Ringworm Athlete’s Foot Toenails

Ringworm is a widespread fungal infection. The dermatophyte fungus that causes ringworm of the foot and ringworm of the nails live on human skin. Ringworm of the foot is also called athlete’s foot. It appears as a scaling or cracking of the skin, especially between the toes. Ringworm of the nails causes the affected nails to become thicker, discolored, and brittle, or to become chalky and disintegrate.

The infection most commonly shows up between the toes first and then moves to the arch. Between toes the fungus may have an uneven border with scaling present. Flare-ups may cause increased redness, and irritation. The soles of the feet may become infected causing skin thickening as the fungal infection spreads. Severe cases can cause pain, itching, inflammation and redness. When ringworm athlete’s foot affects the toe nails, they may become infected causing a change in color, thickness and surface smoothness. Mild cases may be treated with topical anti-fungal products. Oral medication may be required in severe systemic cases.

A toenail fungus or fingernail fungus will develop when conditions are right. The first condition is the presence of a warm and damp environment. These conditions allow a rapid growth and the spread of the dermatophytes. Socks and shoes are perfect places to foster this environment. Socks that do not absorb moisture away from the feet become breeding grounds of the nail fungus. Vinyl shoes or shoes that are too tight and do not allow the feet to breath will encourage the feet to sweat. The moisture encourages the nail fungus to grow.

Nail fungus or in medical terms,Tinea Unguium, comes from tiny organisms that live in fingernails as well as toenails. These microorganisms use nails of our fingers and toes very effectively as barricades. If the infection sets in the barricade may prevent treatment of the skin ailment. Nail infections are fairly common. The nail bed is where the fungi usually grow. The fungus grows slowly but luckily does not accumulate in other internal organs of the body.

Athlete’s Foot Infection

The mere presence of the dermatophytes on the skin does not immediately mean a ringworm athlete’s foot toenail fungal infection. The good news is fungal infections are not considered contagious nor are they easily transmitted by different individuals. As is common with most infections, nail fungus affects people with weaker immune systems. Be aware that fungi easily survive on weak defense systems.