Athletes foot can be a real problem for a lot of people, not just athletes. As someone who has had it before, I can tell you the itching and burning can drive you absolutely crazy! Did you know that over 70% of the population will develop athletes foot during their life? So, what causes athletes foot anyway?

Athletes foot symptoms are actually a form of ringworm that lives on your skin, toenails and hair. It forms on your feet through any kind of a small cut or abrasion. Athletes foot loves dark, humid and wet areas. Locker rooms are notorious for having the fungus. There is virtually no way of preventing it from growing. Even with constant cleaning of all surfaces there is still no guarantee it won't form. Here is an athlete foot picture.

If you have had athletes foot, have you noticed that your infected foot always seems to itch more after taking off your socks and shoes at the end of the day? This is because your feet have been warm and moist inside your shoes all day. Now that they are uncovered and the air is hitting them, watch out! The itching and burning can become intense just as the athlete foot picture shows above.

One form of athletes foot that can be very severe is called Vesicular, or "jungle rot" as it is also known as. It got the name after U.S. soldiers in Vietnam would be out in the hot, humid conditions on a daily basis. They were also constantly walking in water and this would cause sores and blisters on their feet. The blisters would sometimes spread to other areas of their body if they developed an allergic reaction, causing temporary disability. In some severe cases, soldiers would even lose their feet because of it.

The good news to all this is that there are athletes foot treatments available that will give you much needed healing. Many times this can be accomplished without a trip to the doctors office, although if you have tried to get rid of the fungus and still have not had success, you should definitely see a doctor. You can visit this website and discover one of best cures for athletes foot.