Athlete's foot
Tinea pedis (or athlete’s foot) is a very common condition which affects many people at some point during their lives. At any given time, around 15-25% of people are likely to have the infection.1
There are three different forms of athlete’s foot:
- Interdigital usually appears between the toes (4th and 5th)
- Plantar or moccasin is where the interdigital infection spreads to the sides and soles of the feet
- Vesicular type is seen as small vesicles over the instep of the foot.
Hot weather and wearing trainers are seen as triggers of athlete’s foot.
The infection is picked up when we come into indirect contact with fungal spores. These live in skin that has flaked off from the foot of another athlete’s foot sufferer. So, when we walk around barefoot, we can pick up the discarded, infected skin from another sufferer, on our feet. The fungi can then establish itself, grow and penetrate deeper into the skin. Common places to pick up an infection are in communal changing areas and swimming pools, or through sharing towels. Direct contact (i.e. skin to skin) can also cause athlete’s foot.
Symptoms include:
- Itchy toes and feet
- Flaky peeling skin
- Cracked skin
- Inflamed, sore and red skin.
Myth busting
- You have to play sport to catch athlete’s foot. Although athlete’s foot is common in people who play lots of sport, the reason they catch it is because they spend more time in humid communal changing rooms and wear trainers. Even un-sporty people can catch athlete’s foot!
- Only people who don’t wash properly get athlete’s foot. Fungi don’t discriminate between clean and dirty feet.
References
- Crawford, F. (2006) Athlete's foot. Clinical Evidence. BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.