What is the reason for the peeling and itching of feet

Peeling feet is a very common disease in people's lives. Many people will develop this disease due to various factors. Some patients with this disease will also experience severe itching after peeling of their feet. Most patients with this condition do not know what causes the disease. So, what is the reason for itchy feet?

First, what is the reason for the peeling and itching of feet? Tinea pedis (commonly known as "Hong Kong foot" and athlete's foot) is caused by fungal infection. The skin damage often occurs on one side (i.e. one foot) first, and then infects the other side after several weeks or months. Blisters mainly appear on the soles and sides of the toes, most commonly between the third and fourth toes, and can also appear on the soles of the feet. They are deep small blisters that can gradually merge into large blisters. A characteristic of the skin lesions of tinea pedis is that they have clear boundaries and can gradually expand outward. As the disease progresses or scratching occurs, erosion, exudation, or even bacterial infection and pustules may occur.

Second, during pregnancy, women's endocrine changes cause their skin's ability to resist fungal infections to decrease, making them more susceptible to tinea pedis. Obese people are more likely to suffer from tinea pedis due to moisture between the toes and sweat. Trauma to the foot skin destroys the skin's defense function and is also one of the factors that induce tinea pedis. Diabetic patients are also susceptible to tinea pedis because of the disorder of substance metabolism caused by lack of insulin and the increased sugar content in the skin leading to decreased resistance. Abuse of antibiotics, long-term use of corticosteroids and immunosuppressants, etc., which can cause imbalance in the normal skin flora, can also increase susceptibility to tinea pedis. The incidence of tinea pedis is also related to lifestyle habits. Some people do not pay attention to foot hygiene and the condition of their shoes and socks, providing a good breeding ground for fungi.

What is the reason for peeling and itchy feet? The clinical manifestations are blisters, peeling, or pale and soft skin between the toes. Erosion or thickening, roughness, and cracking of the skin may also occur, and may spread to the soles and edges of the feet, causing severe itching. It may be accompanied by local suppuration, redness, swelling, pain, inguinal lymph node enlargement, and even secondary infections such as calf erysipelas and cellulitis. Due to scratching the itchy area with the hands, it is often transmitted to the hands and causes tinea manuum (tinea pedis). When fungi grow on the nails, it causes onychomycosis (onychomycosis). Fungi like moist and warm environments. The hot summer weather and sweating, as well as people wearing rubber shoes and nylon socks, provide a breeding ground for fungi. The condition usually improves in the winter, manifested by cracking of the skin. There are several types: 1. The blister type mostly occurs in summer, characterized by the appearance of rice-sized, deep blisters between the toes, on the edges of the feet, and on the soles of the feet, which are scattered or distributed in groups. The blister walls are thick, the contents are clear, and they are not easy to rupture. They fuse together to form multi-chamber blisters. When the blister walls are torn off, a honeycomb base and bright red erosive surface can be seen, which causes severe itching. 2. The erosive type is characterized by the softening and whitening of the local epidermal stratum corneum. Due to constant friction when walking, the epidermis falls off, revealing a bright red eroded surface; in severe cases, the skin between the toes and the junction of the toes and the soles of the feet can be affected, with severe itching, mostly between the 3rd, 4th, and 5th toes. Common in people with excessive sweating. 3. The symptoms of the scaly and keratotic type are thickening, roughness, and scaling of the skin on the soles, edges of the feet, heels, and toes. The scales are in the form of flakes or small dots and fall off repeatedly.