The Causes of Athlete's Foot
Athlete's foot is a very common skin condition and
many people will develop this at least once in their
lives. Although it is more frequent among teenage
and adult males, it can occur in women and in children
under the age of twelve. Athlete's foot can be easily
treated but it may recur if care is not taken to avoid
this. So What
causes athletes foot?
Athlete's foot, known as tinea pedis, is a fungal infection
and like other fungal infections, it loves dark, moist
and warm conditions. The tiny fungi grow and multiply
on the human skin and especially the feet. A foot
inside a shoe provides the perfect home for this condition
and if left untreated, will continue to worsen leading
to blisters and cracks that may result in infections.
This disease is very contagious and can be easily caught
by walking barefoot particularly in areas used by
the public such as gyms, locker rooms and showers.
Sometimes this disease affects the toes, and especially
then skin between the last two toes, which can peel
and crack. Other times, people develop small patches
of extremely itchy blisters or even dryness on the
soles and along the sides of the feet. It may even
lead to fungal infections of the toenails. The toenails
can become badly damaged with scaling, crumbling and
thickening and even their partial loss.
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While it is not exactly known who is likely to contact
athlete's foot, there are certain conditions that
make it easy for the fungus to take hold such as sweaty
feet as well as tight socks or shoes. Neglecting to
dry your feet properly after swimming, exercising
or washing can all help to make matters worse.
What about treatment?
Once the athlete's foot is diagnosed, treatment can
begin immediately. It is very important with athlete's
foot to continue such treatment to the end of the
course as while your skin may look more normal, this
infection can remain in your system for some time
and could easily return if the treatment is halted
too soon. If untreated, the athlete's foot can lead
to secondary bacterial infections which could be more
difficult to treat.
Resources
*http://www.ucsf.edu.org
*http://www.familydoc.org
