Can you freeze an athlete’s foot?
In this brief guide, we’ll address the query: “Can you freeze an athlete’s foot?” Also, we’ll explore how an athlete’s foot can be frozen, what an athlete’s foot is, how an athlete’s foot can be contracted, and how an athlete’s foot should be treated.
Can you freeze an athlete’s foot?
Athlete’s foot can be frozen, in the sense that footwear and garments can be disinfected by being subjected to subzero temperatures.
Treating symptoms of athlete’s foot with freezing temperatures is not recommended, as it can inflict serious burns and frostbite damage to a person’s feet and skin, which may lead to other health problems such as sepsis.
Below, we’ll provide an outline of how items with an athlete’s foot can be frozen.
How can I freeze an athlete’s foot?
Items that have athlete’s foot and have been thoroughly cleaned, can be frozen by being placed in a tight-sealing bag and leaving them overnight in a deep freezer.
This will deactivate any athlete’s foot spores and deactivate other microbes that may cause foul smells.
Of course, footwear and other items should not remain frozen for more time than is necessary for a deep freeze, as it may have wearing effects on leather and plastics used to manufacture them.
What is an athlete’s foot?
Athlete’s foot alludes to a fungal infection caused by Tinea pedis. It is common in individuals who use closed shoes. with little ventilation.
When perspiration accumulates on a person’s skin, especially on the soles, between toes, and in the creases of a person’s soles, the fungus will find ideal conditions for it to grow and multiply.
The result is damage to a person’s skin in the form of symptoms such as itchiness, burning sensations, and redness. People with athlete’s feet can experience moist skin and peeled blisters between their toes accompanied by a burning sensation.
Athlete’s foot can be treated with Antifungal medication that can be purchased over the counter.
Athlete’s foot can be self-diagnosed or assessed by a medical professional, and it does not require medical analysis or diagnostic imaging.
How can an athlete’s foot be contracted?
Athlete’s feet can be contracted by coming into contact with contaminated surfaces such as shower floors, contaminated towels, contaminated skin, using contaminated footwear, and maintaining poor hygiene.
Athlete’s foot can also be spread by touch to other parts of the body such as armpits, groin, and other moist areas if they are touched with hands that have picked at contaminated feet.
People who wear closed footwear tend to perspire heavily by sharing mats, rugs, bed linens, clothes, shoes, socks or walking barefoot in communal areas are at higher risk of contracting athlete’s foot, and individuals that are immunocompromised are especially susceptible to athlete’s foot.
How can an athlete’s foot be treated?
Athletes’ feet can be treated with over-the-counter antifungal medications. Alternatively certified medical professionals Can prescribe systemic antifungal drugs such as triazoles if over-the-counter medication is shown to have no effect after two weeks of treatment.
Additionally certified medical professionals or podiatrists will recommend that patients eschew closed footwear, maintain proper hygiene of their feet, change socks regularly, use different pairs of shoes, and wash these as needed or disinfect them as befits the material they’re made of.
Other measures users can take to prevent and diminish the risk of contracting athlete’s foot include wearing personal footwear in public spaces such as pools, showers splash pads water parks
However, individuals with diabetes should take special care of their feet, and lesions caused by athlete’s feet, as high blood sugar levels impair the body’s ability to fight off infection, which may lead to other symptoms from the arrival of other microbes to these lesions.
We advise our readers to consult with a medical professional if their athlete’s foot symptoms don’t begin to clear up within two weeks (15 days or so) after starting a round of treatment.
More specialized treatment may be necessary in certain cases, and we urge our readers never to self-medicate and to eschew home remedies with dubious efficacy.
Home remedies may worsen symptoms or lead to more serious lesions. These lesions may become infected if they’re not properly dressed and can lead to more serious conditions such as sepsis and other blood-borne infections.
Conclusion
In this brief guide, we’ve addressed the query: “Can you freeze an athlete’s foot?” Also, we’ve explored how athlete’s feet can be frozen, what athlete’s feet are, how athlete’s feet can contract, and how athlete’s feet should be treated.
References
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/athletes-foot/symptoms-causes/syc-20353841
https://www.healthline.com/health/athletes-foot
https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/understanding-athletes-foot-basics
https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/remedies-for-athletes-foot