Summer foot woes, hot tips for happy feet

Summer multiplies the risk of suffering from some kind of foot or nail fungus due to the heat, humidity and our leisure habits on vacation. Think about it, on holiday we typically frequent swimming pools and beaches, we walk barefoot more often and our feet sweat more than at other times of the year from being crammed into beach shoes when the temperatures are at their highest. So, it is not unusual for us to end the summer with a foot issue of some kind, most likely a fungal infection. The foot experts have some good advice on how to avoid, recognise and stop the spread of such infections.

Infection by these fungi, called dermatophytes, can affect both the skin on the feet and the nails, explains vice-president of the Association of Podiatrists of Euskadi, María Arberás. The optimal conditions for athlete’s foot (also known as foot ringworm or tinea pedis) to develop, the most commonly-occurring infection in this fungal group, are found in humid, warm environments. So it is easy to get infected in showers, changing rooms, swimming pools, and saunas. Stepping barefoot on a floor or sharing a towel that is contaminated are enough to pick up this infection. Another source of infection has joined the usual ones found in sports facilities, namely beauty salons where pedicures are offered. This is due to the risk of cross-contamination of the tools used to groom nails. “Disinfecting with alcohol is not enough, it is necessary to sterilise them,“ urges Arberás.

The fungus also lives in damp or sweaty shoes and socks, especially in shoes that do not allow the feet to breathe properly. “Although cases increase in summer due to the heat and humidity, throughout the year we look after athletes whose feet sweat a lot,“ says our foot expert.

Athlete’s foot also develops more easily in people who wear closed-toe shoes most days or socks that are not breathable. For this reason the vast majority of those affected are men between 15 and 45 years old, who usually wear those closed-toe shoes even in the hottest months. Women are less affected since in summer they often opt for open-toed sandals, so their feet can breathe a bit.

Keeping your feet dry is one of the keys to avoiding foot fungus, but it’s tricky in summer.

”When we get back from the pool we should dry underneath the feet and between the toes very well and, if necessary, use a hair dryer. You can even apply a little betadine on children to avoid dampness,“ says Arberás. If our feet are prone to sweating a lot, “we should change our socks twice a day and use one pair of shoes for sports and another for going out,“ she says. Another warning: when we try on new shoes in a store, we should use plastic that covers the entire foot, since this is another cause of contagion.

Fungal infections usually first attack the skin between the toes, then spread to the soles and the rest of the foot. They are very contagious and are transmitted by simply touching the affected area and then touching another part of the body.

That is why they are so common. A study carried out by the Mayo Clinic in the United States revealed that 70% of the population is destined to have athlete’s foot at least once in their lifetime and 45% of them will suffer recurrent infections for 10 or more years.

Moreover, a quarter of those affected do not even realise that they are infected by fungi, which leads to several relapses a year and their passing it onto others.

In fact, one of the major risks with foot fungus is the ease with which it spreads and infects other people. It can be transmitted by touching the affected area of another person or even just being in contact with a contaminated object.

Therefore, it is very important not to go barefoot when we have an active infection. Detecting these alterations in the skin on our feet and applying treatment is essential.

“They are treated with ointments, and in cases in which the infection has spread widely, we also administer oral medication,“ states the specialist.

The usual symptoms are itchy, scaly and cracked skin, and whitish-looking, split skin between the toes.

These are the milder, early manifestations of an infection that can go unnoticed because it is often mistaken for very dry skin, according to Arberás.

Still, if the infection continues untreated, it can spread, causing blisters and ulcers to appear.

They are also a risk for people who are immunosuppressed or have diabetes. In the nails, the lesions typically appear in one corner of the nail bed, which acquires a yellow colour, then it increases in size and separates from the nail bed.

The treatment to eliminate the fungus in nails is lengthy, lasting three months to one year. One of the most annoying infections is from candida (yeast). It gives the feet an unpleasant appearance and emits a foul-smelling foot odour.

It begins in the nails, which turn a greenish-yellow colour, the fungi then deform the nails and cause a pain that resembles that of ingrown toenails, but usually more intense.