If you truly have "large patches of skin gone" on both feet, you really need to see a doctor about that to be sure you truly have athletes foot on not something more serious that has developed along with an athletes foot infection.

there are so many various OTC anti fungals on the shelf to try, yet what works for one person may or may not work for someone else.

A good example of that is my family. I have used one anti fungal and my husband has used a different one as the one I used didn't help him. On the other hand both of our adult children have used to different anti fungals than my husband and I have used.

There is also the risk of that old "too much of a good thing is bad" problem and it may be too much for you to use both something directly on your feet as well as in your socks and shoes.

Your problems sounds as if it may have become more serious that just a simple athletes foot and it really would be best to see a doctor about it.
A podiatrist is a good choice to have your feet checked out and properly diagnosed.

Good luck

No sure if this is real or spam, but if real. You need to see a doctor, you can loose your foot if you get an infection. My doctor told my son to use an over the counter med for athletes foot, change his socks and shoes when he can. Go barefooted he gets home. Moisture is the problem.

It could also be ring worm of the foot.

I may have exaggerated on the "large patches of skin gone"
there is just dry flaky skin near my big toe and pinky toe. It never itches or burns and its barely noticeable. Also I always wash my feet and wear open toed shoes. Should I still see a doctor.

Athlete's foot is a fungus related to ring worm which are difficult to eradicate because like all fungus it has spores which end up everywhere. You need to clean everything; shoes, bedding, socks. because the spores are there. That is why last time you cured it it returned. It is not hard to eradicate but you need to be persistent when it comes to fungus.

Since you aren't being full accurate with your description of your symptoms, and what you describe doesn't fully fit the usual symptoms of athletes foot, you should see a doctor for a proper diagnosis.

you may have athletes foot and you may not, but you don't want to treat something you have with the wrong medication. It won't help and if you really need that medication in the future, you could be resistant to the treatment because of using meds that you didn't need.

Go see a doctor and find out what is really wrong.

Some people on the forum will insist you see a doctor for anything. They forgot to tell you that medical system is now the leading cause of death and bankruptcy in the U.S. also there is no law that says that a doctor has to cure you even if a cure is available.
If you are concerned see a doctor but when you walk out the door with that hand full of prescriptions go to the library and get the PDR [nurseâÂÂs drug handbook] and check them out because the doctors make mistakes.

If you suffer from Athlete's foot it would be useful for you to learn that that fungus will spread and the situation won't be very pleasant.

First of all, do not listen to d0ug! Maybe some doctors make istakes, but at least they, unlike you, have somewhat idea what is happening with your foot. You MUST see a doctor to determine an appropiate treatment!

Second of all, you MUST clean everything that is related to your feet - shoes, socks etc. in order to kill the fungus!

"Some people on the forum will insist you see a doctor for anything."

First of all d0ug, no one on this forum insists that anyone "see a doctor for anything" as you put it.

Second of all, no one except for you goes around telling other members that ask for advise that they should not go to doctors or take medicines except for you.

You have a vendetta against medicine, doctors, hospitals medicine and are spreading some very dangerous information because of that vendetta.

It appears that you believe any and all doctors, hospitals, medications both prescription and OTC should not be used and from what you have stated in another thread, it appears that vendetta is based on the death of a family member and how doctors didn't treat you loved one properly.

I'm sure many of us, maybe most of us including myself, can have the same kind of complaint. I lost my mother to very poor medical care, but that didn't turn me against medicine or anything else.

Instead of a vendetta, such as you have, I took action to be sure that those doctors never practiced medicine again, and they don't.

Something that you seem to not understand is that doctors are human beings, and being such, they make mistakes just like any other human being. Sometimes those mistakes result in serious consequences and even death for a patient.
Sometimes it could have been prevented and sometimes not.
The fact is, most doctors make mistakes at some point in their career and there is nothing that can be done to fully prevent that from happening all the time.
One can learn from the mistakes, and do everything possible to try and prevent the same thing from happening again.

To just outright condemn and entire profession as you are doing on this thread and on every thread that you post on is disingenuous to say the least.

Doctors are doing the very best humanly possible and they try their best. They are properly trained to deal with various medical issues, unlike you.

You may think you know so much because of what you have read, studies you claim to know about etc. But you do not have the full knowledge to be dispensing the medical advise that you are attempting to do, you do not have the knowledge to fully understand studies that you quote so frequently or what they really mean, or how they have been replaced with newer and new studies that dispute claims that you have made.

I do hope that no one listens to your advise, and follows through with proper medical care, and ignores you.

And no, I have no direct link to any medical profession, hospital, pharmaceutical company or anything else.

I just have the intelligence and common sense to know that anyone that is spouting out the vendetta that you spout on as many threads as possible is not someone that should be listened to.

Oh, yes PDR is the abbreviation for "Physicians Desk Reference". not the "nurses drug handbook".

Nothing is perfect in this world and that includes the medical society, BUT where would we be without them? We are living longer than man kind has ever lived and it is due to the scientists and doctors. I am one of the lucky ones who inherited good genes on both sides of the family so I don't need the use of those good people very often.

Doug, you need to get over your obsession with doctors, because they are the ones you will run to if you have an appendix burst or you have a heart attack or are ever in serious pain. You will find the things you use won't cut it, then you will be very thankful we have doctors. I am alive now because twice in my life doctors saved my life.

As far as people living longer had nothing to do with medicine but it was hygiene. Look up the evidence.
Yes doctors have a place in surgery or emergencies but they know nothing on nutrition and health. Look at the evidence U.S. spends more on medicine than all other nations put together and how is it working #1 in obesity has very large diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's, arthritis,and is 42 second in live births and first week survival. I am alive because I walk out of the doctors office.