Athlete's Foot - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Athlete's Foot is also known as tinea pedis and ring worm of the foot, athlete's foot is a common, sometimes resistant nuisance. At its peak, with malodorous, soggy, whitish, itching lesions between the toes, it can be severely annoying. Athlete's foot is transmitted through contact with a cut or abrasion on the bottom (plantar surface) of the foot. In rare cases, the fungus is transmitted from infected animals to humans.Infections cause raised, circular pimples or blisters that resemble the lesions caused by ringworm.

Athlete's foot is a skin disease caused by a fungus, usually occurring between the toes. The fungus then grows in the warm and moist environment of your footwear, and can be difficult to eradicate. For short periods of time, the fungus can live in warm puddles on the tile floor, awaiting another foot to hop onto. Other conditions, such as disturbances of the sweat mechanism, reaction to dyes or adhesives in shoes, eczema, and psoriasis, may mimic athlete's foot. Recently, new insights into the nature of the condition and its treatment have been obtained.

Athlete's foot or tinea pedis is a fugal infection of the skin , usually between the toes, caused by parasitic fungi .Athlete's foot occurs mostly among teen and young adult guys, kids and women can get it, too. People with sweaty or damp feet are at risk. . That's why your mom or dad might say to wear your sandals when you're showering in a public shower. Usually this condition affects the spaces between your toes, but it can spread to your toenails and the soles and sides of your feet. The infection can also involve your palms and fingers.

Early on, a mild fungus-killing ointment or powder obtainable at your drugstore may be effective,especially when combined with good foot care, including gentle removal of scales,bathing, and scrupulous, drying. Use of absorbent cotton or wool sock, rather than synthetics, may be helpfu1.

But recent studies indicate that while athlete's foot starts out as a fungal infection, when it becomes really troublesome-with odor, itching, and other-annoying symptoms thefungi no longer are active and may not even be present. Bacteria are the culprits. Although it occurs primarily in adults, athlete's foot can affect children. Dermatophyte (skin) infections cause raised, circular pimples or blisters that resemble the lesions caused by ringworm. The infections are named for the part of the body they infect; therefore, tinea pedis refers to an infection of the feet. Athlete's foot starts out, as long known, as an infection caused by a fungus (a microscopic plant growth) that is commonly found in locker rooms, public showers, and swimming pool walkways and thrives on dead cells of the skin between the toes.

Causes of Athlete's Foot

Some of the major causes of Athlete's Foot are :

• The body normally hosts a variety of saprotrophic microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi.
• Pathogenic or disease causing organisms or the overgrowth of saprotrophic ones can multiply rapidly and cause infection
• Dermatophytes may be spread from other humans (anthropophilic), animals (zoophilic) or may come from the soil . There are at least four dermatophytes that can cause athlete's foot. The most common is trichophyton rubrum .
• Inflammatory reactions in humans who have contact with infected cats, dogs, cattle, horses, birds, or other animals
• Athlete foot is caused by the ringworm fungus .
• Athlete foot can be found on floors and in socks and clothing .
• Athlete's foot is contagious and may be caught by walking barefoot in the locker room.
• Zoophilic organisms are found primarily in animals and cause marked inflammatory reactions in humans who have contact with infected cats, dogs, cattle, horses, birds, or other animals.

Symptoms of Athlete's Foot

Most commonly, people experience the typical symptoms of athlete's foot:

• Cracked or blistered skin.
• Itching, burning feet, most notably in the creases between your toes .
• leading to exposed raw tissue, pain, swelling, and inflammation.
• the infection can be spread to other areas of the body, such as the armpits, knees, elbows, and the groin .
• Gradually, the edges of the infected area become milky white and the skin begins to peel. A slight watery discharge also may be present.
• The infection can be transmitted to other parts of the body by scratching, or contamination of clothing or bedding.
• When the skin is injured by the fungus, bacteria can also invade the skin.

Treatment of Athlete's Foot

Treatment Methods of Athlete's Foot are as follows:

• The infection is often treated with topical antifungal agents such as miconazole , itraconazole , terbinafine and a keratolytic such as salicylic acid .
• itching associated with the infection subsides quickly, patients may not complete the courses of therapy prescribed.
• Washing socks, underwear and bed clothes at 60C or 140F will also help prevent any reinfection
• The hall mark of these infections is a cherry red color surrounding the lesion and a yellow thick pus.
• Best results usually are obtained with early treatment before the fungal infection establishes itself firmly
• Antifungal drugs may be used to fight the infection.
• Check your pets for areas of hair loss. Ask your veterinarian to check them too. It's important to check pets carefully, because if you don't find out whether they're causing your fungal infection, you may get it again from them, even after treatment.
• Don't wear thick clothing for long periods of time in warm weather. It will make you sweat more. 
• Powders, especially medicated powders (such as with miconazole or tolnaftate), can help keep your feet dry .
• Shoe materials, such as vinyl, that don't breath cause your feet to remain moist, providing an excellent area for the fungus to breed .
• anti-fungal creams are effective and can relieve symptoms such as burning and itching fairly quickly .
• Some topical applications such as Castellani's Paint , often used for intertrigo, work well but in small selected areas