Foot Skin Infections
Skin infections are hard to recognise. Foot skin infections generally are caused by fungus. The fungus live on keratin, a protein which makes up the skin, hair and nails and degrades them away.
The types of fungal infections, their causes and treatment are enlisted here:
Athlete’s foot:
It causes peeling, redness, burning, itching, blister and sore formation. It is a very common infection. Occurs in people who wear tight shoes. There are four kinds of foot fungal infections.
- Interdigital: A softening of the tissue, pain, scaling and inflammation is seen in the space between the outer toes
- Ulcerative: It is a secondary infection occurs in between the toes. Ulcers and erosions are developed
- >Mocassin type: The sole of the foot becomes dry and rough and the skin under it becomes pinkish and tender
- Vesicular: Small blisters appear resembling an eczema like reaction
Causes of Athlete’s foot:
Caused by a microscopic fungus which lives on dead tissues of skin, nails and hair. The fungus is trichophyton rubrum.
Treatment for Athlete’s foot:
- Antifungal medication is applied directly on the skin to treat the Athlete’s foot
- In severe cases, oral medications are taken
- The feet must be kept clean and dry since the fungus grows in moist environment
- A foot powder is always preferrable to keep the foot dry always
Ring worm:
It causes red, scaly ring shaped patches. The infections appear on the surface of the skin. It can be diagnosed by the observation of skin scrapings under a microscope.
Causes of Ring worm:
Caused by the fungus tinea pedis. The fungi live on human skin, animal skin and soil. They grow in presence of heat and moisture.
Treatment of Ring worm:
- Application of antifungal creams to the affected area. For example clotrimazole, miconazole,terbinafine, etc
- In extensive cases, oral medications are taken
- The feet should be kept away from sweat and moisture
Cellulitis:
This is a bacterial skin infection. It spreads from upper layer of the skin to the dermis. It causes swelling and tenderness of the skin at the site of infection. Blister formation, headache, fever, reddish skin are the other symptoms.
Causes of Cellulitis:
The infection is caused as a result of animal bites and injuries that happen in water.
Treatment of Cellulitis:
- Oral intake of antibiotics
- Elevation of the affected area
- Using cool and wet dressings
Foot Skin Disorders
The feet should be kept healthy as it is the foundation on which the whole body is balanced. Each foot consists of 26 bones, 33 joints and 100 tendons and hence theres a much possibility of it being malfunctioned. The feet should be taken care a lot to avoid the disorders.
The most common causes of foot disorders are injuries, aging, overweight and poor foot hygiene.
The types of foot disorders are:
Fungal and bacterial disorders – The most common fungal disorder is Athlete’s foot. Here the upper layer of the foot is affected with the fungus when theparticular area is kept moist, warm and irritated for a long time.
- It causes redness, blisters, itching, dryness and peeling
- If not treated on time, the infection may be hard to cure
- To prevent the fungal and bacterial infections, the feet should be kept clean and dry
Dry skin – It causes itching, fissures, peeled and cracked skin.
- Dry skin is caused due to aging, overweight, no proper secretion of sebum through the glands. Also caused due to diabetes and thyroid
- Apply a moisturizer regularly and use mild bath soaps
Corns and calluses – these are caused when continuous preesure and excess friction are placed on foot. To protect itself the affected area develops very thick skin which becomes dry and develops cracks. Application of a proper moisturizer and exfoliating the area decrease the occurence of corms and calluses.
Warts – They are the skin growths caused by viruses. They are contagious. They are painful and when untreated spread. They can be removed surgically.
Bunions – This is a condition where the joint of the big toe sticks out to the side and the toe bends inward. They cause a severe pain on th side of the foot.
- They develop from childhood and continue to persist in adulthood
- Doctor’s prescription of anti-inflammatory drugs are used for the pain
- Physical therapy is recommended
- If the condition turns out to be severe, surgery is required
Ingrown toenails – They occur when a piece of nail breaks the skin if the nails are not cut out properly. These are common in large toes. They can be avoided if the toenail is cut straight across and in the same level as the top of the toe is.
Hammer toe – These are overlapping toes either inherited or caused by shortening of the tendons of the toe.
- One or all the toes except the large toe squeeze together to the center
- The joint looses its flexibility as the condition worsens
- Wearing a wide toe end shoes helps
- Surgery is needed if the case is severe
Spurs – These are the calcium growths developed on the bones of the feet. They are caused by strain of the muscle.
- Spurs worsen incase of overweight, standing for long time and wearing tight fitting shoes
- Sometimes they are painless and at few times very painful
- Using heelpads, heelcaps and foot supports help in treating the spurs
- Surgery is needed at sometimes
The best solution to keep the foot skin disorders away is to wash the feet regularly and pat them dry before putting socks or applying any creams. Keep them protected carefully.
Preventive steps to reduce the risk of foot skin infections:
- Dry your feet after bathing
- Do not wear tight fitting shoes
- Use plastic shoes while swimming
- Wear a good brand of socks
- Keep your blood sugar levels under control if you are a diabetic
