Recommended, 2024

Editor'S Choice

Athlete's foot: Where the danger of infection lurks

Infection with athlete's foot does not only affect the beauty of our feet.
Photo: LamisilĀ®
content
  1. clarification, clearing up of something
  2. Athlete's foot lurking at every turn
  3. Fu pilz is always in season
  4. If itches and burns between the toes: symptoms of fungus
  5. Do not leave the mushroom to yourself
  6. Strong tips for protection against fungus

clarification, clearing up of something

Especially in spring and summer, when our feet are in focus, it is particularly annoying when a fungus nests between the toes. An infection can be easily avoided if you know some basic things about athlete's foot.

Athlete's foot is one of the most common infectious diseases of the skin. About one third of adult Germans are affected. If it is not completely treated, the fungus can become very "affectionate": for example, about half of all affected people itch on their feet all year round and 70 percent have been suffering from the disease over the past five years.

Athlete's foot lurking at every turn

Athlete's foot is an infectious skin disease that mainly affects the toe gaps. Here it is pleasantly warm and humid - the ideal climate for the pathogens. You are on tiny corneal dandruff that loses the diseased foot with each step.

Especially in places where many people walk barefoot, they can be absorbed by healthy feet. If the skin on the feet is damaged by minor injuries or the natural skin barrier is weakened, the fungus has an especially easy play.

The risk of infection also depends on other factors. For example, the risk of infection increases with age, men are affected more frequently than women, and diseases such as diabetes or circulatory disorders also play an important role. People who frequently wear closed, non-breathable footwear, such as sneakers or boots, are also more likely to have athlete's foot.

Athlete's foot is always in season

Especially in summer, when we make it easy for the pathogens by frequent barefoot running in swimming pools or hotel rooms, the athlete's foot has high season.

But even in winter, infection is not excluded. The athlete's foot can, for example, survive in warm winter shoes. If they are used again next year without disinfecting, they offer ideal conditions for a renewed athlete's foot infection.

If itches and burns between the toes: symptoms of athlete's foot

If the fungus has made itself comfortable in the moist, warm environment of the toe gaps, it shows itself to those affected especially by the symptoms that you see in the graphic on the left.

The symptoms can be of varying severity and do not always occur simultaneously: sufferers often complain of burning and itching - but athlete's foot can also be a cosmetic problem and express itself through redness, scaling or even blistering in the toe gaps.

Do not leave the athlete's foot to yourself

Athlete's foot between the toes should not be treated just for its unpleasant symptoms. An incompletely treated infection can do a lot of damage, not just to the foot.

If the actually harmless and easily treatable fungus is not stopped, it can spread to the entire foot or other body parts (eg toenails) and become chronic. An untreated athlete's foot also opens the door to new pathogens, which can lead to serious new infections such as a Wundrose.

Of course, in addition to the risks to one's own feet, there is also the risk of transmitting the infection to other persons, for example family members.

Athlete's foot can be found everywhere, where many people walk barefoot.

In summer, therefore, the swimming pool is the place of infection par excellence. Here the pathogens lurk not only on the edge of the pool and in the changing rooms. Even the area around the disinfectant showers - which are supposed to protect against infection - is a major source of infection. Because here, especially many people move barefoot.

However, pathogens do not only populate the local swimming pool. Even before vacationers feet they do not stop. Be careful at the pool, in the wellness area and even in the hotel room. Because on the soil, the pathogens can survive for weeks.

Even those who want to train for the perfect beach figure a few pounds, is a welcome "victim" for foot fungus. Because the mushrooms like to frolic in changing rooms and shared showers of gyms. Even your own sports shoes can become a real paradise for the pathogens: The moist and warm climate in the shoe offers optimal propagation conditions. Even minor injuries to the feet make it easier for the pathogens to penetrate the skin.

Last but not least, care should be taken in one's own four walls. If a family member falls ill, it loses at each step infected skin cells that can easily be taken in the shared bathroom of parent, child or sibling feet.

Basically, therefore, athlete's foot can lurk (almost) anywhere and hit anyone. But if you take a few tips to heart, it can be spared a contagion .

Strong tips for protection against athlete's foot

1. It is best to always wear bath or slippers - whether in the pool, in the gym or at home, infection is best avoided.

2. You should thoroughly dry your feet after bathing - especially the toe spaces!

3. Change the towels regularly.

4. Wear functional or cotton socks and change them daily.

5. Use pH-neutral soaps and cosmetics that protect the acid mantle of the skin.

6. Always wash socks and towels at 60 degrees to kill pathogens.

7. Disinfect flip-flops and shoes after a medical condition.

> Go back to the overview page.

Popular Categories

Top