who is at risk?

Anyone can get athlete’s foot, but certain behaviors increase your risk. Factors that increase your risk of getting athlete’s foot include:

• visiting public places barefoot, especially locker rooms, showers, and swimming pools
• sharing socks, shoes, or towels with an infected person
• wearing tight-fitting, closed-toe shoes
• keeping your feet wet for long periods of time
• having sweaty feet
• having a minor skin or nail injury on your foot

symptoms?

There are many possible symptoms of athlete’s foot. You may experience one or more of the following symptoms:

• itching, stinging, and burning between the toes or on the soles of the feet
• blisters on the feet that itch
• cracking and peeling skin on the feet, most commonly between the toes and on the soles
• dry skin on the soles or sides of the feet
• raw skin on the feet
• discolored, thick, and crumbly toenails or toe nails that pull away from the nail bed

treatments?

Athlete’s foot can often be treated with over-the-counter (OTC) topical antifungal medications. If OTC medications don’t successfully treat the fungal infection, your doctor may prescribe topical or oral prescription-strength antifungal medications.

The topical treatment has a 70% cure rate, and are available over the counter (OTC), and requires only 1 to 4 weeks of therapy. The most effective treatment is oral terbinafine 250 mg twice a day for 2 weeks (94% clinical cure rate).