Tinea manuum is a fungal infection of the hands. Tinea is also called ringworm, and manuum refers to it being on the hands.
Tinea pedis (athlete’s foot), corporis, cruris and manuum can all be successfully managed with over-the-counter (OTC) products.
Topical formulations include creams, sprays or powders, though cautions against the use of powders (particularly for tinea pedis), suggesting that these might cause irritation but could be of value at preventing re-infection. In most instances, treatment with a cream will be appropriate.
There are two classes of topical anti-fungal agents: imidazoles (such as clotrimazole, miconazole and econazole) and allylamines, of which there is currently only one product, terbinafine. There is little difference in terms of cure rate, although imidazoles such as clotrimazole require treatment for up to four weeks.
The reason for the difference in treatment duration is that allylamines are fungicidal, thus killing the fungus, whereas imidazoles are fungistatic and merely prevent further growth of the organism, relying on the normal process of skin shedding to remove any further living fungi.
Combination products such as Daktacort and Canesten HC include 1% hydrocortisone with the imidazole and may be used for up to seven days if the infection is associated with inflammation.