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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors

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Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

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For You

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Summary

Athlete's foot is a common infection caused by a fungus. It most often affects the space between the toes. Symptoms include itching, burning, and cracked, scaly skin between your toes.

You can get athlete's foot from damp surfaces, such as showers, swimming pools, and locker room floors. To prevent it:

• Keep your feet clean, dry, and cool
• Wear clean socks
• Don't walk barefoot in public areas
• Wear flip-flops in locker room showers
• Keep your toenails clean and clipped short

Treatments include over-the-counter antifungal creams for most cases and prescription medicines for more serious infections. These usually clear up the infection, but it can come back.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Start Here

• Athlete's Foot (American Podiatric Medical Association)
• Athlete's Foot (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Also in Spanish
• Athlete's Foot (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Fungal Culture Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Fungus Infections: Preventing Recurrence (American Osteopathic College of Dermatology)
• How to Prevent Athlete's Foot (American Academy of Dermatology)

Images

• Athlete's Foot (Tinea Pedis) (VisualDX)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Tinea Pedis (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Epidermophyton floccosum, an etiological agent of tinea pedis and tinea unguium:...
• Article: Therapeutic evaluation of herbal foot bath for tinea pedis: Impact on...
• Article: Systematic Review of the Prevalence of Tinea Pedis in Children.
• Athlete's Foot -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• American Podiatric Medical Association
• Find a Dermatologist (American Academy of Dermatology)
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Children

• Athlete's Foot (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Teenagers

• Athlete's Foot (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Athlete's foot (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Skin lesion KOH exam (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish