Top Causes Of Athlete’s Foot
Athlete’s foot is an inflammatory skin disease that results in the development of skin rashes, hives, fissures, blisters, and even ulcers. The main culprit behind the cause of athlete’s foot is the attack by a fungus. The fungus causing athlete’s foot is similar to the fungus that causing jock itch and ringworm. Usually, the unhygienic practices of people lead to the development of an athlete’s foot in the people. Moreover, the signs and symptoms get worse if the suffering patient is also having diabetes mellitus or any immune disorder. Following is the descriptive explanation of the possible causes of developing the skin condition of athlete’s foot:
The causing fungus
When the tinea fungus grows on the feet under the favorable conditions of a hot and humid environment, there is the development of an athlete’s foot on the different areas of your feet. Usually, the fungus, which is the causative agent of an athlete’s foot, is present on the surface of our hands, feet, nails, and hairs and is known as a dermatophyte. The specific type of fungus causing athlete’s foot thrives on locker room floors, shower walls, shower curtains, and in the swimming pools. The causative agent tinea fungus causes the inflammation of the area between the toes and the soles of the feet.
The fungus attacks one or both feet of a person and results in an infection, which makes the skin red, bumpy, and itchy at the initial stages. Generally, the fungus, bacteria, and other microbes are present on our skin surfaces, but when these microbes get the conditions like hot and humid weather, they tend to grow and multiply. The fungus is very much similar to the plants, and it survives by feeding on the dead or breaking down tissues of the human body. A group of fungi, particularly dermatophytes, are parasitic, which means they feed on the human host and also cause disease in the host body.
Moreover, the unhygienic conditions, sweat production, and warmth of the feet are more favorable for the thriving of tinea fungus. The dark, humid and warm environments are the ideal conditions for the optimum growth of these dermatophytes. The dermatophytes usually cause fungal infections in any body area like nails, hair, scalp, and feet. But the major groups of fungi which lead to the development of athlete’s foot in human bodies are:
- Yeasts
- Molds
- Dermatophytes, particularly tinea