Run Well Juliet McGrattan (microsoft ebook reader TXT) 📖

ready it is to bounce back after gravity has pulled it down. Ultraviolet rays will decrease the skin’s elastic properties, so follow the advice above about protecting your skin from the sun. If you use a daily moisturiser on your face, consider one that contains an SPF so you always have a degree of protection when you’re running outside.

Skin infections

Q I keep getting athlete’s foot. It seems to clear up and then just comes back again. What can I do?

A Athlete’s foot is a fungal infection. Fungi love damp, warm, dark places, so where better than a runner’s sweaty shoe? It’s also known as tinea pedis, with ‘tinea’ meaning fungus and ‘pedis’ meaning foot. It can affect your skin in a number of ways. It may become dry and cracked or moist and split, especially between or under the toes. It can look white or red, it may peel or bleed, feel sore or painful, and it’s often itchy – sometimes intensely so. You can treat it with anti-fungal creams, sprays and powders from your local pharmacy.

Examples of anti-fungal medications include terbinafine, miconazole and clotrimazole. Tea-tree oil is often suggested as an alternative treatment, although studies have shown mixed results. Don’t apply tea-tree oil directly to skin, dilute it in a carrier oil first and always carry out a small patch test to check for any reactions. If your athlete’s foot is very itchy then your pharmacist may suggest a product that has a small amount of hydrocortisone in it to ease the itch. Wash and carefully dry your feet twice a day and after running. Take care to dry thoroughly between your toes with a clean towel. Apply your chosen treatment and then put on clean socks or spend some time barefoot. It’s important to continue treating it for a few days after you think it has cleared, just to be on the safe side. If you run daily, then it might be worth having a second pair of running shoes and alternating so they have time to dry out properly. Never be tempted to wear running socks twice. If it really won’t budge, then see your GP who may take skin scrapings to confirm the diagnosis and will consider an oral anti-fungal medication to attack the infection from the inside out.

Q I’ve been looking online and think I might have ring worm in my groin. Do I need to go the doctor?

A Tinea cruris, is the medical term for a fungal infection in the groin. In men it’s often called jock itch. Jock is the slang term for American college athletes and the warm sweaty groin of an athlete is the perfect environment for a fungus to grow. It’s very similar to athlete’s foot (tinea pedis) and it can be the same fungus causing the infection in both areas. This itchy and sometimes sore rash appears on the inner thighs and groin and around the scrotum in men. It is usually pink or red in colour and has an obvious and often slightly raised outline, distinguishing it from neighbouring normal skin. The treatment is the same as for athlete’s foot mentioned above. It’s crucial to shower straight after exercising to wash away sweat. Then pat the rash dry with a clean towel and lightly apply the anti-fungal cream. Where possible, keep the area exposed to the air rather than covering it. You may find applying a barrier cream before you run will make it more comfortable. You can treat it yourself with advice from the pharmacist. If it isn’t clearing, then do see your GP.

Did you know?

Our skin is home to thousands of microorganisms called commensals. They include bacteria, fungi and viruses, and are an important part of the skin microbiota or microbiome, which helps to keep skin infections at bay.

Q I get recurrent thrush. Could it be due to running?

A In the same way that athlete’s foot and jock itch fungi can thrive in the warm, moist folds of runners’ skin, so can thrush, but thrush is common anyway, so running might not be to blame. Candida albicans is the yeast-like fungus which causes thrush. You might find it under breasts, in armpits or groins. In these locations it’s classed as intertrigo, which includes a range of infections and inflammation occurring between skin folds.

The vagina is the commonest site for women to experience thrush. The lining of the vagina and surrounding skin become inflamed, sore and itchy. There’s often a white, slightly lumpy vaginal discharge. Men can get thrush on their penis, where redness may develop on head of the penis and foreskin. It can be uncomfortable to pass urine or retract the foreskin and there may be an associated itch and discharge. If you’ve never had these symptoms before then it’s wise to see your GP or go to a sexual health clinic to get the diagnosis confirmed, particularly if you’re a man. If you’re confident that it’s thrush because you’ve had it before, then you can get treatment from your pharmacist. If the thrush is purely on the skin, then an anti-fungal cream should be effective, but if it’s inside the vagina, then a pessary (tablet that is inserted into the vagina) or an oral anti-fungal tablet will be necessary.

Thrush usually clears within a week of treatment, but it has a habit of coming back. To help avoid this you can continue using the cream for a few days after it has seemed to clear. It’s also important to avoid things that disrupt the skin’s natural bacteria. This is particularly relevant to runners who often shower multiple times a day. Over-washing, especially with strong or perfumed shower gels and soaps, can strip away the healthy bacteria and allow overgrowth of thrush. It’s best to avoid these products in sensitive areas and just use water or an emollient soap substitute, such as E45, Oilatum or Doublebase. Make sure skin is completely dry and not left damp. Cotton underwear is