Fungal Foot Infection

The most common fungal foot infection is athletes foot. It is an extremely common ailment among athletes and non athletes, overall there is a serious lack of awareness regarding what causes athletes foot, preventative methods and even what athletes foot is .

Let's begin by examining what athletes foot actually is. Athletes foot is a fungal infection which attacks the skin of the feet, causing considerable damage and suffering. The offending fungi is always present on our feet, however due to reasons we'll soon examine, may be given a boost in numbers and a helping hand to get underneath the skin, where the damage is really done.

Fungi like moisture and heat, and our feet provide the ideal home, particularly in between the toes. If our feet are overly moist from sweating, the fungi will thrive and multiply. The more fungi which is present on our feet, the more chance we have of developing athletes foot. The fungi can gain entry into the smallest of openings, such as a minor scratch on our feet, and cause layers of skin to become infected.

An infected foot may exhibit itchy cracked, dry and flaky skin, particularly around the underside of the feet, heal and between the toes. Your feet may also develop red and sore pustules which may bleed and weep, particularly around and in between the toes.

Athletes foot can also be picked up from other people by walking on the same floors without footwear.

The 4 main things which most people should keep in mind are:

• Keep your feet clean, and fungal numbers down by washing them regularly.
• Change your socks daily, or twice daily. The fungi not only live on your feet, but in your socks where it eats your dead skin cells. By wearing the same socks, you re-introduce the fungi back onto your feet.
• Keep your feet as dry as possible. Firstly ensure you dry your feet properly after cleaning them, particularly in between the toes. Secondly avoid your feet sweating so much by giving them some air. Wear sandals or breathable footwear.
• Avoid walking barefoot as much as possible, particularly in changing rooms at sports centres and the like as athletes foot can be picked up off the floor where other infected feet have walked.

Treating athletes foot is relatively simple. For a definitive diagnosis you should always visit you G.P., but should you wish to just get right on with treatment you can visit your pharmacist and ask for an athletes foot treatment, usually in the form of a cream.

One last note is a fungal infection may often appear to have cleared up, but can flare back up again as soon as treatment stops. This is usually because treatment stopped before it actually had cleared up. You should overshoot your treatment by around 2 weeks after your feet appear to be back to normal, ridding any last trace of infection your eyes can't see.