Can athlete's foot blisters be popped?

Written by Liu Jing
Dermatology
Updated on March 11, 2025
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The term "athlete's foot" refers to the common name for tinea pedis, a skin infection caused by dermatophytes. It can manifest as various types of skin lesions, such as blisters. In cases like blistering athlete's foot, it is important to enhance local cleanliness of the blistered area while avoiding harmful actions such as forcibly picking or squeezing, to prevent secondary bacterial infection of the wound. Symptomatic treatment with antifungal agents is necessary, including oral itraconazole capsules and other antifungal medications. For topical treatment, applying a wet compress of boric acid solution followed by triamcinolone acetonide econazole cream, or a compound Cannale cream can be used, but these should be applied for a short term only. If symptoms improve after three to five days, the treatment should be switched to antifungal creams such as ketoconazole cream or terbinafine cream, with a treatment period of at least two weeks.

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Written by Hu Xiao Cui
Nutrition Science
1min 17sec home-news-image

What is athlete's foot?

Beri-beri, also known as vitamin B1 deficiency disease. Vitamin B1 is an essential nutrient required by the human body, involved in several important biochemical reactions and crucial for energy metabolism within the body. Deficiency in vitamin B1 can lead to a range of abnormal symptoms in the nervous system and muscles. In adults, early symptoms of vitamin B1 deficiency include weakness and a heavy feeling in the lower limbs, muscle soreness, particularly noticeable in the calf muscles. These are also important early signs for the detection of beri-beri, which are typical manifestations. Additionally, beri-beri may also present with loss of appetite, weight loss, digestive disorders, and constipation. There are generally two types of beri-beri: dry beri-beri and wet beri-beri. Dry beri-beri primarily involves neurological symptoms, chiefly abnormal sensations, numbness, and a burning pain in the hands and feet. Wet beri-beri, on the other hand, is mainly characterized by edema and cardiac symptoms.

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Written by Liu Gang
Dermatology
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How can severe athlete's foot be treated to eliminate it completely?

Athlete's foot is a disease caused by fungal infection, where most patients can be completely cured with routine treatment. However, some patients do not treat it normally or use non-standard medications, which can exacerbate the condition and may even lead to symptoms such as erosion and exudation. When experiencing severe athlete's foot, topical medications are still necessary, such as Naftifine Ketoconazole Cream, which needs to be applied to the entire sole or between the toes. In addition, it is appropriate to combine some oral antifungal medications, such as Itraconazole capsules. The combined treatment of oral medication and topical drugs tends to be more effective. When treating this disease with oral medication, liver function must be normal. If transaminases are elevated, oral medications should not be taken. If oral medications cannot be taken, some traditional Chinese medicines can be used for foot soaks, such as decoctions of Sophora flavescens and Phellodendron amurense, which have a supportive therapeutic effect.

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Written by Xia Min
Traditional Chinese Medicine
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Can soaking feet in mugwort leaves cure athlete's foot?

Mugwort leaves, as is widely known, are a type of Chinese herbal medicine. They predominantly exhibit a warming quality and are mainly used for foot soaks to treat ailments caused by cold-dampness and wind-cold, as well as conditions related to cold. In typical cases, athlete's foot, which is a fungal infection caused by fungi leading to inflammation, should be treated with antifungal medications, not by soaking in mugwort leaves. It's only effective for treating symptoms caused by cold conditions and wind-cold dampness, not athlete's foot. Therefore, it is recommended to choose antifungal medications for the treatment of athlete's foot. (Be sure to follow a doctor's guidance regarding specific medications.)

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Written by Xia Min
Traditional Chinese Medicine
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The difference between pitted keratolysis and athlete's foot

Palmoplantar pustulosis, corresponding to hand fungus in Western medicine, typically affects adults, but can be contracted by individuals of any age, both male and female. It often affects one hand, but can also spread to both. Symptoms are more severe with blistering in the summer, while in winter, dryness and pain are more pronounced. The characteristic lesions begin with blisters on the palms and between the fingers, with the skin on the palm becoming keratinized, flaky, and blistered. After repeated outbreaks, the skin on the palm thickens, becomes dry and cracked, painful, and hindered in flexibility, resembling a goose's foot, hence the name "goose's foot wind." Athlete's foot, equivalent to tinea pedis in Western medicine, is named for its symptoms of maceration and itchiness of the soles, accompanied by a distinctive odor. It primarily affects the spaces between the toes but can also appear on the soles of the feet. The main features are blisters between the toes, maceration, oozing, excessive keratinization, flaking, and itching. There are clear differences between these two conditions.

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Written by Zhang Da Wei
General Surgery
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How to completely cure sweaty athlete's foot

The occurrence of sweaty feet is actually related to individual physical conditions, such as localized hyperhidrosis which can cause this condition. At the same time, it might be accompanied by a fungal infection, so it is necessary to analyze the specific situation to determine the cause. Generally, antimicrobial treatment can also achieve certain effects, but it requires analysis based on the specific circumstances. Thus, there are unlikely to be major issues if medications are used correctly. Changes generally occur as long as the treatment is appropriate. Therefore, the treatment should be tailored to the patient’s own condition, choosing the medication depending on whether the patient has any drug allergies, etc. As long as there are no such issues, normal exercise is usually fine, although it cannot completely cure the condition. However, it is important to pay attention to lifestyle factors, especially local breathability, which can have a direct impact.