Wearing socks and shoes all day prevents your feet from getting fresh, dry air. If your socks are damp or not that clean, your feet can develop fungal infections like athlete's foot and fungal nails.
Runners and Toenail Fungus
And sweaty socks and tight running shoes create the perfect moist environment for the growth of toenail fungus. Try using special socks that wick away moisture to keep feet dry.
If you fail to alternate your shoes and socks on a daily basis, sweat and yeasts or fungi can accumulate on the fabric. This makes suffering from a toenail fungus more likely. You might choose to wash your shoes in the washing machine to ensure that they are clean.
Athlete's foot spreads either through contact with fungi or by contact with infected skin. Perpetually damp areas like locker rooms, bathroom floors, showers, and swimming pools are prime breeding grounds for the fungi. They can also live in socks, shoes, and towels, all of which have a tendency to remain moist.
Whether you're trying to clear up a fungal infection or hoping to avoid getting one, the following can help. Wear socks that wick away perspiration. Although it seems counterintuitive, acrylic is much better at carrying off moisture than cotton. Use antifungal foot powder daily.
Revolutionary nail fungus laser therapy has an 80% success rate. Instead of medications or debridement, Dr. Frankel offers a laser therapy treatment with an 80% success rate at permanently treating nail fungus. It's painless and performed in-office with three 10-minute procedures every four weeks.
Use hot water (140°F or 60°C) and your regular detergent for infected laundry. Lower temperatures will not kill the fungus and can transfer spores to other fabrics in the same load. For white cotton socks, you can use chlorine bleach along with hot water to disinfect the fabric.
If you just finished treating nail fungus, throw away shoes, boots, skates, and other footwear that you wore before you started treatment. Put on a clean pair of socks every day and whenever your socks get sweaty. Wear shoes that: Alternate shoes.
Effects of Washing socks & Fungus
It has been shown contaminated socks washed in a domestic washing machine at 40deg, with 36% of the socks still positive for fungal culture at the end of cleaning and drying cycle.
Your spouse is also at risk when sharing bed sheets, socks and shoes. As fungal spores can stay dormant but viable for up to three months in their favoured environments, your family may still remain vulnerable long after you've started covering up your feet or taking other protective measures.
Many people pick up the fungi when they have skin-to-skin contact with someone who has a fungal infection such as athlete's foot or ringworm on their hands. Another common way to get a fungal nail infection is by walking barefoot in a warm, moist area such as a pool deck or locker room.
Regular nail paint may look beautiful when used to hide diseased toenails, but doing so might exacerbate infections. It is wet and dark where fungus thrives. Fungus can flourish in environments created by nail polish. Antifungal nail polish can be covered with non-medicated nail polish.
A toenail fungal infection, known as onychomycosis, is the result of a fungal known as a dermatophyte. While less common, molds and yeasts can also infect the toenails. The reason older adults are more prone to fungal nail infections is because nails dry out as we age, which leads to cracks within the nail.
Keep your nails trimmed. Cut nails straight across, smooth the edges with a file and file down thickened areas. Disinfect your nail clippers after each use. Letting your nails grow long creates more places for the fungus to grow.
Research suggests that wearing socks to bed can help people not only fall asleep faster, but sleep longer and wake up fewer times throughout the night. One study found that young men wearing socks fell asleep 7.5 minutes faster, slept 32 minutes longer, and woke up 7.5 times less often than those not wearing socks.
Sleeping with socks on can improve circulation. However, if the socks you wear are too constrictive and tight, it could cause a decrease in blood flow. If your socks aren't breathable, it could prevent the release of heat from your body. Poor hygiene could also occur with wearing socks at night.
You can use a bleach-based solution or another disinfectant regularly on the shower floors and walls. To keep fungus from growing in your shoes, sprinkle them with an antifungal powder or use a spray. Don't wear any shoes that are damp or wet.
The best fabrics for antifungal socks are merino wool, coolmax, olefin, drymax and polyester. If you play a ton of sports, or even just wear shoes for long periods of time where your feet get sweaty, consider these socks to avoid fungal infections.
If your fungus doesn't clear up at home, you should check in with a dermatologist (a skin, hair, and nail specialist) or podiatrist (a foot doctor.) They may gently scrape under your nail to get rid of some of the fungus or send it to the lab for diagnosis. They can also prescribe stronger medicines.
Your nails may not look "normal" after treatment. It can take as long as a year to 18 months for your nail to grow out a fungus.
Some individuals advocate bleach and disinfectant as a way to kill fungus. Ultimately, both these chemicals can kill foot fungus, but bleach and disinfectant can be bad for your skin and feet, and can damage your shoes, so it is better to use an over the counter, specially designed foot powder instead.
Vicks Vaporub softens and lightens toenails. This makes it look like the fungus is being treated. Vicks may have some antifungal qualities, but it is unable to penetrate the toenail well enough to cure the infection. Many topical antifungal medications have this issue.
There are multiple treatments for toenail fungus, though some are faster than others. The fastest way to eliminate the infection is through toenail laser treatment.