Athlete's Foot
In this section we focus on one of the most common skin infections that you will encounter in the pharmacy - athlete's foot.
After reading this section you will be able to:
- Recognise the signs and symptoms of athlete's foot
- Understand the different treatment options available
- Select appropriate treatments to match customers' needs
- Offer advice on preventing future athlete's foot infections.
Athlete's foot is easy to manage, but your advice plays a key role in making sure customers know how to use treatments correctly. Your help is also vital in educating customers on how best to prevent athlete's foot in the future.
The fungi which cause athlete's foot are called dermatophytes and, like all fungi, like to live in warm, moist environments. Therefore, feet that are cooped up in shoes or trainers all day provide the ideal breeding ground for infection.
The infection is picked up when we come in 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 fungus can then establish itself, grow and penetrate deeper into the skin. Common places to pick up an infection are communal changing areas and swimming pools, or through sharing towels. Direct contact (i.e. skin to skin) can also cause athlete's foot.
There are three different types of athlete's foot: interdigital athlete's foot, plantar or moccasin athlete's foot and vesicular athlete's foot.
- Interdigital athlete's foot is the most common and mainly affects the skin between the fourth and fifth toes. Symptoms include:
- itchy toes and feet
- flaky peeling skin
- cracked skin
- inflamed, sore and red skin.
- It can spread to other toes and the side and soles of the feet (this is called plantar or moccasin athlete's foot).
- Rarely, vesicular athlete's foot occurs where there are small vesicles (like blisters) over the instep of one or both feet.
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. Un-sporty people can catch athlete's foot as well!
- Only people who don't wash properly get athlete's foot. Fungi don't discriminate between clean and dirty feet.
Complications
The main complication is that athlete's foot can spread to other parts of the foot, such as the toenail. Around 20 to 30 per cent of people with athlete's foot will also have a fungal infection of the toenails, which can then re-infect the skin.
Another potential concern is a secondary bacterial infection of the skin. Itching can cause openings to appear in the skin, leaving it vulnerable to further infection causing inflammation and yellow discharge.
- Anyone suffering from diabetes
- If you think they may also have a fungal infection of the toenail
- If there is any evidence of a bacterial infection
- If the customer has treated athlete's foot for 7 days with an antifungal treatment and there has been no improvement
- If there is any associated pain or discomfort.
