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How Likely Am I to Catch Athlete's Foot, Really?

As a fitness editor, I run around New York as part of my job testing out new classes and working out with trainers from all over the country. Recently, I realized that I've been showering way more at the studios than I have at my own apartment, which made me pause. I've heard about the risks of foot fungus, especially athlete's foot, since I was a child, but I've never taken the whole “must wear shower shoes” thing very seriously. However, after having another editor stop dead in her tracks when I told her I don’t normally wear them, I felt like I should reconsider.

We’ve all heard about the risks when you walk into a public shower or locker room sans shoes—specifically, athlete’s…

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Featured

  How to Treat Athlete’s Foot, According to Podiatrists and Dermatologists

So called because it often affects those who wear sweaty, smelly shoes for long hours, athlete’s foot is a fungal infection that develops on the skin between toes (and looks and feels itchy and even slimy). While it isn’t difficult to treat, it definitely isn’t pleasant.

Articles of Interest

Foot Fungus Is Better in America

I recently went to my local pharmacy here in Munich, accompanied by my 8-year-old, to buy foot fungus cream. I don’t speak German, so I generally rely on my abilities to act out words to convey my needs. This is a reliable system when trying to buy chicken wings or a comb. But trying to act out foot fungus — fingers making creepy-crawly motions toward the bottom of my foot, scrunched up face conveying discomfort, perhaps slight disgust — didn’t seem promising.

A bit of military lore may clear up athlete’s feet

Testing advice from a World War II vet, a reader discovers that urine helps treat athlete’s foot. Plus: stinging nettle for herpes, and cold soy sauce for kitchen burns.

A Fungus That Causes Athlete's Foot May Be Cloning Itself

The fungi responsible for toenail infections and athlete's foot may reproduce by making clones of itself. According to a new paper published Wednesday in Genetics, the genome of the fungus responsible for these irritating conditions, Trichophyton rubrum, shows some telltale signs of asexual reproduction—which could be good news for people who want to develop new drugs to stop it.

Archaeologists Find Medieval Foot Fungus In Portuguese Cemetery

In an unassuming cemetery in Estremoz, southern Portugal, archaeologists found over 100 burials dating to the 13th to 15th centuries AD. One middle-aged man, however, had a hole in his head and clear evidence of disease in his left foot. Their diagnosis? A foot fungus that has never been seen in Medieval Europe before.

Athlete's Foot Explained

Athlete's foot — what is it, why is it so itchy, and how can you get rid of it?

Athlete's Foot Treatment Focuses On Natural Cures

Once contracted, athlete’s foot can be hard to get rid of, but there are many remedies to try. Here are some of tried and tested ways of kicking athlete’s foot to the curb...

Do Flip-Flops Protect Against Athlete’s Foot?

Public showers, locker rooms and swimming pools are breeding grounds for the fungi that cause athlete’s foot. Footwear can help prevent infections.

FYI: Did Cavemen Get Athlete's Foot?

"It turns out that athlete's foot is a disease of shod populations," says Bob Neinast, the lead blogger for the Society of Barefoot Living. "Anyone can pick up the fungus, but the thing to keep in mind is that it grows really well in a warm, dark, moist environment. That's the inside of a shoe." People who go barefoot, Neinast says, rarely get athlete's foot, most likely because exposure to fresh air keeps their feet too dry for the fungus to take hold and multiply.

Skin infections from the gym can range from annoying to dangerous

The gym is the ideal place to pick up toned abs, a healthy workout glow, and a ringworm infection. On the upside, you’ve got access to thousands of dollars-worth of high-tech gym equipment that just won’t fit in your hipster-container of a home. On the downside, you’re essentially exercising inside a petri dish of bacteria, fungi, and viruses looking for a sweaty-but-fabulous host to infect. That being said, there’s no need to let the microscopic bastards get you down.

The 3 Best Sprays For Athlete's Foot

It may seem like most sprays are pretty much the same, but that's only if you aren't sure what to look for. The best treatments for athlete's foot pack a two-in-one punch: They treat the tinea fungus at the root of the problem while also relieving painful symptoms. Even better? Some treatments also offer extra comfort with ingredients that fight odor and moisturize the skin.

What's Inside: Antifungal Agent Lotrimin Ultra

This antifungal agent is especially effective against the subset of fungi known as dermatophytes (skin plants!), which feed on the epidermis. Nearly 90 percent effective at curing athlete's foot, the compound works by inhibiting sterol production, which increases the permeability of the fungi's plasma membrane, causing the contents of the cells to leak out (in this case onto your foot). Hey, it's better than having itchy feet.

Resources

4 Best Athlete's Foot Cream

Dealing with athlete’s foot can feel like a losing battle, but the best athlete’s foot creams on the market can help you tackle all of the irritating skin condition's most infamous symptoms — from peeling skin to discolored toenails to blisters — all without a prescription from your doctor.

Judging Athlete's Foot Cures

Of the handful of over-the-counter products that claim to kill the fungus, several doctors recommend Lamisil, which is made by Novartis and costs between $10 to $15 a bottle. Lamisil's active ingredient is a 1% solution of terbinafine hydrochloride, which is fungicidal, meaning it kills fungus, while other products merely inhibit the growth of new spores, doctors say. Lamisil was available only with a prescription until 1999, meaning its fungal-fighting agents are newer and stronger than those of older products. Lotrimin Ultra, made by Schering-Plough, uses a similar compound, butenafide hydrochloride, and is sold for between $15 and $17. It went over-the-counter in 2002.

Harvard Health

Athlete's foot, also known as tinea pedis, is a common foot infection caused by fungi called dermatophytes. Found in many different places indoors and outdoors, dermatophytes are especially common in the warm, moist environments of pools, showers, locker rooms and other sports facilities, where people walk with bare feet. Once dermatophytes contaminate the skin of a foot, the warm, moist environment of sweaty socks and shoes encourages them to grow.

NHS

Athlete's foot is a common fungal infection that affects the feet. You can usually treat it with creams, sprays or powders from a pharmacy, but it can keep coming back.

TeensHealth

When fungus grows on the feet, it is called athlete's foot (or tinea pedis). It got this name because it affects people whose feet tend to be damp and sweaty, which is often the case with athletes. But anyone can get this infection. Other fungal skin infections include jock itch and ringworm (despite its name, ringworm is not a worm). These infections are caused by several types of mold-like fungi called dermatophytes (pronounced: der-MAH-tuh-fites) that live on the dead tissues of your skin, hair, and nails.