An elderly gentleman presented to our clinic today complaining of itching, burning and drainage between the toes. Patient states his right and left foot have had this appearance for approximately 1 week duration.

The patient stated he had a long history of athlete’s foot, but has never had it this bad. Patient had applying over-the-counter antifungal and hydrocortisone creams in between the toes. Patient stated that his feet actually looked “pretty good” as compared to the past few days.

The patient was ultimately placed on the following medications:

1. Prednisone orally – a steroid to calm down the inflammation of the area

2. Gris-Peg – an oral antifungal taken 3 times per day

3. Augmentin – an antibiotic to fight any secondary bacterial infection

4. Naftin Gel – a topical antifungal to placed between the toes followed by separation of the toes with cotton balls.

5. Betadine – iodine based products to dry out between the toes

Patient was advised to let his feet air dry for 3-4 hours day and use an oscillating fan to “air out” the feet.

Patient is to return in a week for follow-up. More pictures will be posted as this patient continues to improve. Stay posted.

If you have athlete’s foot, please come see the doctors at  Advanced Foot & Center for treatment.

~Dr. Williams

The address to our facility is as follows:

McKinney Office Location

4501 Medical Center Drive: Suite 300

McKinney,  TX 75069

To schedule an apppointment, please call : 972-542-2155

Prosper Office Location

140 N. Preston Road: Suite 30

Prosper, TX 75078

To schedule an appointment, please call:  972-542-2155

]]> http://www.advancedfoottexas.com/2010/03/a-case-of-athletes-foot/feed/ 0 http://www.advancedfoottexas.com/2009/12/athletes-foot/ http://www.advancedfoottexas.com/2009/12/athletes-foot/#comments Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:29:55 +0000 Dr. Williams & Dr. Silvers http://www.advancedfoottexas.com/?p=660

Athlete’s foot is caused by a fungal infection of the skin on the foot. The majority of these infections are caused by one of three fungal agents called dermatophytes. Athlete’s foot is by far the most common fungal infection of the skin. The infection can be either acute or chronic. The recurrent form of the disease is often associated with fungal-infected toenails. The acute form of the infection most often presents with moist, scaling between the toes with occasional small blisters and/or fissures. As the blistering breaks, the infection spreads and can involve large areas of the skin on the foot. The burning and itching that accompany the blisters may cause great discomfort that can be relieved by opening and draining the blisters or applying cool water compresses. The infection can also occur as isolated circular lesions on the bottom or top of the foot. As the skin breaks down from the fungal infection, a secondary bacterial infection can ensue.

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of tenia pedis is generally made based upon the clinical presentation. A definitive diagnosis is made by taking a scraping of the skin and culturing it. It may take up to three weeks for the culture to grow the fungus. In some instances the culture may present a false negative result because the skin scraping was inadequate. Some doctors may perform a KOH prep of a skin scraping. This is examined under a microscope and may reveal elements that can make the diagnosis.

Treatment

Treatment should be directed at controlling the fungal infection and treating any secondary bacterial infection with oral antibiotics. Soaking the feet in Epsom salts and warm water is helpful. Wearing sandals to reduce moisture accumulation and heat generated by closed shoes will also help in the control and spread of the infection. Other conditions that mimic acute athlete’s foot are contact dermatitis and pustular psoriasis.

The chronic form of athletes foot is a relatively noninflamatory type of infection. It is characterized by a dull redness to the skin and pronounced scaling. It may involve the entire bottom of the foot giving a “moccasin” appearance. It generally does not itch or result in the formation of blisters. This form of the disease frequently has an associated fungal infection of the toenails. There are good topical and oral medications available for the treatment of this condition. There are some less common causes of dry scaling skin on the feet.

Please come see Dr. Williams and Dr. Silvers for treatment of your skin infection.