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How To Cure Itchy Toes Naturally?
By
Patricia | May 19, 2009
Any skin infection could lead to swelling in the affected area and a persistent urge to keep scratching it. An infection of the feet leads to itchy feet. Itchy hands and feet are common in the case of skin infections in those areas.
Causes:
The common causes of itchy feet in children as well as in adults are bacterial, fungal or viral infections of the skin. The leading cause behind itchy toes is when your feet remain moist either due to sweat or prolonged use of socks and shoes. It could also be caused by athlete’s foot, cutaneus larva migrans, contact dermatitis, juvenile plantar dermatosis, pitted keratolysis, scabies, or tungiasis. Other than these conditions, if you are suffering from diabetes, you could get itchy feet and skin on the feet may become dark, dry or cracked.
- Chilblains: This is a condition, in which the body has some trouble in adjusting to react appropriately to cold temperatures, especially, when the weather is changing from warmer climates. Hence, this condition is characterized by itchy toes in winter, accompanied by dryness, swelling and redness.
- Diabetes: Though it is not very common, at times, there could be a correlation between itchy toes and diabetes. Therefore, in case a person feels itchy between toes, it is best to consult a doctor and rule out the possibilities of diabbetes.
- Infections: Since people usually wear shoes for at least 6 to 8 hours a day, at a stretch, it is very common to see fungal infections in a person. Moreover, it is difficult for the sweat on the toes to dry up fast, in comparison with the parts of the body.
- Blisters: Another common cause of an itchy feet or toe could be blisters. In most cases itchy toe blisters are formed due to infections and inflammations. However, it is also possible to see blisters on the feet because of allergic reactions or excessive sweating.
How to Get Rid of Itchy Feet
The first step toward treatment is to find out what is causing your feet to itch. Once you have diagnosed the cause, a suitable treatment plan can be chalked out.
- For conditions such as athlete’s foot, treatment involves washing your feet with anti-bacterial soap to get rid of the infection, while also not letting any moisture remain on your feet. Wear cotton socks and change them regularly to make sure that your feet do not sweat and start to itch.
- If the itching is due to tungiasis, which is caused by a flea, you can remove the flea physically and apply anti-parasitic ointment on the affected area.
- Antibiotic ointments will help treat pitted keratolysis.
- If dermatitis is the cause of the itching, applying a cold compress should help relieve the itching; other options include hydrocortisone and topical steroids.
- Anti-parasitic drugs can be used to cure cutaneous larva migrans; the ointment will kill the parasite and heal lesions that occur due to extreme itching of the feet.
- Applying scabicide should help you get rid of scabs from scabies.
- The application of ice cubes or an ice pack on the affected part of the toes or feet can help reduce skin irritation, inflammation, swelling and redness. Moreover, ice can help relieve the itchiness caused by blisters too.
- Some people use rubbing alcohol on their toes, to keep the skin clean. However, it does not suit all people and therefore, should be used very carefully. At times, the use of alcohol could cause the skin to break out into a rash.
Home Remedies
- Just add a dash of baking soda to your shoes; this will help absorb any moisture that is produced.
- Cornstarch is another ingredient that helps absorb moisture. Brown starch works better than normal cornstarch; just bake it at a high temperature for few minutes till it turns brown and then apply on the insides of your shoes.
- Soaking your feet in a tub with cinnamon tea helps slow down the spread of fungus. Just boil cinnamon sticks in water, let it steep for 45 minutes, and then soak your feet for 15 to 30 minutes.
- Eating garlic helps as garlic has antifungal properties. You can also swab the affected area with garlic juice to get rid of the fungus.
- Rinse your feet with lemon juice mixed with water to keep sweat and bad odor away.
- Salt is one of the best natural ingredients to use to get rid of dry and itchy feet. Soak your feet for around 10 minutes in salt water.
- Soak your feet in warm water after dipping 6 black tea bags in it; the tannic acid present in tea helps relieve dry feet and kills fungus.
- Mix a cup of vinegar in water and soak your feet for 15 to 30 minutes before going to bed every night. You can also make a solution by mixing vinegar and water and then dabbing it on your feet with a cotton ball. If your skin is raw this will sting. Dry your feet properly before wearing shoes or socks. Cider vinegar is also an option.
- One of the ingredients that help fight fungus growth is yogurt. Just apply a little yogurt on the area that is irritating you.