Athlete's foot - What will happen?

Athlete's foot isn't serious. But if you don't treat it, your feet can become sore. And the infection may spread to your fingernails, your toenails and other parts of your feet, as well as other places on your body, such as your arms, legs or chest. Treatment will make your feet feel better and get rid of the fungus that's causing your symptoms.

Athlete's foot can usually be cured. Even if you've had it for a long time, you should still be able to get rid of the infection completely. But it may come back.

It's especially important to treat it straight away if you have:

Diabetes
A weak immune system (for example, because of HIV infection or because you're having chemotherapy).

If you have one of these conditions, you're more likely to get a bacterial infection as well as athlete's foot. This can cause more problems and is often harder to treat than athlete's foot on its own.

You'll probably need to treat athlete's foot for several weeks and maybe longer. If your skin is cracked or has ulcers or blisters from the athlete's foot, it may take a long time to heal.[1]

You don't have to stop playing sport or wearing sports shoes if you have athlete's foot. But it's a good idea to always wear something on your feet to avoid spreading the infection to other people. It's worth carrying a pair of flip-flops in your gym bag and wearing them in the changing room and shower and when you walk around the pool.

References

American Academy of Family Physicians. Tinea infections: athlete's foot, jock itch and ringworm. Available at http://familydoctor.org/316.xml (accessed on 23 April 2007).

Glossary

infection: You get an infection when an , such as a or , gets into a part of your body where it shouldn't be. These organisms are so tiny that you can't see them without a microscope. An infection in your nose and airways causes the common cold. An infection in your skin can cause rashes such as athlete's foot.
diabetes: Diabetes is a condition that causes too much sugar (glucose) to circulate in the blood. It happens when the body stops making a called (type 1 diabetes) or when insulin stops working (type 2 diabetes).
immune system: The immune system is made up of the parts of the body that fight infection. The body is constantly being threatened by infections from things like bacteria, viruses and parasites. The immune system fights these infections in different ways. At the microscopic level, the immune system uses antibodies and white blood cells, which travel in the blood and target infectious agents, such as bacteria. These microscopic parts of the immune system either kill the infectious agent directly, or take it to other parts of the body, like the spleen, where it can be dealt with. The lymph nodes are another important part of the immune system. Within them, white blood cells filter through the foreign material that has entered the blood, to see if there are any infections. When you have a swollen gland during a cold, this is actually a lymph node that is reacting to the infection. Unfortunately, it is possible for the immune system to become confused and to attack healthy parts of the body. Diseases that result from this type of situation are called autoimmune diseases.
HIV: HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It's the virus that causes . It makes you ill by damaging cells called CD4 cells. Your body needs these cells to fight infections. You can get HIV by sharing needles for injecting drugs, or by having sex without a condom with someone who has the virus.

This information does not replace medical advice. If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.