Treatment FAQ

what can athletes foot treatment cause

by Dennis Block Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Medication

Nov 01, 2003 · Athlete's foot: Causes, prevention, and treatment. While it's not a life-or-death matter, athlete's foot-especially if it's persistent-can be painful and make walking difficult. The early signs of athlete's foot are patches or fissures (deep breaks or slits), especially between the toes. As the infection progresses, the skin may turn red, become itchy, and appear moist.

Self-care

If it’s left untreated, it can spread to other areas of your body, including your: Nails: Fungal nail infections can be more difficult to treat. They are often more resistant to many treatments. Hands: A similar fungal infection can spread to your …

What is athlete’s foot and how is it treated?

Apr 04, 2022 · When an athlete's foot is caused by a fungus, it can be treated with antifungal medications, many of which are available without a prescription. Keeping the feet dry by using cotton socks and breathable shoes can help prevent an athlete's foot.

What is athlete's foot caused by?

Nov 17, 2020 · Athlete’s foot can damage the skin and leave it open for bacterial infections, such as cellulitis, to develop. If you develop a rash on your foot that doesn’t improve within two weeks of starting self-care with an over-the-counter antifungal ointment or spray, talk to your doctor.

What are the possible complications of athlete's foot?

May 02, 2018 · A podiatrist can prescribe foot care treatments that will ease the itch, reduce the swelling and make the ugly scaling disappear. Causes of Athlete’s Foot Athlete’s foot is caused by a virus. The three most common ones are Trichophyton rubrum, Epidermophyton floccosum, and Trichophyton mentagrophytes.

What are the symptoms of athlete’s foot?

Typically, athlete’s foot causes red, scaly, and itchy skin eruptions that may also be weepy or oozing. On toenails, they usually cause yellowing or whitening, thickening, as well as crumbling, splitting, and separating from the skin. Harmful fungi can be found all over the place, so you have to observe hygienic practices as much as you can.

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What can athletes foot lead to?

Athlete's foot can also affect your soles or sides of your feet. It sometimes causes fluid-filled blisters. If it's not treated, the infection can spread to your toenails and cause a fungal nail infection.

Can Athlete's foot cause permanent damage?

Although athlete's foot doesn't cause any serious problems in people who are otherwise healthy, it normally doesn't go away on its own. If left untreated, it can spread to a nail and cause a fungal nail infection. The infection can spread to other areas of skin, such as the hands, but that rarely happens.Jan 14, 2015

What can Untreated athlete's foot lead to?

Left untreated, athlete's foot can affect the toenails — which may thicken, become discolored or crumble — and even spread to your hands or groin. Additionally, athlete's foot can make you more vulnerable to bacterial infections, such as cellulitis.

Can Athletes foot Be Harmful?

They're usually not dangerous, but sometimes can cause disease. When they infect the skin, they cause mild but annoying rashes. Fungal skin infections are also known as tinea infections. When fungus grows on the feet, it is called athlete's foot (or tinea pedis).

What can be mistaken for athlete's foot?

Certain conditions, such as eczema and psoriasis, among other things, can also look very much like Athlete's foot. Sometimes, if the skin barrier is compromised, a secondary bacterial infection can occur.

Should I wear socks to bed with athlete's foot?

Wearing socks to bed can help prevent transmission of the fungus. Even if you avoid contact, your partner can still develop athlete's foot if you walk around the house barefoot.Mar 19, 2021

Can you get rid of athlete's foot permanently?

Athlete's foot doesn't typically go away on its own. If it's left untreated, it can spread to other areas of your body, including your: Nails: Fungal nail infections can be more difficult to treat. They are often more resistant to many treatments.Dec 1, 2021

How long can Athlete's foot last?

How Long Does Athlete's Foot Last? Most mild cases of athlete's foot clear up within 2 weeks. But treatment can go for several weeks or longer if the infection is more serious or affects the toenails.

What does Untreated athlete's foot look like?

You may see your skin become thicker and whiter, and you may develop blisters filled with foul-smelling fluid. Left untreated, athlete's foot usually doesn't lead to severe complications. However, it often becomes a major annoyance, making it more difficult for sufferers to enjoy day-to-day life.

What happens if you leave a fungal infection untreated?

If left completely untreated, your stubborn fungal skin infection may cause some or the other kind of permanent damage and in some cases your fungal infection may eventually lead to death.Feb 17, 2020

Can mold cause athlete's foot?

Athlete's foot is an extremely common skin infection caused by a fungal (tinea pedis) or bacterial infection. Mold can invade this condition and complicate it.

Does athlete's foot smell?

If you begin to notice redness or dry, scaly skin around the toes, you may be suffering from Athlete's foot. This possibility is heightened when accompanied by foul odor, which is a sign of both bacteria and fungus abrading the skin of your feet.Feb 14, 2017

How do you know if you have athlete's foot?

The early signs of athlete's foot are patches or fissures (deep breaks or slits), especially between the toes. As the infection progresses, the skin may turn red, become itchy, and appear moist. Small blisters may spread out across the foot, breaking to expose raw fissures that are painful and may swell. The area between the toes is most often ...

