3 Common Types of Skin Fungal Infections

Fungal infection can occur on any part of your body including your skin, mouth and esophagus. Many women also suffer from vaginal yeast infections. Symptoms of a fungal infection may vary depending on the area affected.

Skin fungal infections

Fungal infection of the skin can occur on your arms and legs. You can also get fungal infections between your toes and fingers. These fungal infections do not spare even your hair which is one of your beautiful assets. When the fungus attacks your skin, you may experience itching and irritation. You may also observe red and round patches on your skin.

Some of the common types of fungal infections of skin are athlete’s foot, nail infections and seborrheic dermatitis.

Athlete’s foot- This fungal infection occurs between your toes. As soon as you discover that you are suffering from athlete’s foot, ask your health care provider to start your treatment as early as possible to prevent the infection from spreading to your soles and toenails. You may be curious to know about the signs and symptoms of athlete’s foot.

Signs and symptoms of athlete’s foot

You may observe cracked skin between your toes and may experience inflammation, soreness and moistness. There are various anti-fungal sprays, powders and creams which you can use to treat your athlete’s foot but only after consulting with your health care provider.

You should ask him or her about the exact causes of fungal skin infections. In most cases, warm and moist conditions are responsible for the growth of fungus that cause athlete’s foot. Therefore, you should take special care with your own personal hygiene. You should always wear clean clothes including your socks. You need to be very careful with your personal and environmental hygiene in future to prevent athlete’s foot from recurring.

Nail infection- Nail infections can make your nails thick and brittle. You may also find it difficult to maintain your nails. But you need not worry as every problem has a solution. You can use anti-fungal products to get rid of your nail infection. You can also use oral anti-fungal products as they are effective in treating the fungal infection. Your health care provider is the best person to judge your condition and to recommend suitable treatment to cure your nail infection.

There are a number of ways to avoid a nail infection. You should wash your nails with soap while having a bathe. While washing dishes, you should wear hand gloves as these protect your nails from harsh chemicals in dish detergent. You should always pay attention to your personal hygiene. You should avoid walking barefoot and always wear slippers. You should not wear artificial nails as they support the development of fungus by providing favorable conditions i.e. moisture.

In case if you develop a nail infection then the best thing you can do for your family members is to advise them to visit a doctor if they notice changes in their nails. Also, you should remember to discard your old shoes and socks as these things can easily spread infection.

Seborrheic dermatitis

Seborrheic dermatitis is a skin fungal infection that causes dandruff in adults. Dandruff occurs when dead skin cells, oil and dirt start accumulating on your scalp. To treat dandruff, you should take proper care of your hair and wash it regularly. Though, it is not easy to get rid of dandruff completely and there are chances that it may come back after treatment but you should still continue to use anti-dandruff products as these will surely help reduce dandruff.