyperkeratotic foot qi.

1. Erosive type: Commonly occurs between the third and fourth, or fourth and fifth toes. Initially, the interdigital spaces become moist, macerated, and whitish or develop small blisters. After drying and desquamation, the peeled skin reveals a moist, erythematous erosive surface with intense itching, making it prone to secondary infections.
2. Vesicular type: Often appears on the edges of the feet. It begins as thick-walled, tense small blisters, which may sometimes coalesce into larger bullae with clear fluid and no surrounding erythema. The condition causes severe itching, and scratching often leads to secondary infections such as erysipelas or lymphangitis.
3. Hyperkeratotic type: Typically affects the heels. The main symptoms include thickened, dry skin with hyperkeratosis, desquamation, and itching, often leading to rhagades. This type does not involve blisters or suppuration and progresses slowly, often persisting for years without resolution.

bubble_chart Treatment Measures

1. Home Medication for Foot Conditions
   (1) Erosive Type: First soak with a 1:5000 potassium permanganate solution or 0.1% rivanol solution, then apply Chinese Gentian Violet or foot powder twice daily. After drying, apply antifungal cream or ointment like "Foot Care" or "Tinea Fighter" twice daily.
   (2) Blister Type: After soaking feet in hot water daily, apply clotrimazole tincture or compound salicylic acid tincture once. After the skin dries, apply "Foot Care" or "Tinea Fighter" ointment.
   (3) Hyperkeratotic Type: Apply compound benzoic acid ointment or alternate with compound salicylic acid alcohol solution, once in the morning and once at night. It's best to wrap the area with plastic film after application to help the medication penetrate thickened skin and facilitate peeling.
   (4) In recent years, "Foot Light Powder" has shown significant efficacy in treating all types of foot conditions clinically. Soak feet once nightly, with effects noticeable after three uses. Specific instructions can be found on the product.
2. Chinese Herbs and Folk Remedies
   (1) Alum, Phelloendron Bark, Chinese Gall, or cuttlebone sepium—grind any one into powder and apply to cleaned affected areas. Suitable for erosive type.
   (2) Sophora, densefruit pittany root-bark, Purslane Herb, and Plantain Herb (30g each), Atractylodes Rhizome and Phelloendron Bark (15g each). Decoction for washing 1-2 times daily. Effective for blister type or when infection is present.
   (3) White Balsam Flower (30g), Chinese Honeylocust Fruit (30g), or Pricklyash Peel (15g). Soak any one in half a pound of vinegar for a day, then soak feet for 20 minutes before bedtime. Continue for 7 days for hyperkeratotic type.
3. Foot conditions are contagious skin diseases. Avoid scratching to prevent self-infection or secondary infections. Use separate foot basins and towels to avoid spreading to others.
4. While treating with medication, disinfect the patient's shoes and socks. Methods include sun exposure, boiling water, or soaking a cloth in 10% formaldehyde solution, placing it in shoes, sealing in a plastic bag for 48 hours to sterilize.

AD

TCM's treatment of atopic dermatitis is more comprehensive, fundamental, non-toxic and effective than Western medicine's symptomatic treatment

bubble_chart Prevention

1. Keep your feet clean and dry, and treat sweaty feet promptly. Change shoes and socks frequently; for those with tightly spaced toes, placing tissue paper between them can help absorb moisture and improve ventilation. Ensure shoes are well-ventilated.
2. Do not use others' slippers, bath towels, or washcloths, and avoid walking in dirty water near public baths or swimming pools.
3. Public baths and swimming pools should regularly treat wastewater, disinfect with bleaching powder or chloramine, and establish protocols to prevent mutual infection of athlete's foot.