Is foot powder good for fungus?

Apart from any antifungal substances they might contain, they work to reduce friction between toes and between the foot and sock. Less friction means less sweat and a drier, less fungus-friendly environment.

How to treat athlete's foot?

These tips can help you ease the symptoms of athlete's foot or avoid a recurrence: 1 Keep your feet dry, especially between your toes. Go barefoot to let your feet air out as much as possible when you're home. Dry between your toes after a bath or shower. 2 Change socks regularly. If your feet get very sweaty, change your socks twice a day. 3 Wear light, well-ventilated shoes. Avoid shoes made of synthetic material, such as vinyl or rubber. 4 Alternate pairs of shoes. Don't wear the same pair every day so that you give your shoes time to dry after each use. 5 Protect your feet in public places. Wear waterproof sandals or shoes around public pools, showers and lockers rooms. 6 Treat your feet. Use OTC antifungal product as directed daily. For example, creams may be applied to dry feet twice a day and used for a week even after the rash is gone. 7 Try not to scratch the rash. You can try soothing your itchy feet by soaking them in cool water. 8 Don't share shoes. Sharing risks spreading a fungal infection.

How to get rid of a swollen foot?

Wear light, well-ventilated shoes. Avoid shoes made of synthetic material, such as vinyl or rubber. Alternate pairs of shoes. Don't wear the same pair every day so that you give your shoes time to dry after each use.

How to get rid of itchy feet?

For example, creams may be applied to dry feet twice a day and used for a week even after the rash is gone. Try not to scratch the rash. You can try soothing your itchy feet by soaking them in cool water. Don't share shoes. Sharing risks spreading a fungal infection.

What is athlete's foot?

Athlete's foot is a term given to almost any inflammatory skin disease that affects the sole of the foot and the skin between the toes. It is usually scaly and maybe a red, raw-appearing eruption with weeping and oozing with small blisters. It affects the feet of athletes and non-athletes alike.

How to diagnose athlete's foot?

The most reliable way to diagnose athlete’s foot is to correctly identify its cause. Fungal athlete's foot is relatively straightforward to diagnose and treat. Visualization of the fungus in skin scrapings removed from the affected areas of the feet is a painless and cost-effective method for diagnosis.

What is the medical name for athlete's foot?

Read about treatment of athlete's foot ». The medical name for fungal athlete's foot is tinea pedis. There are a variety of fungi that cause athlete's foot, and these can be contracted in many locations, including gyms, locker rooms, swimming pools, and others. Source: Getty Images.

How long does it take to get rid of athlete's foot?

Treatment for athlete's foot should generally be continued for four weeks or at least one week after all of the skin symptoms have cleared.

Can athlete's foot spread to other people?

Untreated, fungal athlete's foot can potentially spread to other body parts or other people , including family members. The fungus may spread locally to the legs, toenails, hands, fingernails, and essentially any body area. This type of fungus generally likes to live in the skin, hair, and nails.

What does it mean when your feet are dry?

Many may think they simply have dry skin on the soles of their feet. Common symptoms of an athlete's foot typically include. various degrees of itching, stinging, and. burning. The skin may frequently peel, and in particularly severe cases, there may be some cracking, fissuring, pain, and itching in the toe webs.

How does diabetes affect the foot?

Diabetes related foot problems can affect your health with two problems: diabetic neuropathy, where diabetes affects the nerves, and peripheral vascular disease, where diabetes affects the flow of blood. Common foot problems for people with diabetes include athlete's foot, fungal infection of nails, calluses, corns, blisters, bunions, dry skin, foot ulcers, hammertoes, ingrown toenails, and plantar warts.

Risks of untreated blisters

With the occurrence of blisters comes the possibility of complications. So let’s have a look at some.

The silver lining

Athlete’s foot blisters are a possible symptom of this infection. If you have them, you should visit a doctor immediately as you risk spreading them to more parts of your body and other people around you. But a visit to the doctor should be all you need!

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Diagnosis

Treatment

Lifestyle and Home Remedies

Preparing For Your Appointment

Your provider will work with you to develop a care plan that may include one or more of these treatment options.
It is not a very serious condition and can be treated using over-the-counter or anti-fungal medications based on the severity.
Medication

Topical antifungals: Creams or sprays applied on the infected area to clear the fungus.

Azole . Allylamines . Butenafine . Ciclopirox . Tolnaftate


Systemic antifungals: Doctor may prescribe oral antifungal medications.

Terbinafine . Itraconazole . Fluconazole


Antibiotics: Antibiotics may be prescribed if bacterial infection develops due to blisters.

Erythromycin . Clindamycin


Topical steroids: Prescribed to prevent inflammation.

Hydrocortisone

Self-care

Always talk to your provider before starting anything.

  • Keep the feet dry, especially between the toes
  • Avoid tight fitting footwear
  • Avoid walking bare foot outside the house

Specialist to consult

Dermatologist
Specializes in the study of the skin and its disorders.
Primary care physician
Specializes in the acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health.

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