Athlete’s Foot
The Highlights
Athlete's Foot (Tinea Pedis) is a super common fungal skin infection caused by an over-population of the fungal spores that usually live in low concentrations on our skin.
Diagnosis is key! We've seen literally hundreds of people mistake this problem for dry skin and treat in the exact opposite way they should - see the professionals!
Treatment is fast and effective in most cases: topical antifungal agents plus treatment to socks and shoes (which should be changed regularly) should help. When this is not so, oral antifungal medication can also help.
What is it and what are the symptoms?
Athlete's Foot is the common term usually used to describe Tinea Pedis - an extremely common fungal infection of the foot. It is a type of fungus called a dermatophyte, of which about 95% of skin fungal infections are. These dermatophytes colonise the skin and use it as their fuel source. So common are these infections, it is unusual for us to go a full day in clinic without seeing one.
Tinea Pedis can, in principle, appear anywhere on the foot but is generally on the sole of the foot or between the toes. These areas are usually have more moisture (which fungus loves) and are rich in keratin (which they feed off). The results are often broken/irregular/flaking areas of skin which can be slightly red and occasionally itchy. Although the infection usually starts in one spot, if left unmanaged, it can spread across much of the feet. Sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish fungal infections from simple dry skin which is why diagnosis from a Podiatrist can be so important as we'll get to.
Why does it happen?
Fungal spores are all over our environments and that's not exactly the problem - the problem is when they grab the opportunity to grow out of control. A split in the skin between the toes for example can be all it takes for them to take advantage and, combined with a warm moist environment you have the perfect growing medium. This can happen to anyone and we always stress this to patients because many are unduly ashamed about athlete’s foot - trust us, we see it all the time and there’s nothing to be embarrassed about so don’t let that put you off seeing us!
What are the treatment options?
Treatment of foot fungal infections boils down to two things: a) getting an appropriate anti-fungal drug to the source of the infection and b) creating an environment that fungal infections struggle to grow in. Let's deal with these back-to-front.
Creating the right environment means keeping the feet dry; change your socks daily (or more if particularly prone to sweating), try not to wear the same pair of shoes two days in a row and ensure they dry out properly between uses. There are also antifungal sprays that you can fire into all your footwear, socks and indeed on your feet to cover all the places the fungus might be hiding.
It is also important therefore to stop the use of moisturising creams on your feet as these will only help the fungus the grow (we see a huge number of patients who mistake their fungal infection for dry skin and end up feeding the infection - sometimes for years. So make sure you get the right diagnosis from an expert).
For anti-fungal drugs (we're talking topical agents you apply directly to the skin), the first thing to know is many products you can buy over the counter are indeed proven to be effective against fungus BUT some are better than others (depending on the type of infection) and the method of application matters. Fortunately, getting the desired application on the skin is a lot easier than dealing with a fungal toenail (see our page on that here). Our Podiatry team can recommend appropriate antifungal agents (many of which are available at our clinic) or, in severe cases that also involve nail infection, we may advise oral medication which can be arranged via your GP practice.
