Athlete's Foot
Tinea pedis (Latin name)By Bjarne Lühr Hansen PhD, MD and Philipp Skafte-Holm MD, Mentor Institute
Athlete’s foot is caused by a fungal infection in the skin. The children infect each other. Itching and smarting between the toes are typical signs of athlete’s foot. The skin between the toes becomes red and cracks in the skin arise. Treatment with fungicide is effective, but it can be difficult to prevent the fungi from reappearing.
Athlete’s foot is caused by a fungal infection. Athlete’s foot is typically seen among school children and only very rarely before the age of 4. Boys more often have athlete’s foot than girls. Children – who do a lot of sports and sweat a lot around the feet – most frequently, have athlete’s foot.
Itching and smarting between the toes are the first indications of athlete’s foot. Often, the skin is red with small blisters filled with liquid. Later, the skin between the toes softens and cracks.
If athlete’s foot is not treated, it will spread to other toes. Bacteria can also enter the cracks. In that case, the redness spreads and watery wounds arise, running with smelly goo.