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Treatment of fungal infections
The trade names of the medications sold in New Zealand are given in parentheses.
General measures
- Correct predisposing factors where possible.
- Keep the affected skin clean and dry. Wash daily. Take care to dry between the toes and in the skin folds; use a hair dryer if necessary. Use your own towel.
- Carefully clean the shower or bath using bleach.
- Hot wash socks, towels, bathmats at a temperature of at least 60C.
- Regularly wash floors where you walk bare foot.
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Antiseptics
- Dequalinium chloride lozenges for oral candidiasis (Dequacaine®, Dequadin®)
- Di-iodohydroxyquinoline for vulvovaginal candidiasis (Floraquin® vaginal tablets).
To reduce reinfection
Fungal spores can survive long periods. To reduce the chance of reinfection:
- Do not share towels, sheets or personal clothing.
- Avoid walking bare foot where others may tread - wear jandals, sandals or aquasocks at the public pools and sports changing rooms.
- Avoid long periods wearing the same clothing, or wearing occlusive clothing such as wet weather gear and nylon pantyhose.
- Wear open-toed sandals when possible. Avoid long periods in occlusive footwear such as gum boots or tramping boots.
- Use antifungal foot powder e.g. ciclopirox (Batrafen®), econazole (Pevaryl®), miconazole (Daktarin®, Fungo®), tolciclate (Tolmicen®), tolnaftate (Tinaderm®), undecylenic acid (Mycota®). Sprinkle it in your shoes.
- In the case of zoophilic fungal infections, infected animals should be identified and treated.
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