Athlete's Foot Information Manual

By CH Woods

Athlete's foot, also called tinea pedi, is a fungal infection that can affect the top layer of the skin on your foot, particularly when it is moist and warm. Athlete's foot is actually a type of ringworm.

Types of Athlete's Foot
Most instances of athlete's foot are hardly visible aside from the somewhat dry and flaky skin. If the infection becomes worse, you will suffer from extremely dry, peeling, and red skin. It generally affects the skin between your toes, although it can spread to the edges and top of the feet in addition to the hands.

There are three common types of athlete's foot:

1. Inflammatory: In cases like this the skin of your feet are affected by blisters.
2. Interdigital: Infection occurs between the toes.
3. Moccasin: Affects only the bottom of your feet.

During treatment, you have to completely cover every area of the fungal infection in order to avoid the infection from returning. This means that if you only focus on treating the bottom parts of your feet while overlooking the infection within your toenails, the infection will not be eliminated and will come back before you know it.

Causes of Athlete's Foot
Everyone has fungi and bacteria on their skin, nearly all of which are safe. The fungi that are the main causes for infection resemble plant life in that they eat broken down natural tissues. The key forms of fungi that trigger skin infections like athlete's foot include mold, tinea, and candida.

The infection may be transferred by means of direct contact, especially if you touch the fungi and do not wash your hands afterwards. You may also get infected by indirect contact, which can involve infected towels, clothing, and linen.

In general, the fungi flourish best in humid and warm environments, which explains why the feet are an ideal breeding ground if not kept dry. Also, this is why locations such as changing rooms, showers, and swimming pools are all popular places for the fungal infection to be spread.

Additional Problems
As stated, athlete's foot is usually a mild problem, which in rare cases, causes more severe problems. Although it is usually easily treated, it is advisable to deal with the infection before the fungi has an opportunity to reproduce and spread, as letting it spread can make dealing with it much harder.

If not taken care of quickly and effectively, athlete's foot can lead to one of the three problems below.

• Cellulitis: Once within your body, bacteria may cause the infection to multiply nearly instantly since some forms discharge chemicals that break down skin tissues. If left without treatment, this can possibly bring about severe health conditions.
• Interior Bacterial infections: Serious athlete's foot could cause cracked skin, which exposes the delicate raw tissue below. Although fungi generally only grow on the outside of your skin, bacteria is likely to thrive within the body and may result in a more serious infection if it gains access.
• Nail Fungus: If athlete's foot is not handled with speed it can very easily spread to your nails, causing them to become thick and discolored. The skin underneath the nail could also become painful and swollen, which makes it difficult to walk or put on shoes.

Treatment for Athlete's Foot
In most cases, athlete's foot is simply an annoying, somewhat uncomfortable fungal infection that can successfully be treated with a good over-the-counter medicine purchased from your local drug store.

It is very important, however, to deal with the condition the instant you notice it to stop it from becoming something more severe, so schedule an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible to find out the best way to take care of it. 

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CH Woods is the Executive Director of Organic & Environmental Products
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