Scratching doesn't relieve every itch
Scratching doesn't relieve every itch
While I subscribe to the theory that bad things come in threes, until last week I didn’t think of it in terms of athlete’s foot.
Athlete’s foot has been in my book as a one-itch-fits-all category of foot problem. It’s the bane of jocks and soldiers, an unintended consequence of too many hours in sweaty socks and shoes.
Now I learn that it can present in three different ways and that seven out of 10 people fail to treat it properly.
Tinea pedis is the official term for the fungus that lives off organic matter — in this case, the protein keratin in the skin of the feet. Unlike mushrooms, this is not a fungus worth tromping through the forest to get.
It thrives in a dark, warm, moist environment: think locker rooms, showers, inside of shoes and in socks left to air dry overnight. Since athletes use communal spaces and often exercise daily in the same pair of shoes, it should come as no surprise that the ailment is named after them.
Not all fungus conditions of the foot are athlete’s foot. The American Podiatric Medical Association cautions that disturbances of the sweat mechanism, reaction to dyes or adhesives in shoes, eczema and psoriasis may mimic athlete’s foot.
“The most common presentation — about 70 percent of the people we see — is a peeling between the toes,” said Philip Alway, podiatrist with Redwood Podiatry Group. “It can spread around the foot and to the other foot. You’ll have peeling, cracking and redness and the skin starts sloughing off.”
Before it sloughs off, the skin may look white and soggy.
The second presentation involves patches of itchy and red skin with blister-type eruptions.
“The blistering type is not as common, but it’s starting to become more commonly seen,” Alway said.
Both itch like crazy, particularly after the foot is warmed, be it through exercise, showers or under covers.
The California Podiatric Medical Association reports the third presentation of athlete’s foot is often mistaken for dry skin. It appears as dry flaky skin covering the bottom of the foot and often causes dry cracks to appear around the heels.
“Don’t see much of that,” Alway said. “We see chronic cracks in the heels mostly in Willow Creek. They wear sandals all the time. The heel dries out.”
Lotion or bag balm — the farmer’s miracle cure for treating chafed cow teats — solves cracked heels, but athlete’s foot isn’t so easy.
Alway said over-the-counter medications such as Tinactin, Desenex and Lamasil cream are options; prescription drugs are the choice if those fail.
The problem, Alway said, is reinfection.
“People treat their feet, but they forget about their shoes. If they don’t treat those, it will reinfect.”
Same thing if the sheets aren’t changed, the towels cleaned and the knee-high hose or socks washed after each use. Drying them out after washing is almost as important as drying between the toes of the feet after bathing. Powdering feet and shoes helps.
As for going barefoot while suffering from athlete’s foot, don’t. Use shower shoes around your house and home to keep from spreading it to others.
“Good foot hygiene is the best defense,” Alway said.
I know that, but it wasn’t the thing I was thinking about as I packed lightly for a vacation trip that involved walking all over two countries, one with hot weather and the other with some slushy bogs.
My litany of foot hygiene sins are many. No shower sandals. Same pair of walking shoes every day. No foot powder. Rotating socks by cleaning them in the sink to keep the luggage to a single, easy-to-handle rolling case. Let’s not even talk about the tiny European showers and sinks I used.
Hiking through an Irish bog was the final straw. Six-for-six is good at the plate, but not on the foot. I hit ’em all: dry skin, itching, soggy skin, inflammation, redness and blisters.
Thank goodness Dr. Scholl’s had a European presence the other products did not.
It doesn’t take long to get an outbreak under control, but thoroughly cleaning everything else and persisting with the treatments for three weeks after cessation of symptoms required some extra effort.
The CPMA estimates I’ll walk more than 75,000 miles on these feet in an average lifetime. Unlike teeth, there’s no supply of new ones if these wear out.
There’s some regret at joining the 30 percent who treat athletes’s foot properly. I used to be an athlete. Once this fungus is licked, the adjective “athlete” may never again be a descriptor tossed my way.
(Opinions expressed in columns do not necessarily reflect those of The Eureka Reporter or its staff.)
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