It also can infect other parts of the body — such as the groin this is commonly called jock itch and underarms — but only if someone scratches the infection and touches these places. A doctor can usually figure out that you have athlete's foot by looking at the skin on your feet. Your doctor may swab or scrape off a skin sample to test for fungus or for bacteria, because sometimes other conditions can cause similar symptoms. Don't worry, this won't hurt — you have lots of extra layers of skin on your feet!
Treatment is usually simple. For mild cases, your doctor may have you apply a powder that contains medicine or cream that kills fungus. This should make your feet feel better in a few days.
Sometimes you'll need to use the medicine for up to a month to get rid of the athlete's foot completely. You'll also need to keep your feet dry and keep your shoes off as much as possible because fungus can't easily grow in dry, open air.
If doing these things doesn't help clear up the infection, your doctor might prescribe a stronger medicine. This one will be the kind you swallow, not just something that you apply to your feet.
You can get it by touching the affected area of a person who has it. More commonly, you pick up the fungi from damp, contaminated surfaces, such as the floors in public showers or locker rooms.
Although athlete's foot is contagious, some people are more likely to get it susceptible than others. Susceptibility may increase with age. Experts don't know why some people are more likely to get it. If you come in contact with the fungi that cause athlete's foot, you can spread the fungi to others, whether you get the infection or not. Athlete's foot tinea pedis symptoms vary from person to person. Although some people have severe discomfort, others have few or no symptoms.
Common symptoms include:. Toe web infection interdigital is the most common type of athlete's foot. It usually occurs between the two smallest toes. This type of infection:. A moccasin-type infection is a long-lasting chronic infection.
A vesicular infection is the least common type of infection. This type:. Athlete's foot is sometimes confused with pitted keratolysis.
In this health problem, the skin looks like a "moist honeycomb. Symptoms include feet that are very sweaty and smell bad. How athlete's foot tinea pedis develops and how well it responds to treatment depends on the type of athlete's foot you have. Toe web infections interdigital often begin with skin that seems moist and pale white. You may notice itching, burning, and a slight odor.
As the infection gets worse, the skin between the toes becomes scaly, peels, and cracks. If the fungal infection becomes severe, a bacterial infection also may develop.
This can cause further skin breakdown. The bacterial infection may also infect the lower leg cellulitis of the lower leg. Toe web infections often result in a sudden vesicular blister infection. Moccasin-type infections may begin with minor irritation, dryness, itching, burning, or scaly skin and progress to thickened, cracked skin on the sole or heel. In severe cases, the toenails become infected and can thicken, crumble, and even fall out. If you do not take preventive measures, this infection often returns.
You may also develop an infection on the palm of the hand symptoms commonly affect one hand and both feet. Vesicular infections blisters usually begin with a sudden outbreak of blisters that become red and inflamed. Blisters sometimes erupt again after the first infection. A bacterial infection may also be present. A vesicular infection often develops from a long-lasting toe web infection. Blisters may also appear on palms, the side of the fingers, and other areas dermatophytid or id reaction.
If untreated, skin blisters and cracks caused by athlete's foot can lead to severe bacterial infections. In some types of athlete's foot, the toenails may be infected. For more information, see the topic Fungal Nail Infections.
All types of athlete's foot can be treated, but symptoms often return after treatment. Athlete's foot is most likely to return if:. Athlete's foot is contagious, but some people are more likely to get it susceptible than others.
If you aren't susceptible to athlete's foot, you may come in contact with the fungi that cause athlete's foot yet not get an infection. But you can still spread the fungi to others. Watchful waiting is a period of time during which you and your doctor observe your symptoms or condition without using medical treatment.
You can usually treat athlete's foot yourself at home. But any persistent, severe, or recurrent infections should be evaluated by your doctor. When athlete's foot symptoms appear, you can first use a nonprescription product. If your symptoms do not improve after 2 weeks of treatment or have not gone away after 4 weeks of treatment, call your doctor. In most cases, your doctor can diagnose athlete's foot tinea pedis by looking at your foot. He or she will also ask about your symptoms and any previous fungal infections you have had.
If your symptoms look unusual or if a previous infection has not responded well to treatment, your doctor may collect a skin or nail sample by lightly scratching the skin with a blade or the edge of a microscope slide, or by trimming a nail. He or she will examine the skin and nail samples using laboratory tests including:.
In rare cases, a skin biopsy will be done by removing a small piece of skin that will be looked at under a microscope. How you treat athlete's foot tinea pedis depends on its type and severity. Most cases of athlete's foot can be treated at home using an antifungal medicine to kill the fungus or slow its growth.
For severe athlete's foot that doesn't improve, your doctor may prescribe oral antifungal medicine pills. Oral antifungal pills are used only for severe cases, because they are expensive and require periodic testing for dangerous side effects. Athlete's foot can return even after antifungal pill treatment.
Even if your symptoms improve or stop shortly after you begin using antifungal medicine, it is important that you complete the full course of medicine. This increases the chance that athlete's foot will not return. Reinfection is common, and athlete's foot needs to be fully treated each time symptoms develop.
Toe web interdigital infections occur between the toes, especially between the fourth and fifth toes. This is the most common type of athlete's foot infection. Moccasin-type athlete's foot causes scaly, thickened skin on the sole and heel of the foot. Often the toenails become infected onychomycosis. A moccasin-type infection can be more difficult to treat, because the skin on the sole of the foot is very thick. Vesicular infections, or blisters, usually appear on the foot instep but can also develop between the toes, on the sole of the foot, on the top of the foot, or on the heel.
This type of fungal infection may be accompanied by a bacterial infection. This is the least common type of infection. You may choose not to treat athlete's foot if your symptoms don't bother you and you have no health problems that increase your chance of severe foot infection, such as diabetes. But untreated athlete's foot that causes skin blisters or cracks can lead to severe bacterial infection. Also, if you don't treat athlete's foot, you can spread it to other people.
Severe infections that appear suddenly acute usually respond well to treatment. Long-lasting chronic infections can be more difficult to cure. Toenail infections onychomycosis that can develop with athlete's foot tend to be more difficult to cure than fungal skin infections.
If you have athlete's foot, dry your groin area before your feet after bathing. Also, put on your socks before your underwear. This can prevent fungi from spreading from your feet to your groin, which may cause jock itch.
What you put on your feet matters, especially if you ask a lot of them during athletic activity. MLS laser therapy is cutting-edge technology that treats soft tissue pain and injuries in your feet and ankles.
Read on to learn how it can help you heal from foot and ankle pain and dysfunction. If you experience sharp and achy pains in the bottom of your foot when you first step out of bed in the morning, you may be suffering from plantar fasciitis. This foot fungus can lead to greater infection and foot discomfort and pain, if not treated. You Might Also Enjoy Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic.
Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references AskMayoExpert. Tinea pedis. Mayo Clinic; Accessed June 8, Thompson DA. Athlete's foot. In: Adult Telephone Protocols. American Academy of Pediatrics; High WA, et al.
Special considerations in skin of color. In: Dermatology Secrets.
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