After treatment with griseofulvin stops, the infection may return. A doctor may also prescribe ketoconazole for fungal skin infections. Like griseofulvin, oral ketoconazole can have serious side effects, including liver disease. Keeping the infected areas clean and dry helps thwart further fungal growth and promote skin healing. Infected areas should be washed frequently with soap and water, then dusted with talcum powder.
Doctors often recommend avoiding powders containing cornstarch because it can promote fungal growth.
If a fungal skin infection oozes, a bacterial infection also may have developed. Such an infection may require treatment with antibiotics. Candida usually infects the skin and mucous membranes, such as the lining of the mouth and vagina. Rarely, it invades deeper tissues as well as the blood, causing life-threatening systemic candidiasis. Candida is a normal resident of the digestive tract and vagina that usually causes no harm.