Why is athletes foot so hard to get rid of

Common symptoms include:. Toe web infection interdigital is the most common type of athlete's foot. It usually occurs between the two smallest toes. This type of infection:. A moccasin-type infection is a long-lasting chronic infection. A vesicular infection is the least common type of infection.

This type:. Athlete's foot is sometimes confused with pitted keratolysis. In this health problem, the skin looks like a "moist honeycomb. Symptoms include feet that are very sweaty and smell bad. How athlete's foot tinea pedis develops and how well it responds to treatment depends on the type of athlete's foot you have.

Toe web infections interdigital often begin with skin that seems moist and pale white. You may notice itching, burning, and a slight odor. As the infection gets worse, the skin between the toes becomes scaly, peels, and cracks.

If the fungal infection becomes severe, a bacterial infection also may develop. This can cause further skin breakdown. The bacterial infection may also infect the lower leg cellulitis of the lower leg. Toe web infections often result in a sudden vesicular blister infection. Moccasin-type infections may begin with minor irritation, dryness, itching, burning, or scaly skin and progress to thickened, cracked skin on the sole or heel.

In severe cases, the toenails become infected and can thicken, crumble, and even fall out. If you do not take preventive measures, this infection often returns. You may also develop an infection on the palm of the hand symptoms commonly affect one hand and both feet. Vesicular infections blisters usually begin with a sudden outbreak of blisters that become red and inflamed.

Blisters sometimes erupt again after the first infection. A bacterial infection may also be present. A vesicular infection often develops from a long-lasting toe web infection. Blisters may also appear on palms, the side of the fingers, and other areas dermatophytid or id reaction. If untreated, skin blisters and cracks caused by athlete's foot can lead to severe bacterial infections. In some types of athlete's foot, the toenails may be infected.

For more information, see the topic Fungal Nail Infections. All types of athlete's foot can be treated, but symptoms often return after treatment. Athlete's foot is most likely to return if:. Athlete's foot is contagious, but some people are more likely to get it susceptible than others. If you aren't susceptible to athlete's foot, you may come in contact with the fungi that cause athlete's foot yet not get an infection. But you can still spread the fungi to others.

Watchful waiting is a period of time during which you and your doctor observe your symptoms or condition without using medical treatment. You can usually treat athlete's foot yourself at home. But any persistent, severe, or recurrent infections should be evaluated by your doctor. When athlete's foot symptoms appear, you can first use a nonprescription product.

If your symptoms do not improve after 2 weeks of treatment or have not gone away after 4 weeks of treatment, call your doctor. In most cases, your doctor can diagnose athlete's foot tinea pedis by looking at your foot. He or she will also ask about your symptoms and any previous fungal infections you have had.

If your symptoms look unusual or if a previous infection has not responded well to treatment, your doctor may collect a skin or nail sample by lightly scratching the skin with a blade or the edge of a microscope slide, or by trimming a nail.

He or she will examine the skin and nail samples using laboratory tests including:. In rare cases, a skin biopsy will be done by removing a small piece of skin that will be looked at under a microscope. How you treat athlete's foot tinea pedis depends on its type and severity. Most cases of athlete's foot can be treated at home using an antifungal medicine to kill the fungus or slow its growth.

For severe athlete's foot that doesn't improve, your doctor may prescribe oral antifungal medicine pills. Oral antifungal pills are used only for severe cases, because they are expensive and require periodic testing for dangerous side effects. Athlete's foot can return even after antifungal pill treatment. Even if your symptoms improve or stop shortly after you begin using antifungal medicine, it is important that you complete the full course of medicine.

This increases the chance that athlete's foot will not return. Reinfection is common, and athlete's foot needs to be fully treated each time symptoms develop.

Toe web interdigital infections occur between the toes, especially between the fourth and fifth toes. This is the most common type of athlete's foot infection. Moccasin-type athlete's foot causes scaly, thickened skin on the sole and heel of the foot. Often the toenails become infected onychomycosis. A moccasin-type infection can be more difficult to treat, because the skin on the sole of the foot is very thick.

Vesicular infections, or blisters, usually appear on the foot instep but can also develop between the toes, on the sole of the foot, on the top of the foot, or on the heel. This type of fungal infection may be accompanied by a bacterial infection. This is the least common type of infection. You may choose not to treat athlete's foot if your symptoms don't bother you and you have no health problems that increase your chance of severe foot infection, such as diabetes.

But untreated athlete's foot that causes skin blisters or cracks can lead to severe bacterial infection. Also, if you don't treat athlete's foot, you can spread it to other people. Severe infections that appear suddenly acute usually respond well to treatment. Long-lasting chronic infections can be more difficult to cure.

Toenail infections onychomycosis that can develop with athlete's foot tend to be more difficult to cure than fungal skin infections. If you have athlete's foot, dry your groin area before your feet after bathing. Also, put on your socks before your underwear. This can prevent fungi from spreading from your feet to your groin, which may cause jock itch.

For more information about jock itch, see the topic Ringworm of the Skin. You can usually treat athlete's foot tinea pedis yourself at home by using nonprescription medicines and taking care of your feet. But if you have diabetes and develop athlete's foot, or have persistent, severe, or recurrent infections, see your doctor. Nonprescription antifungals include clotrimazole Lotrimin , miconazole Micatin , terbinafine Lamisil , and tolnaftate Tinactin.

These medicines are creams, lotions, solutions, gels, sprays, ointments, swabs, or powders that are applied to the skin topical medicine. Treatment will last from 1 to 6 weeks. If you have a vesicular blister infection, soak your foot in Burow's solution several times a day for 3 or more days until the blister fluid is gone. After the fluid is gone, use an antifungal cream as directed.

Some studies have reported that products containing terbinafine Lamisil were more effective than those with clotrimazole Lotrimin and similar medications. Prescription oral medications may be required to treat more severe cases. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.

Thanks for visiting. Don't miss your FREE gift. Sign up to get tips for living a healthy lifestyle, with ways to fight inflammation and improve cognitive health , plus the latest advances in preventative medicine, diet and exercise , pain relief, blood pressure and cholesterol management, and more. Get helpful tips and guidance for everything from fighting inflammation to finding the best diets for weight loss Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School. While jock itch is bothersome….

Tinea manuum is a contagious, fungal infection of the hands. Viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites can all cause skin infections. Infections can range from mild to severe. Learn what to do if you have a skin…. As an integral part of your everyday life, your feet experience a lot of wear and tear.

You're likely to develop foot problems over time as a result. You can contract ringworm on almost any part of your body, including your feet. When it infects your feet, it's commonly called athlete's foot…. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Long-term outlook. Read this next. He sits around in warm, wet areas, laughing and telling jokes. Try as you might, just when you have the problem under control, your feet begin to itch and dry skin appears in patches on the bottom of your foot, between your toes.

The fungi multiply quickly and even if you are treating your feet for the infection, any lapse in treatment or prolonged exposure to a warm, moist environment will cause them to quickly repopulate.