Athlete's Foot
Athlete’s Foot is a common skin infection that occurs on the foot. It produces a rash and may cause the skin to peel, crack, or become scaly. It often causes burning and itching and sometimes redness. Athlete’s foot most commonly affects the skin between the fourth and fifth toes, the skin on the heel or the bottom of the foot, or causes blisters on the bottom of the foot. Severe infections can also infect toenails.
Athlete’s foot is caused by a fungus. Fungi (plural of fungus) grow well in areas that are warm and moist, like the skin between the toes and the bottom of the feet. The fungus that causes athlete’s foot spreads very easily. It can be spread by simply touching the skin of a person who has the infection and also in areas where people walk barefoot such as at a swimming pool, shower, or gym. It can also spread by wearing infected shoes. The fungus then grows in your own shoes and causes the itchy, burning, red rash known as athlete’s foot. Occasionally athlete’s foot can spread to other areas of the body, such as under the toenails or the groin (jock itch).
The best treatment for athlete’s foot is good foot hygiene and antifungal medications. An important part of good foot hygiene is to keep feet and socks dry to prevent fungal growth. Footwear should be roomy to allow good airflow around the skin of the foot. Also, using a separate towel to dry the area of the foot affected by athlete’s foot can prevent spreading the infection to other areas of the foot. Wearing shower shoes or flip flops in areas such as locker rooms and swimming pools can prevent infection and re-infection with the fungus. Once you have athlete’s foot the first time, you are more likely to get it again.
Antifungal medications are also an important part of treating athlete’s foot. Antifungal medications are available as a spray, powder, cream, gel, or oral medication. Oral medications are most often reserved for prolonged and severe infections and require a prescription. Most infections can be treated with the other forms of antifungal medications and are available over-the-counter. The available medications are Lamisil (terbinafine), Lotrimin (clotrimazole), and Monistat-Derm (miconazole). The formulation of the medication is mostly up to patient preference. Sprays are convenient as they can be used to spray the foot and footwear. Gels are sometimes preferred over creams because creams can sometimes further irritate skin. Powder is useful in patients with oozing or moist rashes.
Although the symptoms of athlete’s foot may resolve within days to weeks of starting treatment, it is important to continue using the medication for four weeks after the symptoms have resolved. Athlete’s foot treatment usually requires six to eight weeks of treatment to completely kill the fungus. It is important to remember that medication is not the only component of successful treatment of athlete’s foot. The foot hygiene described here will aid in resolution of the infection and prevent re-infection with athlete’s foot.
