Athlete's Foot

Athlete’s foot is a fungal infection that causes a rash on moist areas of your feet.

• Athlete's foot is very common because water gets trapped in the warm spaces between your toes

• It can spread from person to person in shared bathrooms, showers, and warm wet places

• Keeping your feet dry lowers the chance of getting athlete's foot

• Doctors treat athlete's foot with antifungal cream

Symptoms include:

• Itching

• Foot rash

There are different kinds of athlete's foot rash:

• Cracked, red, peeling skin between your toes

• Thickened, scaly skin on the soles of your feet

• Rarely, fluid-filled blisters

Athlete's Foot (Tinea Pedis)

Image

Image provided by Thomas Habif, MD.

The cracks in your skin can let germs in and cause a bacterial infection of the skin of your foot (cellulitis).

Doctors can usually tell it's athlete's foot by looking at it. To know for sure, doctors may take a tiny scraping of your skin to look at under a microscope.

Doctors treat athlete's foot with:

• Antifungal creams to put on your foot

• Rarely, antifungal medicines to take by mouth

Athlete's foot often comes back after treatment. You may need to take medicine for a long time.

To prevent athlete's foot:

• Keep your feet dry

• Wear shower shoes or sandals at the gym or other public showers

Ways to keep your feet dry include:

• Wearing open-toe shoes or shoes that let air circulate

• Changing your socks often, especially during warm weather

• Drying the spaces between your toes with a towel after bathing