Doctors issue warning about over-the-counter antifungal spray that can cause FROSTBITE
A woman in Michigan contracted frostbite after using a common spray to treat her athlete’s foot.
The 67-year-old, who was not named, used $8 a canister Lotrimin powder spray — sold at stores like Walmart, Target and Amazon — to treat the infection.
But after using the spray for just three seconds, she felt pain in her foot before a blue and black mark about an inch wide appeared on her middle left toe.
Doctors said it was “consistent” with frostbite, pointing out that the product contained a chemical – isobutane – that is “notorious” for causing the condition.
The chemical can cause a rapid drop in skin temperature as it changes from a liquid to a gas, which can cause frostbite.
A 67-year-old woman in Michigan suffered frostbite on her middle left toe (left) after using Lotrimin powder spray to treat her athlete’s foot
She described the spot on her toe as painful, which measured about 0.6 inches across
Athlete’s foot affects up to 15 percent of the population — or 50 million — at any given time and is caused by the fungus dermatophytes that are also behind ringworm.
It is picked up from surfaces that are damp, such as pool and locker room floors and towels.
Symptoms of the infection include red, inflamed, itchy, or peeling skin around the infected areas.
There are many over-the-counter treatments available, including Lotrimin’s powder spray, as well as creams and ointments to rub on the infection.
The spray contains miconazole nitrate powder, which fights fungal infections by breaking the walls of fungal cells causing them to die.
But the aerosol can also use isobutane – which acts like a projectile to release the powder from the canister – which can cause the skin’s temperature to drop suddenly.
Previous reports say the chemical can lower temperatures by as much as 36F (20C) per second and, when sprayed for six seconds or more, causes skin temperature to drop below freezing. This would cause freezing and cell death.
In the case, revealed this week in the magazine Foot and ankle surgery, the woman came to the doctors and complained of an itching and burning sensation between her toes. She also had scaly skin on the tops of both her feet.
Doctors diagnosed her with tinea pedis, or athlete’s foot, and recommended that she try over-the-counter treatments such as sprays.
She was told to hold the spray six inches from her feet, use it for no more than three seconds at a time, and come back in six weeks for a checkup.
However, three weeks later she called to say there were “unexpected” changes in her feet that were painful.
She was seen right next to the bottle of Lotrimin she had been taking, as doctors diagnosed the mark on her foot as frostbite.
They told her to stop using the spray and instead prescribe a powder to treat the yeast infection.
She was discharged and returned in six months, where doctors discovered that the athlete’s foot was gone, as were the scars from the frostbite.
Doctors noted that the patient also had diabetes, high blood pressure and sleep apnea.
The doctors at Central Michigan University wrote in the report, “By educating patients about the proper use of over-the-counter medications and advising them to seek medical attention if any unusual symptoms develop, we can prevent further…damage, especially in high-risk diabetic patients.’
Doctors told her to stop using the spray and switch to just a powder form. Within six months the athlete’s foot was cured and her frostbite was also gone
They added: ‘The discoloration is consistent with a burn/frostbite.
“Upon closer inspection of the label of the Lotrimin powder spray, there is no warning of burns or frostbite.
“But one of the chemicals listed is isobutane, which is notorious for causing frostbite.”
DailyMail.com reached out to Bayer, the company that owns Lotrimin, for comment.