Tropical Thailand: Beware of contagious athlete's foot

In a tropical climate such as in Thailand, due to the heat and high humidity, you are more likely to have to deal with certain ailments such as athlete's foot (also known as athlete's foot).

The fungus is common in a warm, moist environment. Such as in swimming pools, saunas and sports facilities. Fungi can grow in the skin, nails or hair. Athlete's foot (tinea pedis) is mainly found on the warm moist skin between the toes. The infection is usually caused by Trichophyton or Epidermophyton. Athlete's foot is very common, at least 10 percent of the population suffers from it. About 20 percent of adult men seem to have it themselves.

This is how you recognize the problem

An infection usually starts between your fourth and fifth toe. Redness, grayish-white flakes of skin and itching are common symptoms. Bacteria can grow in the moist flakes, resulting in an unpleasant odor. The place where the mold starts is moist and white in color. A gap or loose skin may appear.

You need to treat athlete's foot. If you don't, the fungus can spread all over your foot. Red scaly spots often appear on the edge of the foot or on the sole of the foot. Sometimes with blisters and pimples. The callus on your foot can also thicken and cracks can appear.

How does athlete's foot occur?

Fungi are everywhere, but especially the floors of swimming pools, showers and sports areas are places where you can easily become infected. The fungus must first penetrate the skin and spread and fortunately the skin is often able to protect itself. However, sometimes the skin's protective mechanism works less well, for example:

• if the skin is irritated or damaged;
• if the skin is softened by moisture or heat;
• when the skin is washed with soap.

The elderly, people with reduced resistance or people with diabetes mellitus are more susceptible to fungal infections. If the fungal spores have infected the skin, you do not always get complaints immediately.

Risk factors

Athlete's foot feed on the outermost layer of the epidermis, the stratum corneum. They reproduce by means of spores that can develop into fungi under favorable conditions. Risk factors for this are:

• sweaty feet;
• summer months;
• tropical climate;
• damp public bathing and washing facilities (swimming pool, sauna, gym, changing rooms, etc.).

An infection happened quickly

The fungus is transmitted through the skin flakes of people who are already infected: the fungus is in these flakes. If they come loose, they end up on the floor of a swimming pool or shower, for example, and the fungus can infect you. So you can also get athlete's foot on your own bathroom floor. Especially if you have a roommate who already has the condition. Contact with fungi is difficult to avoid completely. It is also not always possible to find out where you contracted the fungal infection.

Therapy

Most athlete's foot is superficial and harmless. The diagnosis is usually made with the naked eye, but the skin flakes can also be examined under the microscope. You can treat the fungus with an antifungal cream, ointment or powder. Many of these products are available at pharmacies or drugstores without a prescription. You usually have to apply them thinly on and also around (2 centimeters) the spot twice a day. The fungus may have already expanded further than you can see.

An antifungal agent has an effect after two to four weeks on average. Pimples and blisters often take a little longer to recover, the same applies to the thick skin of the soles of the feet. It is important to continue using the cream or ointment until the skin has healed. Doesn't the infection subside? Then contact your doctor.

Antifungal pills

Antifungal pills – such as itraconazole and terbinafine – are sometimes prescribed for athlete's foot that is deep in the skin. These are heavy drugs with quite a few side effects. For example, you should not take these medicines if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, it can make the contraceptive pill less reliable and it enhances the effect of some other medicines.

A foot fungus can easily come back. It is therefore important to continue to follow the tips below. You can treat a recurring yeast infection in the same way.

Preventing athlete's foot

Prevention is better than cure. The following tips can help you control the growth of fungi and prevent new fungal infections:

• Preferably wash your feet without soap. If you do use soap, rinse your feet well afterwards.
• Dry your feet thoroughly after washing, including between your toes. You can also use talcum powder between the toes.
• Keep your feet dry.
• Put on clean cotton or woolen socks every day.
• Wear well-ventilated, not too tight shoes. Choose sandals, linen or leather shoes and try to avoid wearing closed shoes made of rubber or plastic (Crocs).
• Let your shoes dry thoroughly after exercising.
• Wear flip-flops in areas where many people walk barefoot. Especially in humid areas, such as swimming pools.
• If you have the fungus, it is recommended that you wash your socks at a higher temperature.
• When you walk barefoot in your shoes, your shoes must also be disinfected. This can be done with special powder.

Source: Gezondheidsnet.nl