What happens if athlete foot is untreated

You do not need to stay off work or school. Keep following this advice after finishing treatment to help stop athlete's foot coming back. You're more likely to get it if you have wet or sweaty feet, or if the skin on your feet is damaged. Page last reviewed: 08 June Next review due: 08 June Athlete's foot. Symptoms of athlete's foot One of the main symptoms of Athlete's foot is itchy white patches between your toes. Find a pharmacy. Do dry your feet after washing them, particularly between your toes — dab them dry rather than rubbing them use a separate towel for your feet and wash it regularly take your shoes off when at home wear clean socks every day — cotton socks are best.

In this health problem, the skin looks like a "moist honeycomb. Symptoms include feet that are very sweaty and smell bad.

How athlete's foot tinea pedis develops and how well it responds to treatment depends on the type of athlete's foot you have. Toe web infections interdigital often begin with skin that seems moist and pale white. You may notice itching, burning, and a slight odour. As the infection gets worse, the skin between the toes becomes scaly, peels, and cracks. If the fungal infection becomes severe, a bacterial infection also may develop. This can cause further skin breakdown. The bacterial infection may also infect the lower leg cellulitis of the lower leg.

Toe web infections often result in a sudden vesicular blister infection. Toe web infections respond well to treatment.

Moccasin-type infections may begin with minor irritation, dryness, itching, burning, or scaly skin and progress to thickened, cracked skin on the sole or heel. In severe cases, the toenails become infected and can thicken, crumble, and even fall out.

If you do not take preventive measures, this infection often returns. You may also develop an infection on the palm of the hand symptoms commonly affect one hand and both feet. Moccasin-type infections may be long-lasting. Vesicular infections blisters usually begin with a sudden outbreak of blisters that become red and inflamed. Blisters sometimes erupt again after the first infection. A bacterial infection may also be present.

A vesicular infection often develops from a long-lasting toe web infection. Blisters may also appear on palms, the side of the fingers, and other areas dermatophytid or id reaction.

Vesicular infections usually respond well to treatment. If untreated, skin blisters and cracks caused by athlete's foot can lead to severe bacterial infections. In some types of athlete's foot, the toenails may be infected. For more information, see the topic Fungal Nail Infections. All types of athlete's foot can be treated, but symptoms often return after treatment.

Athlete's foot is most likely to return if:. Severe infections that appear suddenly, and keep returning, can lead to long-lasting infection. Athlete's foot is contagious, but some people are more likely to get it susceptible than others.

If you aren't susceptible to athlete's foot, you may come in contact with the fungi that cause athlete's foot yet not get an infection. But you can still spread the fungi to others. Call your doctor about a skin infection on your feet if:. Watchful waiting is a period of time during which you and your doctor observe your symptoms or condition without using medical treatment. You can usually treat athlete's foot yourself at home. But any persistent, severe, or recurrent infections should be evaluated by your doctor.

When athlete's foot symptoms appear, you can first use a non-prescription product. If your symptoms do not improve after 2 weeks of treatment or have not gone away after 4 weeks of treatment, call your doctor. Your family doctor or general practitioner can diagnose and treat most cases of athlete's foot.

You may be referred to a specialist, such as a dermatologist or podiatrist. In most cases, your doctor can diagnose athlete's foot tinea pedis by looking at your foot. He or she will also ask about your symptoms and any previous fungal infections you have had. If your symptoms look unusual or if a previous infection has not responded well to treatment, your doctor may collect a skin or nail sample by lightly scratching the skin with a blade or the edge of a microscope slide, or by trimming a nail.

He or she will examine the skin and nail samples using laboratory tests including:. In rare cases, a skin biopsy will be done by removing a small piece of skin that will be looked at under a microscope. How you treat athlete's foot tinea pedis depends on its type and severity. Most cases of athlete's foot can be treated at home using an antifungal medicine to kill the fungus or slow its growth. For severe athlete's foot that doesn't improve, your doctor may prescribe oral antifungal medicine pills.

Oral antifungal pills are used only for severe cases, because they are expensive and require periodic testing for dangerous side effects. Athlete's foot can return even after antifungal pill treatment. Even if your symptoms improve or stop shortly after you begin using antifungal medicine, it is important that you complete the full course of medicine. This increases the chance that athlete's foot will not return. Reinfection is common, and athlete's foot needs to be fully treated each time symptoms develop.

