Athlete's foot

Medical surveys revealed that around a third of the population of Western Europe suffers from athlete's foot (med. tinea pedis), nail fungus or even both fungal diseases. Due to the wide dispersion of the pathogens, the risk of infection for each individual is correspondingly high.

The skin fungus can be transmitted by contact with infected dry skin and hair. Everyone is constantly losing micro skin scales that he or she spreads invisibly over the ground (or also in borrowed shoes). Other persons and the person affected can also be (re)infected through contact with this fungal material. Infection is made easier in 'moist cold', e.g. when wearing air-impermeable shoes that are too tight and which cause reduced circulation. An infection is therefore not only possible in public baths, sports facilities and hotel rooms; it is also possible in the private sphere.

People with circulatory disorders such as smokers or diabetics are at particular risk. Sportsmen and people who frequently wear tight shoes over a longer period of time due to their jobs and people who suffer from increased sweat formation have an increased risk of athlete's foot.

Fortunately, not everyone who comes into contact with the pathogens develops the disease. It is virtually impossible for fungal diseases to develop on undamaged skin. Fungi can only penetrate the skin's protective barrier if the skin is damaged, e.g. with irritated or damp, swollen skin or through micro injuries. An immune weakness of the organism, e.g. through internal illnesses such as diabetes mellitus, cancers, immune deficiency disorder (e. g. AIDS) or circulatory disorders, increases the risk of fungal infections.