Skin Fungus Treatment

Anti-Fungul Preparation
Fungal infections of the skin are not serious, so treatment is not urgent. In general, the fungus needs moist, undisturbed areas to grow and will often disappear with regular cleansing, drying, and application of a powder to keep the area dry. Cleansing should be performed twice daily.
If you need a medication, there are effective non-toxic agents available. For athlete’s foot use one of the zinc undecylenate creams or powders, such as Desenex. In difficult cases, tolnaftate (Tinactin) is very effective. This agent is useful for almost all sin fungus problems, but it is more expensive.

Dosage
For athlete’s foot, use as directed on the label. For other skin problems, selenium sulfide is available by prescription in a 2.5% solution. Over the counter, a 1% solution is available as Selsun Blue shampoo. Use the shampoo as a cream and let it dry on the lesions; repeat several times a day to compensate for the weaker strength.

Side Effects
There are very few. Selenium sulfide can burn the skin if used to excess, so decrease application if you notice any irritation. Selenium may discolor hair and will stain clothes. Be very careful when applying any of these products around the eyes. And don’t take them by mouth.