In fact, anyone can suffer from this skin condition because it is an infection of the skin between the toes. This skin condition is known to cause the patient severe pain and discomfort aside from having smelly feet.

In order to treat it, the patient must know what exactly is athlete's foot, what are its symptoms and the effective remedies he or she can use to treat it before the condition gets worst.

KNOWING ATHLETE'S FOOT

By definition, athlete's foot refers to an infection of the foot usually caused by a fungus known as "dermatophytes."

Scientifically known as "tinea pedis," athlete's foot is considered as a harmless foot infection if treated at early stages and before the condition becomes associated with other bacteria.

Athlete's foot occurs when that thrives in warm, moist, and dark environments grow. The usual areas where the fungus thrives on wet floors, in wet socks and in wet articles of clothing. The condition is highly-contagious and can spread from one person to another with direct contact to the infected objects.

Athlete's foot are categorized into three types that include chronic interdigital athlete's foot; chronic scaly athlete's foot or the moccasin type; and acute vesicular athlete's foot. The Chronic Interdigital Athlete's Foot is considered as the most common type of athlete's foot out there.

Characterized by scaling, maceration, and fissures between the 4th and 5th toes, this type of athlete's foot is caused by wearing tight-fitting and non-porous shoes that compress the toes, making it moist.

The Moccasin Type Athlete's Foot, on the other hand, is caused by Trichophyton rubrum that causes dry and scaling on the foot sole. Common symptoms include very fine and silvery scaling of the skin. Aside from the feet, the hands may also be infected especially if the person suffers from eczema or asthma and those who have fungal nail infections that can lead to recurrent skin infections.

Considered as the least common type of athlete's foot, Acute Vesicular Athlete's Foot often originates in people who suffer from chronic interdigital toe web infection. It is characterized by the sudden development of painful blisters on the foot sole or generally on the top of the foot. This may lead to a series of wave of blisters and can even infect the arms, chest, or sides of the fingers.

Other symptoms include dryness, flakiness, reddishness of the skin, frustrating itchy lesions, burning, and stinging sensations that can lead to extreme pain, peeling and cracking of the skin along with blistering and bleeding of the skin.