How Do You Know You’ve Got Athlete’s Foot?

Athlete’s Foot is a common condition affecting the feet. It is most common in teenagers and men although younger children and women do catch the infection. It is estimated that 1 in 5 people at any time are affected by Athlete’s Foot.

Athlete’s Foot is caused by an infection of parasitic fungi called dermatophytes. It can cause a variety of symptoms. It is highly contagious, and often unpleasant, but rarely serious and is easily treatable. The first sign that you might have Athlete’s Foot is redness between your toes, usually the 4th and 5th ones. This can become itchy and the rash can spread to the bottom of your feet. The skin may become dry and start scaling and flaking, possibly even cracking, with small fissures appearing. In more severe cases, blisters may appear and you may find swelling and have a burning or stinging sensation in the affected areas. You may also find that your feet have a very musty, mouldy smell and that your nails become brittle and discolored if the disease spreads.

Athlete’s Foot can also spread to other areas of the body, most usually the toenails, hands or the groin. Good personal hygiene and frequent hand washing may help prevent this and it is very unusual for Athlete’s Foot type infections to start in other parts of the body.

Athlete’s Foot can usually be diagnosed without medical intervention, but there may be some cases where it is better to have it checked out by a doctor or a podiatrist. There are other skin conditions that can sometimes look similar, most notably psoriasis and eczema and skin samples can be checked under a microscope to determine the cause of the problems. A biopsy can also be carried out if the infection is not responding to treatment. This can determine the exact parasite causing the problem and enable the medical practitioners to prescribe a more powerful and specific treatment.

If you often go to gyms, pools etc then you are more likely to have Athlete’s Foot as it can be very easily spread between people in warm, moist environments. If you present some of the symptoms outlined above, especially if you are an active person, or someone who often wears tight fitting shoes and damp socks, then chances are you have Athlete’s Foot. Don’t worry, it’s easy to treat and if you treat it promptly and follow guidelines you should be infection free within a few weeks.

Copyright 2009