It should come as no surprise that fungal infections are things you’ll want to avoid. In addition to being both uncomfortable and unsettling, certain fungal infections can even have an adverse impact on your overall health. So, not only should fungal infections be treated posthaste, but you should also take a number of preventative measures to avoid them. Fortunately, this is easier than you may think. Anyone looking to send fungal infections packing would do well to consider the following measures.
Bathe Every Day
Excessive sweat, sebum, and dirt buildup are often the precursor to fungal infections. That being the case, it’s strongly recommended that you bathe on a daily basis. Additionally, while giving yourself a scrub, make sure to pay special attention to the parts of your body that are most prone to fungal infections. For instance, take care to wash your feet and diligently scrub between your toes. You should also make a point of washing your groin in an effort to prevent jock itch.
Once you’ve finished bathing, you’ll need to thoroughly dry yourself. Since fungal infections thrive in moist, damp environments, make sure that every part of your body is fully dry before proceeding to get dressed.
Bathing is particularly important after working out or engaging in other activities that cause you to sweat a lot. The longer your body remains drenched in sweat, the greater the likelihood of an infection occurring. If you’re unable to shower immediately after working out, you should at least change out of your workout clothes, especially if they’re very tight. For maximum protection, consider investing in antimicrobial activewear.
Be Mindful of Where You Go Barefoot
While giving your feet room to breathe can help prevent fungal infections, it’s important to be mindful of where you go barefoot. For instance, being barefoot in locker rooms, gyms and other public settings may result in you catching someone else’s foot fungus. As such, it’s recommended that you always wear shoes, sandals, or other types of protective footwear when in public. Additionally, if you share a home with someone who has foot fungus, avoid being barefoot around the house and request that the infected party does the same.
Properly Treat Existing Infections
As much as you may want them to, most fungal infections won’t go away on their own. So, if you’re hoping to simply wait out a case of athlete’s foot or jock itch, don’t count on this approach being successful. As is the case with any ailment, the sooner you treat fungal infections, the easier it is to get rid of them. Conversely, the longer you wait to address a fungal infection, the worse that infection is liable to become and the more likely it is to spread.
Fortunately, many fungal infections can be successfully treated with over-the-counter creams and sprays, as well as an assortment of convenient home remedies. Furthermore, applying these medicines shouldn’t take more than a few minutes out of your day. Should an infection prove unresponsive to over-the-counter treatment, arrange a consultation with your physician and/or a dermatologist?
Avoiding Sharing Clothing and Towels
Sharing clothing and towels is unsanitary for a variety of reasons. In addition to spreading germs and potentially making you sick, this sort of behavior is liable to result in fungal infections and/or staph infections. So, no matter how much of a timesaver you think sharing clothing and/or towels with a friend, family member or partner is, make a point of avoiding it. By extension, you should never reuse a towel that hasn’t been washed or wear unlaundered clothing multiple times.
You’ll also need to avoid sharing footwear with others. Regardless of how good you’ll look in someone else’s shoes – or how good someone else will look in yours – footwear sharing is an absolute no-no for anyone looking to avoid foot or toenail fungus.
Fungal infections can prove inconvenient on a number of fronts. In addition to being itchy and painful, they’re generally unpleasant to look at and can prove infectious. That being the case, doing everything in your power to avoid fungal infections represents a step in the right direction. Luckily, this isn’t as harrowing a task as you may think. Taking the preventative measures discussed above can go a long way towards keeping fungal infections permanently at bay.
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