Canesten Cream is one of those medicines that you don’t know you need, right up until the moment when it is the only thing you need.
When you realise you’ve picked up some kind of fungal infection and you’re itching to high heaven, you would pay ludicrous amounts of money for this little tube of antifungal cream. Canesten! Canesten! My Kingdom for some Canesten! As Shakespeare’s King Richard – almost – said. I’ve got four good reasons as to why you should put some Canesten cream in your cart right now and pull the trigger.
Reason #1 – Athlete’s Foot.
This is one of those diseases that sounds quite flattering. Once you find out it is a foot fungus, it really takes some of the sheen off. It usually starts in between the toes, and spreads out across the foot in a painful weeping red rash. It is a contagious fungus that thrives in warm moist areas – communal bathrooms have a lot to answer for! But it can also be from contaminated towels or socks. Now the thing is, you can pick up the fungus but your body might fight it off naturally. You are way more likely to succumb to a full blown case if your feet are sweaty or if your footwear is super tight.
Here’s how you know you’ve got athlete’s foot
- Your skin is peeling and cracked around your toes
- Your feet become incredibly itchy – if you scratch, you will often remove the top layer of skin more easily than normal
- Your skin turns painful reddy purple
- Blisters
Because it is fungal, it doesn’t just go away by washing your feet well and giving them plenty of air – although this certainly helps. The itch will drive you insane long before it fades naturally. The only help? Good old antifungal Canesten Cream. You don’t wanna figure this out at 3am though. It will be a long 6 hours until the pharmacy opens. Get ahead of the game, and kick athlete’s foot to the curb.
Reason #2 – Jock Itch
If athlete’s foot was one of those diseases which sounds kind of complimentary, jock itch might be the antithesis. It is made worse when you hear that it is a form of ringworm. Talk about kicking someone when they are down. Jock itch usually rears its ugly head in people who sweat more than usual, those who suffer from eczema or those who are overweight. Basically, it is an itchy painful rash that is typically found where you might wear a jockstrap (do we have these in Australia?). Namely, the groin, thigh and anus. Here are some of the symptoms you could look forward to with a case of jock itch
- Itching
- Burning
- A rash with raised edges
- Cracking skin
You find yourself at risk if you are wearing tight clothes which cause you to sweat around the underpant line. If the clothes themselves are already wet and damp, all bets are off. Again, pick up Canesten cream and you (and your jock) will be right as rain in a few days.
Reason #3 – Fungal Nappy Rash
It’s hard work being a kid. Even harder when you’ve got a nappy rash which you can’t quite explain to mum or dad. When a nappy is soiled and left on too long, all that moisture can start to cause a rash. So the skin is already irritated, so if they come across any form of bacteria (and as anyone who has kids knows, they’re gonna come across multiple forms of bacteria) their chance of infection is significantly higher. It is hard to know when normal nappy rash has developed into fungal nappy rash. The main indicators are:
- The skin is spotty and red
- It looks sore and itchy
- Your child is unsettled
- Normal nappy cream hasn’t cleared up the problem.
What’s the solution? You know. It’s Canesten. And you’d better hope you’ve got some stashed away somewhere because children don’t respond quite so well to ‘I’ll pick some up tomorrow’.
Reason #4 – Thrush
A few quick facts about everybody’s least favourite fungal infection: It is caused by an overgrowth of yeast called Candida albicans – this lives naturally in the bowel and vagina, but usually it stays under control. While a thrush outbreak doesn’t cause any serious long term health issues, it is about as pleasant as listening to a Guns N Roses album. No one needs that. Here are a few tell tale signs of vaginal thrush:
- Moderate to severe discomfort in the vaginal area: burning or itching
- A yeasty smell
- I’m sorry about this one: a discharge which might be best likened to cottage cheese.
- Swelling or redness around the vulva or vagina
- Subtle splits in genital skin
- Pain during urination
It isn’t a sexually transmitted disease which is a releif. Sex during thrush is technically fine, but you might find that it isn’t high on your to-do list if you are in some discomfort. Best way to get rid of it is – of course – a friendly little tube of anti-fungal cream which sits faithfully in your medicine cabinet. In this instance, you can also use pessaries to fight the battle on all fronts. As with all medicines, it is really important to only use Canesten as directed on the packaging. If you are pregnant it is worth talking with your health professional before taking anything.
So, look around your house. Do you have a tube of Canesten stowed away safely somewhere, for the day when a fungal infection works its way into your household? You’ll be glad you do. It is the medicine you don’t know you need, right up until it is all you need.
