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.
Antiseptics
- Dequalinium chloride lozenges for oral candidiasis (Dequacaine®, Dequadin®)
- Di-iodohydroxyquinoline for vulvovaginal candidiasis (Floraquin® vaginal tablets).

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.