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What are the best treatments for athlete’s foot?
Medically reviewed by
Craig Marsh, Specialist Pharmacist Prescriber (UK)
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.
Table of contents
Medically reviewed by
Mr Craig Marsh
Specialist Pharmacist Prescriber (UK)
on Oct 31, 2024.
Meet Craig
Last updated on Mar 19, 2026.
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Summary:
- 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 gray, 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 favorable 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 healthcare provider 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 | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lamisil Cream | Terbinafine | Cream | Applied 1-2 times a day for 1 week. | Over-the-counter |
| Canesten (Clotrimazole) | Clotrimazole | Cream | Applied 2 times a day for 2-4 weeks. | Over-the-counter |
| Micatin / Monistat Derm | Miconazole | Cream | Applied twice a day for 2-4 weeks. | Over-the-counter |
| Ketoderm | Ketoconazole | Cream | Applied once or twice a day. | Prescription |
| Lamisil Spray | Terbinafine | Spray | Applied once a day for a week. | Over-the-counter |
| Tinactin (Tolnaftate) | Tolnaftate | Powder/Spray | Applied twice a day. | Over-the-counter |
| Terbinafine Tablets | Terbinafine | Tablets | One 250mg tablet daily for 2-6 weeks. | Prescription |
Best creams and gels for athlete’s foot
There are multiple topical creams and gels that can help treat 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 doctor or pharmacist.
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 favorable environment for fungi to grow. Miconazole and Tolnaftate (Tinactin) are common powder antifungals available in Canada.
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 spray is a common choice that’s often applied once a day for a week.
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 doctor 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 systemically, 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 generic terbinafine or 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. Your doctor will usually only recommend these if topical treatments (OTC options) have failed.
Home remedies for athlete’s foot
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. 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 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 buildup.
- Wearing cotton or moisture-wicking socks.
- Wearing shoes that fit comfortably and are made from natural materials like leather, to allow your feet to breathe.
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Tinea pedis: An updated review. Drugs in Context, 12.
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[Terbinafine versus miconazole in patients with tinea pedis]. Nederlands Tijdschrift Voor Geneeskunde, 140(31), pp.1605–1608.
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Comparison of one week of oral terbinafine (250mg/day) with four weeks of treatment with clotrimazole 1% cream in interdigital tinea pedis. British Journal of Dermatology, 139(4), pp.675–678.
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