Is it athlete's foot or something else? What can I do?

Question

For a few months now, I've been having problem's with only one of my feet. The bottom of it is peeling really bad. I have callus and it will peel down to the skin if you pick at it too much. It's not really affecting my toes very much. The only toe is my little one, the back of it peels a little bit and the outside part of my foot peels. The affected area starts on the bottom right under my toes and goes to the middle part of my foot. It sometimes itches, and when it does it's bad, but not all the time. I've used Dr. Scholl's for her cracked heel cream, which I used before and it softened my skin, but now it's not working, and I've tried athlete's foot cream, which doesn't do much either. My husband has had athlete's foot for years, but we've only been together for almost a year, and my feet were perfectly fine before that. Is it athlete's foot that I have or something else? Should I just tell the doctor or is there something else I can try? Let me know if u need more info!

Answer 1

It sure sounds like athlete's foot. To get it under control, you need to reduce the moisture and keep up with the medication. Use sandals without socks as much as possible. Use several types of active ingredients - maybe one type at night and another during the day. Get rid of cotton and wool socks and switch to synthetics that wick away moisture. Then, use a medicated powder that you can sprinkle from a can, and sprinkle a decent amount inside your socks - this kills the fungus in the shoes and keeps your foot surrounded with medication. Use a cream at night.