Athlete`s foot - BMJ Best Practice

Patient information from the BMJ Group
Athlete's foot
Athlete's foot is an infection that can make the skin on your feet flaky and itchy.
It isn't serious. But it's better to treat it sooner rather than later. Otherwise the
infection might spread and become harder to treat.
We've brought together the best and most up-to-date research about athlete's foot
to see what treatments work. You can use our information to talk to your doctor
or pharmacist and decide which treatments are best for you.
What is athlete's foot?
Athlete's foot is a skin infection caused by a tiny fungus. It's very easy to catch. You can
pick it up if you walk barefoot in warm, damp places, such as in the changing rooms and
showers at gyms. Or you can catch it if you touch the skin of someone who already has
it. Your feet are the perfect place for this infection to grow, especially between your toes.
Your feet are warm, often slightly damp, and full of keratin. Fungi feed on keratin, which
is a protein found in nails, skin, and hair.
What are the symptoms?
Athlete's foot can cause lots of different symptoms.
•
You may have itchy feet, especially between your toes.
•
You may have soggy skin between your toes.
•
The soles of your feet may get dry and flaky.
•
You may have red patches on your skin with a white, wet-looking surface.
•
The skin on your feet may get thickened.
•
You may get blisters.
If your skin gets hot, red, and swollen you could have a bacterial infection too. You'll
need antibiotics to treat this. Otherwise it may spread. If you think you have a bacterial
infection as well as athlete's foot, see your doctor.
What treatments work?
You can treat athlete's foot yourself with treatments you can buy from a pharmacy without
a prescription. Treatments come as creams and sprays that you put on your feet.
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Athlete's foot
Medicines that you put on your feet
There are many creams and sprays you can buy from a pharmacy. These treatments all
work equally well. They get rid of athlete's foot in about 7 in 10 people. But some may
work slightly faster than others.
•
Ones that contain terbinafine get rid of athlete's foot after about one week to four
weeks. The brand name is Lamisil. You might get a mild rash or itching when you
use this cream or spray. This will go away when you stop treatment.
•
Ones that contain an azole drug take about four weeks to six weeks to get rid of
athlete's foot. There are several different azole drugs. They include clotrimazole
(brand name Canesten), miconazole (Daktarin), econazole (Ecostatin, Pevaryl), and
ketoconazole (Nizoral). These treatments might sting and make your skin look red
and scaly. But this will go away when you stop treatment.
•
Undecenoates come as liquid that you paint on to your skin and as a cream and
spray. The brand name for the paint is Monphytol. The brand name for the cream
and spray is Mycota. They can sometimes irritate your skin.
•
Products that contain tolnaftate (common brand name Tinaderm-M) may slightly
irritate your skin.
Things you can do for yourself
There hasn't been any good research to say whether washing and drying your feet
carefully and wearing clean socks every day can help to get rid of athlete's foot once you
have it. But keeping your feet clean and dry should help you avoid getting athlete's foot
again. Here are some tips.
•
Take your shoes off at home and let your feet 'breathe'.
•
Wear sandals when you can.
•
If you have diabetes, you can let your feet get some air, but don't walk around
barefoot or in open shoes.
•
Always take off sweaty sports shoes when you have finished using them.
•
Put on clean socks every day.
•
Wear cotton, silk, or wool socks rather than synthetic (nylon) ones.
•
Wear shoes made of leather or canvas. These let your feet breathe more than shoes
made of synthetic materials.
•
If your shoes are sweaty or wet, let them dry out before you put them on again.
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Athlete's foot
•
After you have a bath or shower, dry your feet carefully, especially between your
toes.
•
Wear flip-flops or sandals in public changing rooms.
•
If you've had athlete's foot, spray the inside of your shoes with a spray to kill the
fungus (called an antifungal).
Tablets and capsules
There are tablets and capsules you can take for athlete's foot. But these don't work any
better than medicines that you put on your feet. And they tend to cause more side effects.
Your doctor may prescribe one of these if you've tried other treatments and they haven't
worked:
•
Fluconazole (brand name Diflucan)
•
Itraconazole (Sporanox)
•
Terbinafine (Lamisil).
You can only get these tablets and capsules on prescription from your doctor. They can
cause indigestion, nausea, diarrhoea, headaches, and rashes.
What will happen to me?
Athlete's foot isn't serious. And treatments that you put on your feet will usually get rid
of the infection. If you don't treat athlete's foot, the infection may spread to your fingernails
and your toenails, when it becomes harder to treat.
You don't have to stop playing sport or wearing sports shoes if you have athlete's foot.
But it's a good idea to always wear something on your feet to avoid spreading the infection
to other people. It's worth carrying a pair of flip-flops in your gym bag and wearing them
in the changing room and shower, and when you walk around the pool.
This information is aimed at a UK patient audience. This information however does not replace medical advice.
If you have a medical problem please see your doctor. Please see our full Conditions of Use for this content. These
leaflets are reviewed annually.
© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2015. All rights reserved.
Last published: Sep 16, 2015
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