Athlete’s Foot
Summary of Chapter 6
Wouldn’t it be great – literally and metaphorically – if you knew when to put your foot down and when not to?– Dr. Suzanne Levine
Athlete’s Foot
Athlete’s foot is a scaly, itchy, smelly fungal infection that develops between your toes and on the soles of your feet. The medical term for athlete’s foot is tinea pedis (tinea, meaning grub, larva, or worm in Latin) and can refer to many different kinds of fungal infections of the skin; pedis lets you know that you are talking about the feet. The four common fungal culprits in athlete’s foot are Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Epidermophyton floccosum, and Candida albicans. But even if you can’t pronounce their names, any of these fungi can cause Athlete’s foot, as can an infection caused by any combination of them.
Symptoms of this condition, the most common fungal infection, include dry, red, itchy, cracking, peeling, or stinging skin on your feet. In severe cases, you have oozing or crusty blisters.
If you assume that athlete’s foot will go away on its own, you’re in for a not-so-pleasant surprise. It won’t. It can also lead to complications. Sometimes people develop an allergic response to the fungus causing their athlete’s foot and this breaks down the skin and goes into the bloodstream. The result can be blisters on your hands or feet. Also, if a fungal infection like this one goes unchecked, cracks in the skin may develop that can allow bacteria to enter, leading to a secondary bacterial “superinfection” which will require a trip to the hospital or worse.
You’re more likely to develop this condition if you are overweight, or suffering from poor circulation in your feet (because you have peripheral vascular disease, congestive heart failure, or varicose veins or you’re a smoker). Other risk factors include being over the age of 65 years old, male, and wearing tight shoes and/or sweaty socks, which create a warm, moist, airtight environment for your feet. The surface of your skin also makes you more or less susceptible. For example, the more alkaline your skin, as opposed to acidic, the more likely you are to get fungal infections. A weakened immune system is another risk factor. For more about fungus, click here.
At Institute Beaute Dr. Suzanne Levine Author of My Feet Are Killing Me
If you assume that author will go away on its own, you’re in for a not-so-pleasant surprise. It won’t. It can also lead to complications. Sometimes people develop an allergic response to the fungus causing their and this breaks down the skin and goes into the bloodstream. The result can be blisters on your hands or feet. Also, if a fungal infection like this one goes unchecked, cracks in the skin may develop that can allow bacteria to enter, leading to a secondary bacterial “superinfection.” One of my patients, a young inventor in her early 20s, had a fungal infection between her fourth and fifth toes. She ignored it and didn’t even keep it dry, powdered or out of locker rooms. After two weeks, it turned into a much more severe infection of bacterial cellulitis that landed her in the hospital and on intravenous antibiotics. This could easily have been avoided if promptly treated.
In this chapter of My Feet Are Killing Me Dr. Levine discusses the following topics and Athlete’s Foot information:
- What is Athlete’s Foot?
- Does someone need to be an ‘athlete’ to get Athlete’s Foot?
- What causes Athlete’s Foot?
- How to get rid of Athlete’s Foot?
- Ways to Prevent Athlete’s Foot At home:
- Ways to Prevent Athlete’s Foot At the doctor’s office:
- How do you tell if you have Athlete’s Foot?
- Real Patient Recap: The Chef with the Overdone Feet. Dr. Levine shares how she extinguished the fire in a chef’s feet to rid him of pain, fungus, and irritation.
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