Brief overview
- Description: Fungal skin disease of the feet, usually caused by filamentous fungi.
- Symptoms: Itching, skin scaling, sometimes blistering and oozing.
- Trigger: warm and humid environment, weakened immune system, damaged acid mantle of the skin
- Treatment: antifungal agents (antimycotics) used either externally (creams, ointments, etc.) or internally (tablets)
- Contact: dermatologist or specialist for foot diseases (podiatrist)
Athlete’s foot: symptoms
The skin scales are not only unsightly. Fungal spores can survive for days in the abraded skin and be transmitted to other people.
If nothing is done against the athlete’s foot infection at this stage, cracks can form in the horny skin that hurt when walking. Sometimes the affected areas also weep. In addition, small blisters can form, especially on the sole of the foot.
Forms of athlete’s foot
Athlete’s foot particularly likes to settle in the space between the toes, where it is moist and warm (interdigital mycosis). However, there are also other forms of the disease. Overall, physicians distinguish the following forms of athlete’s foot:
Athlete’s foot between the toes (interdigital form).
Verhornender Fußpilz (Squamös-hyperkeratotische form).
This form of the disease mainly affects the soles of the feet: Athlete’s foot symptoms first appear on the balls and heel. Then they spread to the edges of the feet and the back of the feet. The affected skin areas are scaly and excessively keratinized – but many patients simply believe they have particularly dry skin on their feet.
Athlete’s foot with vesicles (vesicular-dyshidrotic form).
It is the rarest form of athlete’s foot. Symptoms in the form of vesicles occur mainly on the edges of the feet and the arch. Here the cornea is quite thick, therefore the blisters do not burst, but rather dry up. In addition, those affected complain of itching and feelings of tension on the foot.
Spread to other areas of the body
If you scratch the infected areas with your bare hands and then touch your face (e.g. lips, ear), you can also transfer the fungal pathogens there. The same can happen if you dry your infected feet and the rest of your body with the same towel after showering or bathing.
Athlete’s foot: treatment
In order to get rid of athlete’s foot, the doctor prescribes the patient fungicidal agents, so-called antimycotics. They work in different ways: Some kill the fungi present (fungicidal effect), while others inhibit their multiplication (fungistatic effect).
Application of antifungal agents
Whether an antifungal is used externally or internally depends on how advanced the athlete’s foot is.
Athlete’s foot: What helps besides conventional medicine?
Many people swear by home remedies for athlete’s foot, such as apple cider vinegar or tea tree oil. However, the effectiveness of such natural remedies is often not scientifically proven or not well studied.
However, there are many other tips that can certainly support the success of athlete’s foot treatment.
- Allow superficial athlete’s foot products (cream, ointment, etc.) to be fully absorbed into the skin first (takes several minutes) before putting on socks or shoes.
- During and after athlete’s foot treatment, make sure that your feet are not sweaty or damp for a long time.
- Change your socks daily during athlete’s foot treatment.
- In case of athlete’s foot infection, you should wash worn socks at least at 60 degrees, better at 90 degrees.
- Change towels and bed linen more often than usual during athlete’s foot treatment and wash them on boil.
- Also wear socks to bed at night. This will prevent the fungus from transferring to the bedding.
- Shoes should be sprayed regularly (preferably daily during athlete’s foot treatment) with a disinfectant spray.
Home remedies have their limits. If the symptoms persist over a longer period of time, do not get better or even get worse, you should always consult a doctor.
Athlete’s foot: causes & risk factors
Athlete’s foot is usually caused by filamentous fungi (dermatophytes), and mostly by the species Trichophytum rubrum. This pathogen can also cause other types of fungal skin diseases as well as nail fungus.
However, they usually succeed only if the immune system is weakened or the skin is damaged. Otherwise, the protective mechanisms of the skin (skin flora and acid mantle) destroy the fungal spores before they can trigger an infection.
Athlete’s foot: risk factors
There are several risk factors that promote athlete’s foot. These include:
In addition, fungi can of course also be transmitted through direct physical contact. People who practice martial arts such as judo are particularly at risk (no shoes!). Skin fungi (tinea corporis) can also be passed on to humans from animals (especially rodents). In Germany, however, this is rather rare, especially for athlete’s foot.
Incorrect footwear: Very tight shoes can become an incubator for athlete’s foot pathogens. If you often have sweaty and therefore damp feet while wearing closed shoes (like sneakers), you also create an ideal habitat for fungi. People who have to wear tight-fitting shoes at work (for example, construction workers or sewer workers) also have an increased risk of athlete’s foot.
Other diseases: Certain diseases make people more susceptible to athlete’s foot, such as circulatory problems in the legs, such as those that occur as a result of diabetes. People with a weakened immune system or a foot deformity also suffer more frequently from athlete’s foot. Likewise, allergic diseases and neurodermatitis increase the risk of athlete’s foot.
Familial predisposition: In some families, athlete’s foot occurs more frequently, even if the members no longer live together.
Athlete’s foot: examinations & diagnosis
In case of possible signs of athlete’s foot, the right contact person is your family doctor or a specialist for foot diseases (podiatrist).
The doctor will first discuss your medical history with you. You will have the opportunity to describe your complaints in detail. With targeted questions, the doctor collects even more information that may be important for the diagnosis. Possible questions are, for example:
- Have you also noticed skin changes in other parts of your body?
- Have you ever had any illnesses with such symptoms in your family?
- Do you often spend time in public places such as swimming pools or changing rooms?
Athlete’s foot treatment during pregnancy
Athlete’s foot: course & prognosis
Athlete’s foot is generally well treatable. With timely and consistent therapy, it heals without consequences. It is therefore important to react as early as possible to signs of athlete’s foot. Without therapy, it usually spreads further and further (for example, to the nails) – the chances that athlete’s foot will disappear on its own in the further course are extremely low.
Athlete’s foot: course & prognosis
Athlete’s foot is generally well treatable. With timely and consistent therapy, it heals without consequences. It is therefore important to react as early as possible to signs of athlete’s foot. Without therapy, it usually spreads further and further (for example, to the nails) – the chances that athlete’s foot will disappear on its own in the further course are extremely low.
To prevent athlete’s foot, you should also change your socks every day. This is especially true if you tend to have sweaty feet.
In summer, you should wear open shoes (such as sandals) as often as possible. Walking barefoot is also good for your feet – but not in swimming pools, saunas, public washrooms and changing rooms, hotel rooms and campsites! In such places, the risk of infection for athlete’s foot is particularly high. Therefore, you should always wear slippers or bathing shoes here.
Fungi feed on sugar. A diet as low in sugar as possible therefore makes it more difficult for athlete’s foot to attack the skin, because there is then also less sugar in the sweat.
