Athlete’s foot is a foot skin disease caused by highly pathogenic bacteria and is infectious. Tinea pedis is widespread worldwide, especially in tropical and subtropical regions. In China, the incidence of tinea pedis is also very high. The soles and interdigital spaces of the human feet do not have sebaceous glands, thereby lacking oleic acid to inhibit skin dermatophytes.

The physiological defense function is weak, and the sebaceous glands in this area are abundant, with excessive sweating. In addition, poor ventilation, local humidity and warmth, are conducive to the growth and development of dermatophytes. Moreover, the stratum corneum of the sole is thick, and the keratin protein in the thin stratum corneum is a rich nutrient for bacteria, which is conducive to the growth of bacteria.

During pregnancy, due to changes in endocrine function, women’s ability to resist bacterial infection is reduced, making them prone to tinea pedis. Overweight people are prone to tinea pedis due to wet and cold interdigital spaces and sweat pre-soaking. Foot skin trauma, which destroys the skin’s defense function, is also one of the factors causing tinea pedis. Diabetics are prone to tinea pedis due to insulin deficiency, causing metabolic disorders, increased skin sugar levels, and decreased immunity. Drug abuse, long-term use of corticosteroid hormones and immunostimulants, etc., can lead to normal skin flora imbalance, thereby increasing the susceptibility to tinea pedis.

The occurrence of tinea pedis is also related to lifestyle. Some people do not pay attention to the daily cleaning of the feet and the condition of the socks, providing an excellent breeding ground for bacteria.

Athlete’s foot is generally caused by bacterial infection, and external application of ointments is mainly dominated by antifungal drugs, such as Daktarin ointment, salicylic acid benzyl ester cream, clotrimazole cream, etc., with different ointments used according to different clinical symptoms.

1, For interdigital maceration, it is recommended to first apply foot powder and then change to econazole suppositories after the superficial skin peels and dries.

2, For vesicular types, sodium salicylate tincture or clotrimazole suppositories can be used.

3, For papulosquamous and hyperkeratotic types, antifungal ointments such as clotrimazole ointment, econazole cream, ketoconazole cream, terbinafine cream, and terbinafine ointment can be used. If secondary infection occurs with tinea pedis, antibacterial drugs such as mupirocin ointment should be added first, and then antifungal treatment can be carried out after controlling the secondary infection.