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What are the best treatments for athlete’s foot?

Generally speaking, the best treatment for athlete’s foot is the one that suits you best. So if you prefer creams to powders and sprays, for example, there’s not much benefit to switching. And if you’ve used a treatment before, did it work? If so, ditto.

There are multiple treatment options to choose from, and while we don’t know what’s best for you, we can help you make an informed decision.

Medically reviewed by

Craig Marsh, Independent Prescriber

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Medically reviewed by

Mr Craig Marsh

Independent Prescriber

on Oct 31, 2024.

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Last updated on Oct 30, 2024.

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Athlete’s foot is a common fungal infection that causes itchiness, burning, and scaling.
There are multiple treatment options including creams, powders, sprays, and tablets.
Topical antifungals are usually the first line of defence, with terbinafine and miconazole being popular choices.
Oral antifungals are for severe or persistent cases.
If left untreated, the infection can worsen.

What is athlete's foot?

Tinea pedis, colloquially known as athlete’s foot, is a fungal infection of the skin affecting the foot. It’s caused by dermatophytes, fungi that cause infections on the skin, such as T.rubrum and T.mentagrophytes. These fungi thrive in hot, humid environments like swimming pools, showers, locker rooms, and closed footwear. Infection typically occurs through direct contact with the fungus.

When infected, you may develop white or red patches, more common between your toes, which may feel itchy. Additional symptoms include flaky, dry, cracked skin, blisters and a burning sensation. On darker skin, the symptoms may look slightly different with patches that are grey, purple or dark red.

Excessive sweating, prolonged exposure to water and wearing tightly fitted shoes for an extended period can worsen the symptoms, as these conditions provide the fungi with a suitable environment to grow in.

Athlete’s foot needs to be treated with antifungals. Without treatment, the infection can worsen, spread to other areas of the body and be passed on to others. Your clinician will typically prescribe topical antifungals, but if the condition becomes serious, oral antifungals may be required.

What treatments are there for athlete’s foot?

Athlete’s foot is commonly treated with topical antifungals, including creams, powders, liquid solutions and sprays. While most cases will achieve a complete cure with topical treatments within a few weeks, persistent cases may require oral antifungals.

The majority of topical antifungal treatments for athlete’s foot contain either miconazole or terbinafine. Miconazole works by blocking the enzyme needed to make the cell wall of the fungus, causing it to become leaky. Without its cellular contents, the fungus can’t survive or grow, leading to its death.

Terbinafine blocks an enzyme needed to convert squalene into a component to make the cell wall. This causes a build-up of squalene within the fungal cell, which is toxic to the fungus, leading to its death.

When the two treatments were compared in a study, the results found that one week of terbinafine cream was as effective as using miconazole cream for four weeks. However, in both groups, the efficacy and clinical cure rates were similar.

Another less common antifungal treatment is ketoconazole. It works similarly to miconazole, by inhibiting the production of the fungal cell wall, preventing the fungus from growing.

With most topical treatments you’ll notice an improvement in your symptoms within a few days, but it can take up to four weeks for the infection to completely clear. If you’re taking tablets, it might take a little longer (around two weeks) for your symptoms to improve.

Product name	Active ingredient	Form	Dosage	How to use	Prescription status
Lamisil 1% Cream	Terbinafine	Cream	Applied 1-2 times a day for up to one week.	Apply a thin layer to the affected and surrounding areas.	Prescription
Terbinafine 1% Cream	Terbinafine	Cream	Applied once or twice a day for one week.	Apply a thin layer to the affected and surrounding areas.	Prescription
Daktarin 2% Cream	Miconazole	Cream	Applied twice a day. Apply for 7-10 days after lesions are healed to prevent relapse.	Apply the cream to the affected and surrounding area.	Pharmacy
Daktarin Aktiv Cream	Miconazole	Cream	Applied twice a day. Apply for 7-10 days after lesions are healed to prevent relapse.	Apply the cream to the infected area and surrounding skin.	General Sales List
Daktarin Gold 2% Cream	Ketoconazole	Cream	Applied once or twice a day for four to six weeks.	Apply the cream onto the infected area and surrounding skin.	Pharmacy
Lamisil AT 1% Gel	Terbinafine	Gel	Applied once a day for one week.	Squeeze a small amount of gel onto your finger and gently rub it on the affected skin and surrounding areas.	Pharmacy
Lamisil Once	Terbinafine	Solution	Single dose treatment.	Apply half the tube to each foot and spread it evenly over the skin. Leave it to dry for one to two minutes before wearing any footwear.	General Sales List
Miconazole	Miconazole	Powder	Applied twice a day. Apply for 10 days after lesions are healed to prevent relapse.	Sprinkle the powder onto the affected and surrounding areas.	Pharmacy
Lamisil AT 1% Spray	Terbinafine	Spray	Applied once a day for a week.	Spray the solution onto the affected area.	General Sales List
Daktarin Aktiv Spray Powder	Miconazole	Spray Powder	Use twice a day until the skin looks normal.	Spray the infected area. Can also be used regularly to prevent reinfection.	General Sales List
Lamisil Tablets 250mg	Terbinafine	Tablets	One tablet once a day for two to six weeks.	Take one tablet with water once a day.	Prescription
Terbinafine 250mg Tablet	Terbinafine	Tablets	One daily tablet for two to six weeks.	Swallow a tablet with water once a day.	Prescription

What treatments are there for athlete’s foot?