Toe web interdigital infections occur between the toes, especially between the fourth and fifth toes. This is the most common type of athlete's foot infection. Moccasin-type athlete's foot causes scaly, thickened skin on the sole and heel of the foot. Often the toenails become infected onychomycosis. A moccasin-type infection can be more difficult to treat, because the skin on the sole of the foot is very thick. Vesicular infections, or blisters, usually appear on the foot instep but can also develop between the toes, on the sole of the foot, on the top of the foot, or on the heel.

This type of fungal infection may be accompanied by a bacterial infection. This is the least common type of infection. Treatment of vesicular infections may be done at your doctor's office or at home. Even when treated, athlete's foot often returns. This is likely to happen if:. You may choose not to treat athlete's foot if your symptoms don't bother you and you have no health problems that increase your chance of severe foot infection, such as diabetes.

But untreated athlete's foot that causes skin blisters or cracks can lead to severe bacterial infection. Also, if you don't treat athlete's foot, you can spread it to other people. Severe infections that appear suddenly acute usually respond well to treatment.

Long-lasting chronic infections can be more difficult to cure. Toenail infections onychomycosis that can develop with athlete's foot tend to be more difficult to cure than fungal skin infections.

You can prevent athlete's foot tinea pedis by:. If you have athlete's foot, dry your groin area before your feet after bathing. Also, put on your socks before your underwear. This can prevent fungi from spreading from your feet to your groin, which may cause jock itch. For more information about jock itch, see the topic Ringworm of the Skin.

You can usually treat athlete's foot tinea pedis yourself at home by using non-prescription medicines and taking care of your feet. But if you have diabetes and develop athlete's foot, or have persistent, severe, or recurrent infections, see your doctor.

Non-prescription antifungals include clotrimazole Canesten , miconazole Micatin , and tolnaftate Tinactin. These medicines are creams, lotions, solutions, gels, sprays, ointments, swabs, or powders that are applied to the skin topical medicine. Treatment will last from 1 to 6 weeks. If you have a vesicular blister infection, soak your foot in Burow's solution several times a day for 3 or more days until the blister fluid is gone. After the fluid is gone, use an antifungal cream as directed.

You can also apply compresses using Burow's solution. To prevent athlete's foot from returning, use the full course of all medicine as directed, even after symptoms have gone away. Avoid using hydrocortisone cream on a fungal infection, unless your doctor prescribes it. Good foot care helps treat and prevent athlete's foot.

You may choose not to treat athlete's foot if your symptoms don't bother you and you have no health problems that increase your risk of severe foot infection, such as diabetes. But an untreated athlete's foot infection causing skin blisters or cracks can lead to severe bacterial infection.

Also, if you don't treat athlete's foot infection, you can spread it to other people. Antifungal medicines that are used on the skin topical are usually the first choice for treating athlete's foot tinea pedis. They are available in prescription or non-prescription forms. Non-prescription medicines are usually tried first. For severe cases of athlete's foot, your doctor may prescribe oral antifungals pills. But treatment with this medicine is expensive, requires periodic testing for dangerous side effects, and does not guarantee a cure.

When you are treating athlete's foot, it is important that you use the full course of the medicine. Using it as directed, even after the symptoms go away, increases the likelihood that you will kill the fungi and that the infection will not return. Non-prescription antifungals are usually tried first.

These include clotrimazole Canesten , miconazole Micatin , and tolnaftate Tinactin. Prescription antifungals may be tried if non-prescription medicines do not help or if you have a severe infection.

Some of these medicines are topical antifungals, which are put directly on the skin. Examples include ketoconazole Ketoderm Cream and terbinafine Lamisil Cream. Prescription antifungals can also be taken as a pill, which are called oral antifungals.

Examples of oral antifungals include fluconazole Diflucan , itraconazole Sporanox , and terbinafine Lamisil. Some topical antifungal medicines work faster 1 to 2 weeks than other topical medicines 4 to 8 weeks. Also, it is commonly located in between your toes. Brett Chatman, DPM. Skin is not the only place the fungi may find a home. They can feed on a protein in your nails, too.

Chatman advised. If left untreated, large, painful fissures can also develop. These cracks can expose your feet to bacterial infections, which can make healing more complicated. Many antifungal products contain allylamines or azoles — the two main effective antifungal ingredients. Additionally, Dr.