What Is Athletes Foot

So what is athletes foot?  Athletes foot is a fairly ordinary skin infection that occurs on the feet. This infection is caused by a fungus called Trichophyton. Like any fungus, it flourishes in warm, damp conditions. When the feet stay warm and moist for an extended period of time, this fungus can take hold and infect the top layer of skin, resulting in athletes foot.  We hope this answers the question " what is athletes foot "

The fungus that causes athletes foot is found in a multitude of places where we are likely to have our shoes off, like gym floors, locker rooms, pools, and nail salons. The athletes foot fungus can even be in our shoes and socks. It is possible for the athletes foot fungus to spread from one person to another by contact with the infected area.

There are three types of athletes foot:

1. Moccasin type – Athletes foot that appears on the soles of the feet. This is the most common type of athletes foot.
2. Interdigital type – The athletes foot fungus and symptoms occur between the toes.
3. Inflammatory or blistering – These are rare cases of athletes foot where the feet appear to have blisters.

How can you tell if you have athletes foot? The symptoms include itching and burning with different degrees of severity. Athletes foot can often appear to be just severely dry skin. Sometimes the skin on the foot may peel off. Severe athletes foot can cause cracking, bleeding, and pain in the feet in severe cases.

Some of the most important treatments of athletes foot are also ideal methods to prevent it in the first place. First, make the feet less susceptible to the athletes foot fungus by keeping the feet clean and dry. Wear shoes made of material that breathes, like leather. Never wear shoes made of things like vinyl that keep the feet sweaty and moist. Wearing absorbent cotton socks that keep moisture away from your feet is key. There are several different medicated powders on the market that help to keep your feet dry. Its always a good idea to wear sandals in the locker room of your gym to avoid picking up the fungus.

Treat athletes foot with one of the many antifungal creams on the market. You should continue the treatment for about 4 weeks. If you have an advanced case of athletes foot that does not respond to the over-the-counter antifungal cream, your doctor may prescribe an oral antifungal.