Athletes Foot
Athlete’s foot (tinea pedis) is a rash on the skin of the foot. It is the most common fungal skin infection. There are three main types of athlete’s foot. Each type affects different parts of the foot and may look different.
What causes Athlete’s Foot?
Athlete’s foot is caused by a tinea fungus that grows on or in the top layer of skin. Fungi (plural of fungus) grow best in warm, wet places, such as the area between the toes.
Athlete’s foot spreads easily. Very often, you can get afflicted with athlete’s foot by walking barefoot on contaminated surfaces near swimming pools or in locker rooms. You can also contract the disease by coming into contact with the toes or feet of an infected person.
Fungus thrive in dark, moist environments such as the inside of a shoe. If you have sweaty feet, keeping them in shoes with poor ventilation from long periods of time will allow the fungus to infect your feet.
What are the symptoms?
The first signs of athlete’s foot is unbearable itching. The itching is usually the most severe immediately after a patient removes his or her footwear. A scaly, red rash will also develop on the feet, most often, in-between the patient’s toes. If untreated for a long time, blisters or ulcers will also develop.
How can podiatry help?
Most patients will try to cure athlete’s foot using a variety of home remedies such as application of talcum powder to the infected area, soaking the foot in vinegar and so on. These are temporary solutions that may only be useful in curing the mildest of athlete’s foot infections.
If the symptoms persist after regular administration of such home remedies, the patient should seek professional evaluation by a foot specialist, also known as a podiatrist, immediately.
At East Coast Podiatry Centre Singapore, our podiatrists, after a thorough foot assessment, would prescribe treatment plans and medications depending on the severity of your foot condition.
