Athlete's foot is a skin disease caused by a fungus. It usually appears between the toes.
I want to give you information about this skin disease now, before you work on your new fitness and weight goals and run to the gym 3 times a week. The warmth and dampness of areas around showers and locker rooms are wonderful breeding spots for the fungi. In fact, because the disease was common among athletes who use common locker rooms and showers, the name "athlete's foots" became popular.
First, I want you to know how you can prevent athlete's foot. If that doesn't work, here are some tips on diagnosing it quickly and treating the disease at home before it becomes serious.
Symptoms
There are several signs of athlete's foot. You may have one or several of them at one time. They include:
Athlete's foot can spread to your toenails and to other parts of the body. One of the major problems is the organisms causing athlete's foot usually persist over a long period of time.
Prevention
It's not always easy to protect against athlete's foot especially when you're fitting in your workouts to a tight schedule and sometimes you forget to absolutely dry between your toes. It's not difficult to prevent athlete's foot; you just need to practice good foot hygiene. That includes:
- Daily washing of your feet with soap and water.
- Drying your feet carefully especially in between your toes.
- Avoid walking barefoot in public places.
- Wear light and airy shoes.
- Change socks or hose regularly. If your feet sweat a lot, change your socks twice a day.
- Wear socks that wick away moisture so your feet stay dry.
- Use a quality foot powder daily.
The organisms that cause athlete's foot thrive in damp, closed environments. This can be created by thick, tight shoes that squeeze the toes together and create warm, moist areas. Damp socks and shoes and warm, humid conditions also allow for growth. Plastic shoes, which don't breath, are a great breeding ground for the skin disease.
Treatment
For a mild case of athlete's foot, you can try the over-the-counter antifungal creams, sprays, powders or ointment. Most fungal infections respond well to these topical agents especially when you keep your feet dry. Keep your feet dry by dusting foot powder in shoes and hose.
If the skin problems don't go away or become worse over a two-week period, it's time to see a doctor. (If you are diabetic you probably should see a doctor right away.)You may want to visit a podiatrist or a dermatologist. Your doctor will determine if it is a fungus that is the cause of your problem or from some other cause such as bacteria.
There are several prescription-strength topical medications. If you don't respond to those, your doctor may give you a prescription oral medication such as Lamisil, or Sporanox, or Diflucan. There are side effects to all these meds so check with your doctor and make sure your progress is monitored.
There is nothing romantic about athlete's foot. It's one of those things that happen if you're a little careless or even if you're meticulous about your personal hygiene. Just being aware of the possibilities will keep you in your prevention mode.
Share your tips for avoiding skin diseases like athlete's foot. Scroll down to Comments and type them in the blank window.
To your health.
Ruthan Brodsky
Sources: www.mayoclinic.com American Podiatric Medical Association, Inc.
Although what you say is true, "The warmth and dampness of areas around showers and locker rooms are wonderful breeding spots for the fungi," what's never added to this is that the primary breeding ground for this fungus is shoes. I know I'm sounding like a kook, but, having avoided wearing shoes for over 10 years (yes, it is both possible and incredibly healthy), I have *never* developed any bacterial or fungal infections.
As you mentioned, bacteria and fungi grow rampantly in warm, moist, dark areas and cannot survive in cool, airy, and dry environments.
Posted by: Les | December 16, 2008 at 03:57 PM