You can have athlete's foot with either no signs or symptoms, or with very few that you probably didn’t even know were indicative of having the fungal infection. Your feet don’t have to be burning nor do you have to be an athlete to have athlete’s foot.
The Subtle Signs of Athlete’s Foot
The majority of people with athlete’s foot simply have dry skin in different areas of their feet. This could be athlete’s foot or it could just be dry skin, however, if the dry skin is in patches and then passes over to the other foot in the same type of patchy pattern, then you likely have athlete’s foot.
The more severe cases of athlete’s foot do have the red appearance and burning sensation between the toes and on top of the feet. The bottom of the feet can be affected, as can the palms of your hand.
Athlete’s Foot is Contagious to Yourself and Others
Athlete’s foot, as mentioned above, may have no symptoms or very subtle symptoms, but can still be very contagious. You can get a more serious and symptomatic fungal infection from your asymptomatic right foot on your left foot. Meaning, just because you may have some simple dry and flaky skin on one foot, your other foot could become inflamed and exhibit some of the more painful and noticeable form of athlete’s foot.
Treating the Asymptomatic Foot Is Important
If you do notice the more severe form of athlete’s foot to one foot and not the other, you should treat them both. This is important because the other foot, the one showing little to no signs of athlete’s foot, may very well be the one that caused the more extreme case to spread to the other foot. You should also avoid contact between each foot, as well as wash your hands after touching your foot or treating your feet.
You can also pass athlete’s foot onto other people in your household. It is never a good idea to share shoes, or use community showers without wearing shower shoes.
