Written by Heather Davies-Strickleton, Senior Analytical Scientist

Running into trouble: Athlete’s foot is a common problem 

Athlete’s foot needs no introduction. A whopping 1 in 6 of us are estimated to have this fungal infection of the foot (also known as tinea pedis).¹,² It usually starts with an irritating itchy rash between the toes, but can progress to painful cracking and blistering of the skin on the toes and soles of the feet.³ Tinea pedis was first reported in Europe in 1908, before which it was considered a rare phenomenon.⁴ Since then numbers have sprinted forward, likely as a result of occluded (closed) footwear, greater movement of people from place to place and more communal sports and health clubs.⁴   

Athlete’s foot occurs because a type of fungus called dermatophytes love to grow in damp, moist places like the areas between our toes.¹ They thrive there in the upper layers of the skin, feeding off the skin protein keratin, resulting in a weakened skin barrier and leading to the subsequent symptoms of Athlete’s foot.¹ When it affects between our toes its known as ‘interdigital’, whilst ‘plantar’ refers to infection found on the sole of the foot. It’s not usually serious but can also spread to other parts of the body, such as the nail (onychomycosis) and […]