Athlete's foot is a skin infection of the foot caused by fungus. The fungus that causes athlete's foot is called Trichophyton. When the feet or other areas of the body stay moist, warm, and irritated, this fungus can thrive and infect the upper layer of the skin. Fungal infections can occur anywhere on the body, including the scalp, trunk, extremities (arms and legs), hands, feet, nails, groin, and other areas. The fungus that causes athlete's foot can be found on the floors in gyms, locker rooms, swimming  pools, nail salons, and in socks and clothing. It can also be spread directly from person to person. Up to 70% of the population may have athlete's foot at some time during their lives. But how can you tell that you have the infection or not?

The symptoms of athlete's foot typically include various degrees of itching and burning. The skin may frequently peel, and in particularly severe cases, there may be some cracking, pain, and bleeding as well. Some people have no symptoms at all and do not know they have an infection. Sometimes the dry flakes may spread onto the sides and tops of the feet. Most commonly the rash  is localized to just the soles of the feet. The space between the fourth and fifth toes also may have some moisture, peeling, and dry flakes.

Unusual cases may look like small or large blisters of the feet, thick patches of dry, red skin, or calluses with redness. Sometimes, it may look like just mild dry skin without any redness or inflammation. Athlete's foot may present as a rash on one or both feet and even involve the hand. Hand fungal infections are called tinea manuum. The exact cause of why the infection commonly only affects one hand is not known. Athlete's foot may also be seen along with ringworm of the groin (especially in men) or hand(s). It is helpful to examine the feet whenever there is a fungal groin rash called tinea cruris. It is important to treat all areas of fungal infection at one time to avoid re-infection.

Some preventive measures are including keep your feet clean and dry, avoiding prolonged moist environments, removing shoes and allowing the feet skin to "breathe," avoiding walking  barefoot, especially in public areas like swimming pools and gyms, avoiding contact with known infected people, and avoiding soaking and contaminated tool usage at nail salons. It is imperative to take your own nail instruments, including nail files, to any public nail salon, unless you know the salon practices strict instrument sterilization and/or uses all disposable supplies. Use cotton socks whenever possible. Make sure any affected family members also treat their athlete's foot at the same time to avoid cross-infections.

Untreated, athlete's foot can potentially spread to other body parts or other people including family members. People with diabetes, HIV/AIDS, cancer, or other immune problems may be more prone to all kinds of infections, including fungus. When the skin is injured by fungus, the natural protective skin barrier is broken. Bacteria and yeasts can then invade the broken skin. Bacterial infection of the skin and resulting inflammation is known as cellulitis. This is especially likely to occur in the elderly, individuals with diabetes, chronic leg swelling, or who have had veins removed in a surgery.

Now, what if you already have the infection? Is there any treatment? Don't worry, treatment do exist. Click the button below to know more about the treatment.

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