Everything You Needed To Know About Foot Fungus
Foot Fungus is a very common problem among many young people and adults. Most fungal infections are observed around the toes and the feet. They are mainly caused by dermatophytes, a type of disease-causing fungus that grows on various body surfaces like hair, skin and nails. There are many types of foot fungus conditions, among which Athlete’s Foot is quite well known. Athlete’s Foot is widely prevalent and it thrives in warm and sweaty places such as the inner parts of an athletes shoes. However, you must keep in mind that foot fungus can easily develop in various types of environments, both man-made and natural. The only thing that is needed for this fungus to grow is a lot of moisture. Some of the places where you may develop this condition include the shared areas at pools or gyms, grass and soil and by using shared items like socks, towels or shoes from other household members who have the infection.
Athlete’s foot and other similar fungal foot conditions are very common and they are quite contagious. The fungus can also spread easily to toenails and toes thus causing further infections. Millions of people are affected by these conditions every year. In addition to conditions that are caused by dermatophytes, others also result from yeast or mold infection. If you think that you have had these fungal growths for some time, you must immediately get in touch with a foot specialist who can recommend effective solutions to help contain the fungus. If you ignore your problem, it is highly likely that it is going to spread in due course.
In order to evaluate whether you have Athlete’s Foot or not, it is important that you know what this condition looks like. They mostly appear as a form of scaly red rash around the sides or bottoms of the feet. In most occasions they are accompanied by cracked or dry skin, itching, stinging and a bad odor. Alternately, you can have raw, moist skin between the toes. Athlete’s foot can be treated quite easily with different types of over-the-counter anti-fungal sprays or creams. A toenail function, on the other hand, looks like a small yellow or white spot just on the toenail tip. Eventually with time the toenail can grow to become yellow, crumbly, brittle, thick and develop an uneven surface. In some cases, the toenail may even separate from the nail bed in a condition known as onycholysis.
The most common treatments for Foot Fungus are antifungal ointments and creams. These help in keeping the fungus in check so that the nails can grow healthily. There are also antifungal pills and oral medications that you can take in order to heal the condition from the inside. Make sure that you trim your nails regularly and keep them clean at all times.
