Skin problems health centre

Introduction

Athlete's foot is an infection that can make the skin on your feet flaky and itchy. It isn't serious. But it's better to treat it sooner rather than later.

We've brought together the best research about athlete's foot and weighed up the evidence about how to treat it. You can use our information to talk to your doctor and decide which treatments are best for you.

Athlete's foot is caused by a fungus. The types of fungus that cause athlete's foot live in warm, damp places, such as around swimming pools and in changing areas and showers in gyms that are shared by many people.

It may seem strange to have an infection caused by a fungus. But the types of fungus that cause athlete's foot are so tiny that you can't even see them. They're just another type of micro-organism (germ) that can cause an infection, like bacteria or viruses.

Lots of people get athlete's foot at some point because it's so easy to catch.^[1][3]

• If you often walk around barefoot, you may catch the infection from the floor.

• You can catch it if you touch the skin of someone who already has it.

• You can catch athlete's foot at home if someone in your family has it.

• If your pets have athlete's foot, you may get it from them.

Your feet are the perfect place for this infection to grow, especially between your toes. Your feet are warm, often slightly damp, and full of keratin. Fungi feed on keratin, which is a protein found in nails, skin, and hair.^[6]

Sometimes, the fungus spreads to your toenails or fingernails and infects them too.^[3][2][4] It's much harder to get rid of an infection in your toenails or fingernails. That's why it's important to treat athlete's foot as soon as you know you have it. To find out more about the best way to deal with infections that have spread to your nails, see Fungal nail infection.

If you have athlete's foot, bacteria may get under your skin. And this can make the infection worse and harder to treat. If this happens, your foot may hurt and smell bad.^[6]