What are the symptoms of a fungal foot infection?

If the feet are infected by fungi, diseases such as athlete's foot will easily occur, which will cause obvious damage to the skin at the affected area, so patients need to receive timely treatment and take isolation and prevention measures during the treatment process. Diseases caused by fungal infections are generally contagious and have a high likelihood of recurrence.

1. Symptoms of fungal athlete's foot

It often occurs between the third and fourth, and between the fourth and fifth toes. Initially, the spaces between the toes are damp and whitish, and after drying and scaling, the scaly skin is peeled off to reveal a moist, flushed erosive surface that is extremely itchy and prone to secondary infection.

2. Symptoms of blister-type athlete's foot

It often occurs on the edge of the foot. Initially, they appear as small blisters with thick and full walls. Some of them may merge into large blisters. The blister fluid is transparent and there is no redness around them. The patient feels extremely itchy, and scratching often leads to secondary infection, such as tinea pedis, erysipelas, lymphangitis, etc.

3. Symptoms of keratotic athlete's foot

It often occurs on the heel. Because fungal athlete's foot is not cured, multiple bacteria infection becomes tinea pedis, which causes the skin to become rough, thick and dry, with keratinization and desquamation, itching, and easy cracking. This type of disease has no blisters or suppuration, and the course of the disease is slow and does not heal for many years.

4. Symptoms of erosive athlete's foot

It manifests as local softening and whitening of the 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.

How to treat athlete's foot? How can pregnant patients treat it without harming the baby? The following editor asks experts to explain the treatment methods to us:

1. Erosive type: first soak in 1:5000 potassium permanganate solution or 0.1% refollosterol solution, then apply gentian violet or athlete's foot powder externally, twice a day, and after it dries, apply athlete's foot ointment or tinea versicolor ointment externally, twice a day.

2. Blister type: Soak your feet in hot water every day and then apply clotrimazole anti-tinea lotion or compound salicylic acid tincture once a day. After the skin is dry, apply athlete's foot cream or tinea pedis ointment.

3. Keratotic type: You can use compound benzoic acid cream externally or apply it alternately with compound salicylic acid alcohol, once in the morning and once in the evening. It is best to wrap the area with plastic film after applying the medicine so that the medicine can penetrate into the thick skin and facilitate peeling off the thick skin.