Athlete's foot is a fungal infection of the skin, usually below the ankle area. It is medically referred to as tinea pedis. It is a highly common skin problem among athletes, hence the name. 

Many people experience athlete's foot at some point in their lives, especially those who go to a swimming pool, gym or use public shower rooms because a warm and damp environment is the best for spores to grow and spread in.

• Itching
• Red, scaly patches on the skin
• Dry appearance no matter how often you apply cream on your feet
• Stinging or burning
• Breakdown of the skin between the toes causing cracks or fissures

A fungus (called Trichophyton) causes athlete's foot and the infection is contracted as a result of direct contact with the fungus. In damp and warm conditions the number of fungal spores can easily and rapidly increase and spread over the bottom of the foot and between the toes. Your toenails are vulnerable as well because over time more serious skin infections can spread and infect your toenails.

The first step is to ask for help and get a diagnosis from your foot health professional or podiatrist. If you have any of the above symptoms and your feet are also particularly odorous, you may have a fungal infection or a bacterial infection. If so, the treatment you need will be different to that needed if you are suffering from a fungal infection alone. 

All the available treatments for fungal infections are based on decreasing the number of spores thus helping to avoid recurrence. Your foot health professional will offer you a choice of appropriate treatments,  highlighting the benefits and risks.

The professional will recommend the correct anti-fungal products (cream, spray, powder, foam) for you, which must be used continually during the whole process. Home treatments must be done on a regular basis as the professional advises; otherwise, the risk of recurrence or failure is high. We also educate you about different factors which contribute to the persistence of the infection and highlight the steps you can take to overcome them and prevent future fungal infections. 

If the infection has spread to your toenails, you’ll also need to treat the nails which is a significantly more difficult process as the infection is not in the nail but it penetrates the nail bed thus requiring patients to come back every 4-6 weeks for a follow up fungal treatment appointment when we treat the infected nails.

After the infection is caught, the next period of the treatment to let the new, healthy nail grow out under the regular supervision of a professional. This period can take 6-12 months. 

Once you have a diagnosis of a fungal infection, I advise my patients to do their best to keep their feet dry, clean and away from sources of infection. 

Fungus spreads very easily, so taking care of your feet is crucial in order to avoid recurrence, which doesn’t have to come from another person. It can occur from continuing to wear your own infected shoes and socks.

Athlete’s foot is highly contagious. The infection will spread rapidly if you do not treat it or treat it inefficiently. We recommend you book an appointment with us, get diagnosed promptly and start the healing process as soon as possible to be ready for the next summer holiday, even if you have a more serious nail infection.