Top 3 Fungal Treatment Options
If you’re dealing with a fungal infection, it can be tough to know where to turn. Fortunately, there are a number of fungal infection treatments available to you. Here are a few of the top fungal treatments to consider if you think you have a fungal skin infection.
What Is a Fungal Infection?
Before we get into discussing treatments, it’s important to understand what a fungal skin infection entails. A fungal skin infection, as the name suggests, is a form of skin disease caused by fungus. These infections are also called mycosis and are more common than you may think. Athlete’s foot, jock itch, and yeast infections are all common types of fungal infections that can occur on the skin. To be clear, some types of fungus do live on the skin — the problem is when an environmental irritant or skin imbalance causes an overproduction of fungus that leads to a skin infection. Fungal infections can also happen anywhere on the body. Fungal infection symptoms can include itching, redness, rash, and flaking or peeling skin. Let’s take a look at some of the most common fungal infection treatments available to treat these conditions.
Topical Antifungal Treatments
Topical antifungal treatments can come in a number of forms, including creams, liquids, and even sprays. This type of fungal infection treatment is commonly used to treat infections on the skin, scalp, and nails. Some of the most common antifungal creams include clotrimazole, econazole, and miconazole. In addition, antifungal creams are often combined with other topical treatments if more than one symptom is in need of treatment. For example, an antifungal cream might be paired up with something like a mild topical corticosteroid like hydrocortisone to treat specific types of rashes caused by fungal skin infections. While the antifungal cream works to clear the skin infection, the topical corticosteroid cream will help reduce inflammation in the affected area.
Antifungal Shampoos
As we mentioned earlier, fungal infections can happen almost anywhere on the body. That includes the scalp! When a fungal skin infection takes root on the scalp, an antifungal shampoo is typically the first course of action when it comes to treatment. While these products do fall under topical antifungals, the key ingredient in antifungal shampoo is specifically ketoconazole.
Antifungal Oral Medications
If topical treatment isn’t an option, then oral antifungal medication is another course of treatment that needs to be considered. Products like miconazole are available in the form of an oral gel and are used to treat thrush, which is a candidal infection that can occur in the mouth and throat. Oral antifungals can be used as a systemic treatment for skin infections, as well. For example, terbinafine in the form of tablets can be taken to treat fungal nail infections.
Dealing with a fungal skin infection can be tough. If you think you could have a fungal skin infection and you need a concrete diagnosis and treatment plan, don’t hesitate to contact SE Dermatology Specialists to consult with one of our doctors today.