Athlete's foot may be passed to humans by direct contact with infected people, infected animals, contaminated objects (such as towels or locker room floors), or the soil.
Some conditions make athlete's foot infections more likely to occur:
- Living in warm, humid climates
- Using public or community pools or showers
- Wearing tight, non-ventilated footwear
- Sweating profusely
- Having diabetes or a weakened immune system
- Spaces (webs) between the toes, especially between the 4th and 5th toes and between the 3rd and 4th toes
- Soles of the feet
- Tops of the feet (very unusual in children)
- Between the toes (the interdigital spaces), athlete's foot may appear as inflamed, scaly, and soggy tissue. Splitting of the skin, called fissures, may be present between or under the toes. This form of athlete's foot tends to be quite itchy.
- On the sole of the foot (the plantar surface), athlete's foot may appear as pink-to-red skin with scales ranging from mild to widespread (diffuse).
- On the top of the foot, athlete's foot appears as one or more red, scaly patches ranging in size from 1–5 cm. The border of the affected skin may be raised and may contain bumps, blisters, or scabs. Often, the central portion of the lesion is clear, leading to a ring-like shape and the descriptive (but inaccurate) name "ringworm."
- Another type of tinea infection, called bullous tinea pedis, appears as painful and itchy blisters on the arch (instep) and/or the ball of the foot.
- The most severe form of the infection, called ulcerative tinea pedis, appears as painful blisters, pus-filled bumps (pustules), and shallow ulcers. These lesions are especially common between the toes but may involve the entire sole. Because of the numerous breaks in the skin, lesions commonly become infected with bacteria. Ulcerative tinea pedis occurs most frequently in people with diabetes and others with weakened immune systems.
In addition, try to keep your child's feet dry, creating conditions where the dermatophyte cannot live and grow. Have your child try the following:
- Wash his or her feet daily and dry them carefully, even using a hair dryer (on low setting) if necessary.
- Use a separate towel for the feet, and do not share this towel with anyone else.
- Wear socks made of cotton or wool, and change them once or twice a day, or even more often if they become damp.
- Avoid wearing shoes made of synthetic materials such as rubber or vinyl.
- Wear sandals as often as possible.
- Apply antifungal powder to the feet and inside the shoes every day.
- Wear protective footwear in locker rooms and public or community pools and showers.
Once the diagnosis of athlete's foot has been confirmed, the physician will probably start treatment with an antifungal medication. Most infections can be treated with topical creams and lotions, including:
- Over-the-counter preparations such as terbinafine, clotrimazole, or miconazole
- Prescription-strength creams such as econazole, oxiconazole, ciclopirox, ketoconazole, sulconazole, naftifine, or butenafine
- Compounds containing urea, lactic acid, or salicylic acid to help dissolve the scale and allow the antifungal cream to penetrate better into the skin
- Solutions containing aluminum chloride, which reduce sweating of the foot
- Antibiotic creams to prevent or treat bacterial infections, if present