Due to the contagious nature of the disease, swimming pools, beaches, and even nail shops, where people often walk barefooted, are to be avoided as the infection can spread through dead skin cells. (image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 25 (Korea Bizwire) – According to Kyung Hee University Medical Center’s dermatology department, of 676 patients who were treated for athlete’s foot, referred to medically as a fungal foot infection, 53.1 percent (359 patients) were male and 46.9 percent (317 patients) were female, which goes contrary to popular belief that athlete’s foot mainly affects men.
Athlete’s foot is a skin infection caused by the ringworm fungus. People wearing shoes that don’t breathe for a prolonged time in group environment, such as in the military, are prone to the contagious infection.
Rain boots, especially popular among women during the rainy season, are also known to be a great place for skin infections to grow. Due to the contagious nature of the disease, swimming pools, beaches, and even nail shops, where people often walk barefooted, are to be avoided as the infection can spread through dead skin cells.
Based on the symptoms, athlete’s foot can be categorized into either blister or cornification type.
Symptoms of blister type obviously include blisters of different sizes and shaped on all parts of the foot. Cornification, or keratinocyte differentiation, involves hardening of the skin layer and the peeling of scaly patches of the skin.
Antifungal medication should be applied to the infected areas twice a day to treat the infection.
Doctors may prescribe oral antifungal medication for six to twelve weeks if the condition does not improve.
“Feet must be kept clean and dry during and after the treatment to prevent the recurrence of athlete’s foot. If a secondary infection or acute inflammation develops, a wet compress treatment should be given first along with antibiotics and topical steroid prescriptions,” said Lee Moo-hyung, a dermatologist at Kyung Hee University Medical Center.
By M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
