Especially in the summer you would like to throw off your clothes and shoes to escape the heat. But at work, sturdy shoes are often a must. Then, when the feet get really sweaty, it’s a feast for bacteria and fungal infections.
One heat wave follows the next and temperatures climb higher and higher – no one wants to think about illness right now. However, heat and sweat are ideal breeding grounds for fungal infections. This is because the fungi prefer to settle in moist and warm regions. What you should pay attention to in order to prevent fungal infections, you can learn here.
Athlete’s foot: Caution in swimming pools and saunas
Summer seems to be absolute high season for all forms of fungal infections – the classic among them: Athlete’s foot. Especially in places where many people walk around without shoes, this infection lurks, which is caused by filamentous fungi – swimming pools or saunas, for example. In addition, people who often wear tightly closed shoes, especially over a long period of time, are susceptible to this fungus, informs the state medical association of Baden-Wurttemberg.
Protection against fungus: dry feet and sandals
"If you make sure your feet are always dry, you don’t have to worry about athlete’s foot," says Erika Baum, president of the German Society for General and Family Medicine (DEGAM). If possible, he said, wear sandals or even shoes that release moisture and socks that absorb moisture – such as those made of cotton. Socks made of artificial fibers, would make the foot "swim" in the shoe.
In general, people with weakened immune systems are more prone to fungal infections, informs the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
Showering in summer: best with water only
At risk for fungal infections are body regions that sweat a lot. In almost all cases, however, these are superficial infections that are widespread but harmless. Baum clarifies that it cannot be said that there are necessarily more fungal infections in summer than in other seasons, but our skin is more susceptible to them in summer. Because: "Those who sweat in the summer tend to wash more often, too," says Baum.
Showering the body with water is also not a problem, he said, but most people nowadays use a variety of soaps and shower gels for this purpose. "If you then wash constantly, you destroy the acid mantle of the skin – thus removing protective bacteria and making the skin more susceptible to fungus."Especially in the intimate area, this can lead to constantly recurring fungal infections.
If you want to be safe, you can also blow dry feet
So if you make sure that your feet are always dry and ventilated in the summer, wash them with water only from time to time and make sure you have a strong immune system, you won’t give fungal infections a chance. Baum also advises: "If you want to be sure, you can also blow-dry your feet".