The term athletes foot refers to a fungal infection in the skin on the bottom of the foot. It derives its name from the high incidence in athletes. The correlation between athletes and fungal infections on the feet is due to the fact that they often used community showers. This was a route for transmission of the fungal infections from one person to another. This however does not mean that only athletes can get athletes foot.

The medical term for athletes foot is Tinea Pedis. There are several different types of fungus that can infect the feet. The same fungus that are responsible for infections like ringworm are responsible for Tinea Pedis. The fungus that cause Tinea Pedis often like to live in wet warm places. This is why a shower is a perfect place for the transmission of a fungal infection. Other commonplaces are lakes and streams, community pools, the beach, or any other place where people often walk with bare feet or sandals.

Athletes foot often presents as itching and redness on the bottoms of the feet. This can be accompanied by scaling of the skin. Many Tinea Pedis infections have a moccasin type pattern on the bottom of the feet. The moccasin pattern means it's along the bottom of the foot and comes just up the sides but doesn't infect the top of the foot. The fungus can also get in between the toes and in the nails causing fungal nails.

In some cases fungal infections can lead to more serious infections. When the fungus infects the skin on the bottoms of the feet the itching and scaling can cause openings in the skin. These openings are route for bacteria to cross the skin border (our first line of defense against bacteria). Bacterial infections in the skin (or cellulitis), can become extremely serious and even life-threatening in severe cases.

Preventing fungal infections can be difficult. I have discussed some of the more common areas where you can contract the infections, however fungus can live anywhere. It can be contracted from walking barefoot in your own house. Also, wearing wet socks can lead to a fungal infection. Often times a small amount of fungus is living in the socks or shoes. Given a warm wet climate this fungus can begin to grow rapidly. For this reason changing your socks often when they are wet due to sweating or any other reason is recommended. Also, wearing shoes in any community area where multiple people walk is recommended. This will decrease the amount of fungus your feet come in contact with.

Treatment of Athletes foot depends on the area and how severe the infection is. In some cases over-the-counter antifungal agents will do the job. However, some cases require prescription strength antifungal. In rare cases a tissue sample is needed to determine the exact type of fungus. This will aid in selecting the correct medication to resolve the problem.

If you notice itching or redness on the bottoms of your feet you should come to our office for an evaluation. A small problem can turn into a large one very quickly.