ATHLETE'S FOOT
Athlete's foot, also known as tinea pedis, is a common foot infection caused by fungi called dermatophytes. Although these fungi can be found in many different places indoors and outdoors, they are especially common in the warm, moist environments of pools, showers, locker rooms and other sports facilities, where people walk with bare feet. Once dermatophytes contaminate the skin of someone's foot, the warm, moist environment of sweaty socks and closed shoes contribute to their growth.
Symptoms
Symptoms of athlete's foot include:
 | Cracked, blistered, or peeling areas of skin, especially between the toes (as seen in picture above) |
| Redness and scaling on the soles |
| Intense itching of the feet |
In most people signs of infection are seen on the skin between the toes. In some patients, the fungal infection also spreads to one or more toenails, causing the nail to appear unusually thick and cloudy yellow called Nail Fungus or onychomycosis.
Your doctor will ask you about your foot symptoms and about factors that make you more likely to develop athlete's foot infection, such as your use of public sports facilities, clubs or showers. He or she also will ask about your foot-care habits, including the type of shoes and socks you wear, what kind of work you do and what you wear on your feet during work.
Your doctor can usually diagnose athlete's foot simply by looking at your feet. Your doctor can confirm the diagnosis by gently scraping some flakes of skin from a scaly portion of your foot onto a slide. By looking at the sample under a microscope, the dermatophytes that cause the infection can be seen.
Duration
Response to treatment usually takes several weeks to months. Even after proper medical treatment, the infection can easily recur if your feet are exposed again to fungi and sweaty, warm conditions. For this reason, many people have persisting and recurring athlete's foot infection for many years. Successfully curing the infection often requires changes in your daily foot-care routine and what you wear on your feet.
Prevention
Prevention is as important as medications in treating athlete's foot infection because of frequent recurrences. In general, you can help to prevent athlete's foot by keeping your feet clean and dry. Hyperhydrosis or excessively sweaty feet should be treated appropriately. Try the following suggestions:
| Wash your feet thoroughly every day and put on a clean pair of socks. |
| Take time to dry your feet, including each toe, thoroughly (especially the area between the toes) after you bathe, shower or swim. |
| If possible, don't wear the same pair of shoes for two days in a row. Give shoes a 24-hour break between wearing to air out and dry out by rotating shoes. |
| Don't share your shoes, and don't wear shoes worn by others. |
| Wear cotton socks to absorb sweat. |
| If you use public pools or showers, wear sandals to prevent your feet from touching floors contaminated with fungi. |
| Choose leather shoes rather than vinyl, since leather lets feet "breathe", so they are more likely to stay dry. |
Treatment
Doctors usually begin treating athlete's foot with a topical antifungal medication. Many weeks of topical treatment may be necessary. For patients with long-standing or recurring athlete's foot infections, topical antifungal drugs may only relieve symptoms without actually curing the infection. Medications taken by mouth can be more successful at initially curing an infection, but you still can be susceptible to recurrences.
If you are experiencing any of these signs or symptoms, call today for an appointment.