Recurrent tinea pedis: a double blind study on the prophylactic use of fenticonazole powder.

Tinea pedis is a common and frequently recurring dermatophytic infection, which is extremely difficult to eradicate. The often inevitable persistence of predisposing conditions, especially maceration, suggests that application of powders containing antifungal medication to the affected area could be effective in preventive therapy against recurrence. For this study we used one of the most recent azole antifungal agents, fenticonazole. Thirty patients affected with tinea pedis were cured with topical antifungal treatment; both the diagnosis and the cure were confirmed by microscopic and cultural mycological analyses. The results of subsequent double blind antifungal versus placebo treatment (controlled with clinical and mycological tests over a period of 4 months and with a final statistic evaluation) confirmed the effectiveness of such therapy in reducing the frequency of tiresome relapses in such patients.