Athletic foot

Athlete’s foot (also known as tinea pedis) is an infection of the feet that is brought on by fungus. Males tend to suffer with athlete’s foot more than females and it occurs more frequently in children than it does with adults. It is caused by various different fungi and is very contagious so you can get it by coming into contact with someone else that has it or if there is fungus in the environment. The most common places where people get infected are at swimming pools and changing rooms. Someone is more prone to catching it if they walk around barefoot in public places, if they suffer with sweaty foot as well as wearing tight shoes that don’t allow the foot to breathe or if they share socks with someone that is infected with it. Athlete’s foot will mainly occur between your toes but also on the soles of your feet.

SYMPTOMS OF ATHLETE’S FOOT

Athlete’s foot can be symptom-less and a lot of people may just think they have dry skin. However, it can cause a lot of itching and stinging between your toes and if it is untreated and progresses, you may begin to get blisters. It can also make your feet burn, especially on the soles and cause cracking of the skin. If it has progressed, it will begin to affect the toenails too and they will become discoloured and will pull away from the nail bed.

Treatments

There are many causes for athlete’s foot and so there are many different treatments. These can be achieved at home by wearing dry, clean and friction free shoes and socks, or through medication if an infection has occurred.

Medication

Fungal infection medicine — these help to clear up any infection in the skin. These drugs should be taken for four weeks, and for at least one week after the infection in the skin has cleared up. These medications include miconazole (Micatin, Zeasorb powder), econazole (Spectazole), clotrimazole (Lotrimin), terbinafine (Lamisil), naftifine (Naftin), butenafine (Mentax), ciclopirox (Luprox), ketoconazole (Nizoral), efinaconazole (Jublia), luliconazole (Luzu), sertaconazole (Ertaczo), sulconazole (Exelderm), and tolnaftate (Tinactin).
Oral anti-fungal medicine — these are used for more prominent and resistant athlete’s foot. You may need tests to make sure you don’t suffer from liver disease before you take these medications. These include terbinafine (Lamisil), itraconazole (Sporanox), and fluconazole (Diflucan).
Topical corticosteroid creams — these are not recommended for fungal infection as they can act as a fertiliser for fungus and can make infections worst but they are effective when used for non-infectious causes of athlete’s foot.
Nail fungus treatment — make sure to also treat the nails which can lead to recurring athlete’s foot. These can include ciclopirox (Penlac), efinaconazole (Jublia), and tavaborole (Kerydin).

Things to do at Home

You can keep athlete’s foot away by following some simple steps in order to keep your feet healthy and stop infections growing and spreading. It is recommended to take the medication but make sure to stop athlete’s foot from spreading to other people by following some hygiene steps.

When you are at home, make sure to take your shoes off to allow your feet to breathe.
Dry your feet carefully when coming out of the shower or bath, especially between your toes.
Make sure to wear clean socks every day and change them whenever it’s hot or after play sports. Try cotton, silk, or wool socks as they will absorb moisture, from your feet, decreasing the chance of getting an infection and avoid synthetic socks which will increase the sweat.
Wear sandals whenever you can to allow the air to your feet and reduce moisture build-up which causes infections.
Make sure to wash your towel frequently to avoid bacteria which causes infection and never share someone else’s towel or allow anyone to use yours.
If you are in a public changing room, shower or pool don’t walk barefooted, as you could pick up infection or spread it. Wear flip-flops or sandals instead.

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