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Athlete's Foot
This is a disease or injury which is found primarily on the feet of athlete's but could also spread to other parts of the body.
What is athlete's foot?
Athlete's foot is a skin infection in the foot caused by a fungus. The fungus that causes Athlete foot is called Trichophyton. When the feet, or other areas of the body, stay moist, warm and irritated, this fungus can thrive and infect the upper layer of the skin. In other words, Athlete's foot or tinea pedis is a fungal infection of the skin, usually between the toes, caused by parasitic fungi.
Causes
Athlete foot is also called tinea pedis. The fungus that causes Athlete foot can be found on floors and in socks and clothing. The fungus can be spread from person to person by contact with these objects.
Athlete's foot is a layman's description of a skin fungal infection. Fungal infections of the skin are called dermatophytosis. Dermatophytes may be spread from:
- Other humans (anthropophilic),
- Animals (zoophilic) or
- May come from the soil (geophilic).
Symptoms
Some of the symptoms which indicate Athlete's foot are:
- Scaling and
- Itching of the affected skin
- Blisters and cracked skin
- Exposed raw tissue
- Pain
- Swelling
- Inflammation
Despite its name, the infection can be spread to other areas of the body, such as the armpits, knees, elbows, and the groin.
How can Athlete foot be treated?
The treatment of Athlete foot can be divided into two parts.
The first and most important part includes:- Make the infected area less suitable for the Athlete foot fungus to grow.
- Keep the area clean and dry.
- Buy shoes that are leather or other breathable material. Shoe materials, such as vinyl, that don't breath cause your feet to remain moist, providing an excellent area for the fungus to breed.
- Likewise, absorbent socks that wick water away from your feet such as cotton socks will help. Powders, especially medicated powders (such as with miconazole or tolnaftate), can help keep your feet dry.
- After having done the initial ground work, the feet could be soaked in a drying solution of aluminum acetate (Burrow's solution or Domeboro's solution).
Use antifungal creams like miconazole, clotrimazole, etc. You can also seek the advice of your health care professional or pharmacist. Treatment should be continued for 4 weeks.