There are multiple topical creams and gels that can help treat an athlete’s foot, with most treatments improving symptoms within a few days. But it can take up to four weeks to achieve a complete cure. If your symptoms don’t improve within two weeks, contact your clinician.

Best powders for athlete’s foot

Powders are an easy-to-use treatment for athlete’s foot. They can treat the affected area and prevent reinfection after being sprinkled into your socks and shoes. Powders also help absorb excess sweat, creating a less favourable environment for fungi to grow. Currently, Miconazole is the only available powder antifungal.

Best sprays for athlete’s foot

Antifungal sprays are convenient for use on the feet, as they allow the medicine to reach between your toes more easily. You can also use them to spray the inside of your shoes and socks to prevent the infection from worsening and reduce the risk of reinfection. Lamisil AT 1% Spray is applied once a day for a week to the affected area. Within a week, you should notice an improvement in your symptoms after using it.

Best tablets for athlete’s foot

Oral antifungal tablets aren’t typically the first line of treatment for athlete’s foot, but if you have a severe or persistent infection, your clinician will recommend oral antifungals, like Terbinafine. It’s taken once a day for two to six weeks depending on the severity of your infection. As tablets work systematically, there’s an increased likelihood of experiencing side effects such as appetite loss, stomach ache, nausea and headaches. For the full list of side effects, check the patient leaflet.

Treatments for persistent athlete’s foot

Most of the time, athlete’s foot will be treated with topical antifungals. But for persistent cases, you’ll need oral antifungals, such as Lamisil tablets, to clear the infection from within. They’re only available with a prescription, so you’ll need a consultation with a doctor so they can check they’re safe and suitable for you.

Oral antifungals kill the fungi within the body (systemically), which is more effective than topical treatments that only work at the surface level. This was proven in a study where one week of oral terbinafine was more effective than four weeks of topical clotrimazole.

But as you’re more likely to experience side effects with oral antifungals, your clinician will only recommend them if topicals don’t work.

Home remedies for athlete’s foot

You might find multiple home remedies when looking for treatments online for athlete’s foot. While some people might have had positive results while using home remedies, most aren’t supported by scientific evidence.

Tea tree oil
Tea tree oil is a popular home remedy for athlete’s foot because of its antifungal properties that can disrupt the growth of fungal cell membranes.[8] But despite these properties, there isn’t enough scientific evidence to support its effectiveness as a treatment for athlete’s foot.

In fact, in one study, patients using a topical antifungal had an 85% clinical cure rate compared to only 30% for patients using tea tree oil. While symptoms were improved at similar levels to the antifungal medicine by using tea tree, it was no more effective than placebo at achieving a mycological cure (a negative laboratory test for fungal infection). So while tea tree oil may help reduce the symptoms, it won’t help you achieve a clinical cure.

Hydrogen peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is another home remedy often said to treat athlete’s foot. While hydrogen peroxide has antifungal and antibacterial properties, there’s no scientific data to support the claim that it’s effective in treating athlete’s foot. Even at lower concentrations, hydrogen peroxide can irritate your skin and may damage healthy skin and immune cells, which can slow down the recovery process. It’s best to avoid using hydrogen peroxide if you have athlete’s foot, as it may do more harm than good.

Will athlete’s foot go away on its own?

There’s a very small chance that athlete’s foot will go away on its own without treatment. This was found in a study where 17 people out of 100 who didn’t treat athlete’s food had no infection after six weeks, compared to 73 out of 100 who did use treatment.

So in most cases it won’t go away without treatment. It may worsen and spread to other areas of your body like your legs, hands and nails. In very severe cases, it could also lead to a bacterial infection. Delaying treatment can also make it take longer to treat when you do start using medicine.

Are there any treatments to prevent athlete’s foot?

Yes, some treatments can not only treat an infection but also prevent reinfection. Antifungal sprays and powders can be applied inside your shoes and socks to prevent a recurrence.

Making lifestyle changes can also reduce the risk of reinfection, such as:

Drying your feet thoroughly after they get wet, especially between your toes.
Avoid walking barefoot, particularly in public shower rooms and swimming pools.
Not wearing the same shoes every day to reduce moisture build-up.
Wearing cotton socks.
Wearing shoes that fit comfortably and are made from natural material like leather, to allow your feet to breathe.

How to get treatment for athlete’s foot

Getting treatment for my athlete’s foot is easy. Simply answer a few questions about your health, upload some pictures, and choose from a list of treatments or let our clinician make the decision for you. Throughout the treatment process, you’ll also have direct access to your clinician for any of your questions or concerns.

How we source info.

When we present you with stats, data, opinion or a consensus, we’ll tell you where this came from. And we’ll only present data as clinically reliable if it’s come from a reputable source, such as a state or government-funded health body, a peer-reviewed medical journal, or a recognised analytics or data body. Read more in our editorial policy.

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Disclaimer: The information provided on this page is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any questions or concerns about your health, please talk to a doctor.

What are the best treatments for athlete’s foot?

Was this article useful?

What is athlete's foot?

What treatments are there for athlete’s foot?

What treatments are there for athlete’s foot?

Best powders for athlete’s foot

Best sprays for athlete’s foot

Best tablets for athlete’s foot

Treatments for persistent athlete’s foot

Home remedies for athlete’s foot

Will athlete’s foot go away on its own?

Are there any treatments to prevent athlete’s foot?

How to get treatment for athlete’s foot

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