Recognising the symptoms of athlete’s foot
February 7, 2009
Fungal skin infections are common problems that are faced by many. Many of these infections occur due to the growth of various fungi on your skin, which can deteriorate the condition of your skin. Your feet are the most common victims of fungal skin infections as they are prone to direct contact with various types of fungi and bacteria.
Athlete’s foot is a well known and common foot infection that mainly occurs between your toes or other parts of your foot. Though the name athlete’s foot suggests that the infection is common among athletes, it is not necessarily be so. Athlete’s foot can infect anyone, regardless of whether they are an athlete or not.
Like any other fungal infection, athlete’s foot is caused due to the growth of various fungi and bacteria that develop and multiply in warm and moist conditions. Athlete’s foot mainly affects people who walk barefoot in such conditions or those whose feet do not get adequate ventilation.
Redness of the skin, itching and scaling are the common symptoms of athlete’s foot. A more serious condition of the infection may show a series or cracks or blisters on your foot, which can be very uncomfortable and painful. Burning and stinging sensations due to a rash and swelling of the foot may also occur due to the infection.
Athlete’s foot has a number of treatments that you can opt for. But as they say, ‘prevention is better than cure’, therefore it is a better option for you to keep your feet clean and dry in order to prevent the infection rather than suffer its symptoms and opt for treatment.