Skin Diseases: Athlete’s Foot

             Tinea Pedis, also known as Athlete’s foot, is a fungal infection caused in the epidermis of a person’s foot. There are several types of fungi, including yeasts that may cause this disease in a person. Usually it occurs between a person’s toes and is more common in men than women.

             Causes: A person’s body normally hosts several saprotrophic organisms that are responsible for rapidly causing this infection. T. mentagrophytes and Trichophyton rubrum are the two most common types of fungi leading to Athlete’s foot.

             Symptoms: The disease may cause flaking, itching and scaling of the foot’s skin and may lead to cracked skin and blisters. These may cause pain, inflammation, swelling and exposed raw tissues on the skin, which may sometimes require to be treated with oral antibiotics. In rare cases, the disease may also spread to other parts of the body including armpits, elbows, groin and knees.

             Prevention: In order to prevent Athlete’s Foot, you must keep your surrounding as dry as possible. Here are some suggested preventive measures:

• Spray bathroom floor and bath tub with a disinfectant after every use.
• Wash towels, sheets, socks, bedclothes and underwear in heated water for killing the fungus. Also, change bed sheets and towels at least every week.
• Do not share towels, socks and shoes with other people and use separate towel to dry the infected area.
• There are especially designed anti-fungal and anti-bacterial soaps, which help in preventing this disease. The active ingredients used in these soaps include tea tree oil, deionized water and Aloe Vera, all of which are popular for their anti-fungal properties.

             Transmission: Athlete’s foot is a transmissible disease and is communicated in the moist environments in which people walk with barefoot like in locker rooms, bathhouses and showers. It may also be transmitted by wearing the footwear of the infected person.