Diagnosis & symptoms
Athlete’s foot is a fungal infection of the skin and can be diagnosed with a clinical consultation. Positive identification is essential as many skin complaints look very similar, for example dermatitis and psoriasis.
It may have two classic appearances depending on the site infected:
1. If the infection is between your toes the skin often has a white, soggy appearance. There may also be fissuring (cracks/splits) in the skin between your toes.
2. Fungal skin infections either on the top or sole of your foot are often visible as dry, red, scaly patches which may or may not have spots in them. These spots are usually very small blisters with a clear to yellow coloured fluid in them.
The affected areas are often quite itchy and you will most probably be driven to scratching the area which can increase the inflammation and discomfort of the skin.
Typical causes
Athlete’s foot is usually as a result of infection with a naturally occurring fungi residing on the skin. Athlete’s foot infection develops when the fungi has the right conditions in which to proliferate, or if the fungus is introduced through a crack in our skin. These parasitic fungi are typically transmitted in moist communal areas where people go barefoot, such as around swimming pools or in changing rooms and public showers. They can be spread to elsewhere on your body by scratching infected areas or if not treated effectively.
Types of athlete’s foot treatment available
With a positive identification and careful history taking we can plan a way of managing and hopefully eradicating this annoying problem.
We stock preparations to treat this condition. Using these together with other techniques to reduce the fungi’s desired living environment usually results in the infection clearing up.
