Athlete's Foot (Tinea Pedis)

Athlete’s foot, also known as tinea pedis, is a superficial fungal infection of the feet. The most common fungal infection, athlete’s foot has affected up to 70 percent of the population at some time. Fungal infection is usually encouraged by heat, moisture, and skin breakdown. Frequently, it starts in the moist toe webs, and then may spread along the base of the toes and soles of the feet.

Not every scaly, red, or oozing foot problem is due to fungal infection. Bacterial infections, dermatitis, psoriasis, and other skin conditions can mimic a fungal infection of the foot. Persistent infections should be examined by a clinician.


Symptoms
The athlete’s foot rash commonly has two forms. The moist and inflammatory type is red with areas of blisters, oozing, and scaling. The dry, scaly type is light pink with areas of scaling and thickening of the skin.

Tinea unguis, or onychomycosis, is a superficial fungal infection of the nails. It often occurs in the toenails of people with athlete’s foot. Nails infected by tinea unguis become yellow, thick, and even crumbly.


Treatment
The treatment of athlete’s foot involves applying medicated antifungal creams or lotions to the skin, often for four weeks or longer. In more persistent or extensive forms of the infection, oral antifungal medications may be necessary. If the lesions are oozing or inflammatory, soaking the feet in Burow’s (Bluboro) solution can help decrease the inflammation.
In fungal nail infections, a locally applied lacquer has been effective in mild cases. More extensive nail involvement may require medication taken by mouth. A clinician can recommend the best treatment plan.

In both athlete’s foot and fungal nail infections, recurrence after treatment is common. Thus, prevention measures are an important part of the treatment.


Prevention
Follow these prevention measures to reduce the chances of contracting or spreading the infection, and to prevent recurrence after treatment.

• Keep feet dry.


• Dry carefully between all the toes after bathing.


• Use an absorbent foot powder such as Zeasorb or an antifungal powder such as Zeasorb AF.


• Wear "breathable" shoes or sandals when weather permits.


• Avoid boots, plastic shoes, and tennis shoes if one's feet sweat easily.


• Wear absorbent, cotton socks. Change socks at least once a day, or more if they get wet. Do not share towels or clothing.


• Clean the shower floor regularly with disinfectant or bleach/water mix.

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