When the layman hears something about mushrooms, he first thinks of the mushrooms in the forest. In fact, this thought is not so absurd when it comes to athlete's foot. Every mushroom picker knows that he can carry a particularly large number of "sponges" home on a warm, damp summer. Just like the mushrooms in the forest, the skin and athlete's foot also thrive particularly well in a damp environment.
Meaning of fungal skin diseases
The forest mushrooms also form a microscopically fine network of multiple intertwining threads called mycelium. A very similar mycelium can also be found in skin fungi. They are therefore also called mycoses. The latter cannot, however, form the fruiting bodies that can be seen in forest mushrooms. In this fruiting body, male and female spores form, after which a new fungus can grow. Such sexual reproduction is not known in the skin fungi. They are therefore also referred to as incomplete mushrooms.
Fungal infections of the skin have increased significantly in the past ten to twenty years. Today it can be said without exaggeration that around half of the population in Germany suffers from a fungal disease. In many cases, however, the skin symptoms are so minor that the disease is only noticed after a careful examination.
However, symptoms can worsen at any time and require medical attention. It is therefore important to combat skin fungi wherever they occur, even if the symptoms on the skin are still not very pronounced. But in order to understand some preventive measures, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the biology of these microorganisms.
Causes & Transmission of Fungal Skin Diseases
The transmission of skin fungi can take place from animals to humans or from person to person. Pets, for example cattle, dogs or cats, are possible sources of infection. The fungi can attack both the superficial horny layer of the skin and skin appendages such as hair or nails. In the following we want to deal in particular with the fungal diseases of the horny layer, the so-called epidermophytias, as these are the most common today.
As I said at the beginning, the prerequisite for the growth of such fungi is a moist environment. This is particularly the case on parts of the body where skin lies on skin, since here the evaporation of sweat takes place more slowly. We therefore find such fungi particularly often between toes and fingers, on the inside of the thighs or in the region of the genitals. Such fungi can also appear on parts of the body with particularly pronounced perspiration, such as the soles of the feet or the palms of the hands. Therefore, people with particularly heavy sweating are more prone to fungal infections than others.
Usually the skin is able to fight off such fungi. There is a fine film on the skin that consists of certain fat-like substances that inhibit the growth of fungi. But also the fairly firm horny layer resists the penetration of the fungi. In addition to the pathogen, various preconditions are therefore necessary for a fungal infection to spread. This includes:
- a humid environment
- increased perspiration
- Clothes, shoes or stockings that are too tight or too thick that are not breathable enough
- the loosening of the horny layer and the destruction of the fatty film of the skin
A moist environment that is favorable for the skin fungi can also be promoted by clothing. Normally, the skin sweat is absorbed by the clothing, unless it has already escaped to the outside as water vapor. In this finely divided form, it can easily evaporate. However, if you wear rubber boots, for example, air circulation is impossible. That is why it happens that people who usually have to wear rubber boots in their job, such as butchers or butchers, miners, fishermen or farmers, develop mycoses more often.
Yes, even shoes with air-permeable rubber soles are perceived as annoying by people who are sweaty in their feet and they encourage athlete's foot. Even modern stockings made of synthetic fibers, such as nylon and polyester fibers, have, in addition to many pleasant properties, one uncomfortable property, namely they are water-repellent. As a result, the evaporation process described above cannot take place. The modern hosiery industry has therefore already undertaken various attempts to eliminate these disadvantages, but without any significant success to date.
In addition, the moist environment causes other damage to the skin. It gradually softens the fairly firm, coherent horny layer so that the fungi can easily penetrate and have a good breeding ground in the protein of the horny layer. The horny layer and fatty film of the skin can also be damaged by other factors. For example, through frequent hand washing, handling lime and cement or through solvents such as gasoline, benzene and others.
Treatment & prevention of athlete's foot
If you sweat too much, it is advisable to wear small wadding pads between your toes to absorb the sweat. A mild fungal disease can even heal with these simple measures. It is well known that athlete's foot is most common between the toes. The skin usually turns whitish, looks swollen, almost cooked and tends to flake and crack. In more severe cases, the dermis is exposed, with the top layers of the skin having peeled off in tatters and showing areas that are oozing and sometimes causing pain. This condition is not infrequently caused by scratching or inappropriate treatment. In addition, there are also bubbles that are filled with an aqueous liquid.
Treatment is relatively simple, but should still be carried out by a doctor. Self-treatments with various antifungal agents usually make the disease worse. But prophylaxis is difficult. The fungi are quite resilient and can last for months in stockings or shoes. Sports, swimming, both in the lido and in the indoor swimming pool, club holidays in hotel complexes and the like, provide many opportunities for infection and spread of the fungi. Common washrooms or shower rooms in schools and kindergartens also promote their spread.
Of course, you cannot do without such hygienic measures because of this. But you should never enter common rooms with bare feet, but always with flip-flops. The disinfection of the stockings and shoes is problematic because the stockings and shoes cannot always be boiled. But the usual washing processes do not kill the fungi, and disinfectant solutions make women's stockings particularly unsightly. Chemical disinfectants and athlete's foot sprays often cause hypersensitivity (allergies) in the skin. It is therefore important to find a substance that sticks to the fiber or shoe, kills fungi well and does not cause allergies.
The pharmaceutical industry has made efforts in collaboration with various scientific laboratories to solve these problems. The previous attempts have turned out to be quite cheap, so that one can expect the introduction of special stockings soon, which could be of great help and relief, especially for people who are easily prone to fungal infections.
However, the best prevention and treatment of athlete's foot cannot be achieved with medication, foot sprays and chemical clubs, but can be found in a healthy and natural way of life. This includes frequent barefoot walking, especially in summer, as well as regular and thorough drying of your feet after showering, bathing or swimming. At home, too, you should go barefoot a lot, if possible. Many households today already have pleasant underfloor heating and natural floors made of natural stone or terracotta tiles, so that walking barefoot will have more than just a pleasant and healthy effect on the feet.
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