Is alcohol disinfection effective for athlete’s foot?

Athlete's foot is a disease that is easy to recur and easily contagious, so patients with athlete's foot must treat their feet accordingly in a timely manner. Many people believe that athlete's foot can be treated by disinfecting with alcohol. In fact, although alcohol can be used for disinfection, it will cause great pain to patients, especially those with erosions in the affected area, so it is best to use this method with caution. So, how to treat athlete's foot?

Alcohol cannot cure athlete's foot

Athlete's foot is caused by fungi and is usually transmitted through contact, such as sharing slippers and foot basins. Moreover, if the athlete's foot is ulcerated, applying alcohol is very painful and is not recommended for external use. Moreover, 75% (volume fraction) alcohol solution is often used for medical disinfection.

70-75% alcohol is used for sterilization. For example, 75% alcohol can kill Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans, Candida albicans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, etc. within one minute at room temperature (25C); lower concentrations of alcohol are used to lower body temperature, promote local blood circulation, etc.

However, studies have shown that ethanol cannot kill bacterial spores or hepatitis viruses (such as hepatitis B virus). Therefore, ethanol can only be used for general disinfection and cannot meet the sterilization standards!

Treatment of athlete's foot

Do not use any strongly irritating medications externally. It is best to allow the wound to dry and astringent before applying medication. 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.

Alternatively, 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.

Daily precautions for patients with athlete's foot

1. Do not share shoes with others. In addition, the shoes stored in the shoe cabinet should be divided into different shoe areas according to family members to avoid mutual infection, which may cause repeated illness and make it difficult to cure.

2. Strengthen exercise and pay attention to nutrition to improve the patient's resistance and enhance the skin's disease resistance. At the same time, it is best for patients with athlete's foot to soak their feet in warm water every day and then dry their feet thoroughly to keep the blood circulation in the feet smooth.

In short, it is not recommended for patients with athlete's foot to use alcohol for disinfection, and alcohol disinfection generally means that it can kill bacteria, but it has little effect on fungi. Although alcohol cannot treat athlete's foot, you can take the above-mentioned medicines for treating athlete's foot.