Can a couch potato get athlete’s foot? You bet your remote control
This fungus is an equal opportunity affliction. It doesn’t care whether you’re ajock or ajanitor-or even a Jane. (Although men are more likely to catch this pesky infection, women are by no means immune.)foot. Keep it uncovered and at constant rest, even if you have to stay home from work or ignore your household duties to do so. Although the inflammation itself is not dangerous, it can worsen and lead to bacterial infection if you’re not careful.”
Athlete’s foot is caused by an organism that lives on the skin and breeds best under warm, moist conditions. Although balmy climates probably encourage its growth, sweaty footwear is more often the culprit. Once you’ve got it, you’ll need at least four weeks to make headway against a savage case. Worse, it will retum unless you stamp out the conditions that caused it in the first place. So here are some tips on dealing with an active infection and some ways to guard against an encore.
Baby your foot. Athlete’s foot can come on suddenly and be accompanied by cracked skin, oozing blisters, and an intermittent buming sensation, says Frederick Hass, M.D., a general practi tioner in San Rafael, Califomia. “When you’re suffering through this acute stage, baby your
Is That Really Athlete’s Foot?
According to Thomas Goodman, Jr., MD., that rash probably isn’t athlete’s foot if:
• It’s on a child’s foot. (it’s very rare for a child below the age of puberty to have a fungus infection of the foot.)
• It’s on the top of the toes. (Eru ptions on the tops of toes and the top of the foot are probably some form of contact dermatitis caused by shoe material)
• The foot is red, swollen, sore, blistered, and oozing.