Foot Fungus

Are your feet itching, peeling, or burning, and you need relief? At Cascade Foot & Ankle in Nephi and Provo, Utah, board-certified podiatric surgeon and wound care specialist Jared Clegg, DPM, FACFAS, and his team treat athlete’s foot and other foot fungi to ease symptoms and reduce the risk of spreading the fungus to other areas of your body. Schedule a foot evaluation at Cascade Foot & Ankle by phone to request one today.

What is foot fungus?

Fungi are present on all areas of skin, but your feet typically contain a higher quantity. While many fungi don’t cause harm, some significantly change the skin in your feet if they penetrate the deeper tissue layers. Dermatophytes is a fungus that can cause an athlete’s foot infection.

Foot fungus can invade the bottom, top, or sides of your feet and between your toes. This fungus can spread to other areas, causing additional symptoms when not treated.

Which symptoms does a foot fungus cause?

Symptoms of athlete’s foot and other foot fungus infections include:

• Blisters
• Burning
• Stinging
• Cracked or peeling skin between your toes
• Itching
• Inflammation
• Purple, red, or gray skin
• Scaly or dry skin on the soles of your feet
• Thickened or discolored toenails
• Unpleasant odor

Complications that can develop because of foot fungus include bacterial infections, ringworm, jock itch, and fungus spreading to other areas of your body.

What increases the risk of foot fungus?

Everyone is at risk of foot fungus, but particularly people who:

• Walk barefoot in community showers, saunas, locker rooms, or pool decks
• Wear damp socks and shoes
• Touch contaminated floors, shoes, towels, and other shared surfaces
• Sweat heavily
• Frequently wear enclosed shoes
• Share mats, bed linens, rugs, clothes, or shoes with other people
• Have diabetes, obesity, weak immune systems, are prone to excessive sweating, or are elderly
• Take certain medications

Fungi tend to lurk in damp, warm environments. Since human feet contain about 250,000 sweat glands and temperatures inside shoes are quite warm, they’re ideal for fungal growth.

How is foot fungus diagnosed?

Your Cascade Foot & Ankle specialist diagnoses foot fungus after discussing your medical history, lifestyle, and symptoms. They examine your feet and could take scrapings of your foot for evaluation by their in-house lab.

How is foot fungus treated?

Foot fungus treatments include prescription-strength oral and topical medications and home remedies. Keep your feet clean and dry, and avoid walking barefoot in community areas.

Change your socks regularly and wear shoes with good ventilation. Avoid sharing shoes, socks, bed linens, towels, rugs, and mats with other people, and seek treatment at the first sign of a foot fungus.

Schedule a foot fungus evaluation at Cascade Foot & Ankle by calling the office or requesting one online today.