What advice should I provide to patients regarding the prevention of athlete's foot recurrence?

To prevent the recurrence of athlete's foot, patients should be advised on several key measures:

• Maintain good foot hygiene: Patients should wash their feet daily and ensure they are thoroughly dried, especially between the toes, as this helps prevent fungal superinfection (Zeichner, 2015).
• Choose appropriate footwear: Advise wearing clean, dry socks made of materials that wick away moisture, such as cotton or wool, and changing them daily or more often if they become damp (Zeichner, 2015). Patients should also wear breathable shoes and alternate pairs to allow them to dry out completely, which can minimize relapse (Tosti and Elewski, 2016).
• Protect feet in public areas: Patients should avoid walking barefoot in communal areas such as public showers, locker rooms, and swimming pools, opting instead for flip-flops or sandals to prevent fungal superinfection (Zeichner, 2015).
• Disinfect footwear: Regularly disinfect shoes to eliminate fungal spores that can cause reinfection and minimize relapse (Tosti and Elewski, 2016).
• Consider prophylactic antifungal treatment: After successful treatment of an active infection, some patients may benefit from intermittent or prophylactic use of topical antifungal agents to prevent recurrence of fungal infections of the skin (Crawford and Hollis, 2007; Tosti and Elewski, 2016). This approach can be a practical strategy to minimize relapse (Tosti and Elewski, 2016).