Athlete’s Foot

Athlete’s foot is a common fungal infection that you can get saddled with some point in your life. The fungus usually develops between the toes and can spread to your toenails and the soles and sides of your feet.

The fungus attacks the feet because of the warm, dark and humid environment created by shoes that encourages its growth. The term, athlete’s foot, probably was coined because this skin disease was common in athletes using warm and damp showers and locker rooms. However, not all fungal infections of the foot are athlete’s foot. (1)

Symptoms

Athlete’s foot is not confined to the feet, it can also occur on palms and fingers. It can spread to other parts of the body too, such as groin, underarms and other places, if you scratch the infection and touch these places. Even contaminated bed sheets or clothing can spread the infection to other parts of the body (1). Just see the picture(s) below to see how this condition looks like.

Athlete’s foot is primarily an adult’s disease, but cases in children have also been reported. When you get this infection, the first thing you experience is drying up of the skin, accompanied by itching and scaling. If left unattended, it can take the form of inflammation and blisters.

Blisters can often cause cracking of the skin, resulting in small raw areas of tissue that cause pain and swelling. The severity of itching and burning is usually directly proportional to the spread of the infection. The fungus causing athlete’s foot may persist for long periods.