Athlete’s foot is a type of infection many people suffer from. No, you don’t have to be a legitimate athlete to deal with this condition. In fact, athlete’s foot can affect almost anyone. By the year 2030, nearly 60% of Baby Boomers will be managing some type of chronic condition. If you experience itchiness, pain, and redness on your feet, you might be experiencing athlete’s foot. Unfortunately, this condition often causes painful and itchy feet. Considering that, it’s understandable to want to learn how to prevent this condition from happening. In this post, you’ll learn five helpful tips to prevent athlete’s foot.

1. Avoid Being Barefoot in Public Areas
   
   In order to avoid athlete’s foot, it’s important to avoid sources of this infection. Unfortunately, it’s impossible for the human eye to detect where this disease is present. Many common sources of athlete’s foot include surfaces around pools, showers, gym, and locker rooms. Therefore, it’s always best to wear some type of footwear while walking through these areas. Instead of wearing socks or going barefoot, consider wearing sandals or shoes.
2. Frequently Change Your Socks
   
   Wearing dirty socks is another reason people suffer from athlete’s foot. If you’re currently dealing with athlete’s foot, it’s important to continually change your socks. Instead of changing them daily, it’s best to wear new socks after noticing that your feet become damp. It’s this sweat that often brings about the infection known as athlete’s foot.
3. Implement Daily and Thorough Feet Washing
   
   A great way to prevent athlete’s foot is by thoroughly washing your feet daily. It’s tougher for this condition to form on feet that constantly remain clean. You might find that avoiding washing your feet saves time. However, this attempt to save time might be what’s causing your athlete’s foot to worsen. Those with more severe and painful athlete’s foot might want to lightly wash their feet. Scrubbing too hard could cause more pain and bleeding.
4. Be Careful While Sharing Linens
   
   In certain situations, athlete’s foot can come from someone close to you. If you’re unaware of that person’s athlete’s foot, they could be unknowingly passing this condition on to you. In addition, you might be living with someone who is too shy to admit they have this condition. Therefore, it’s best to avoid sharing any clothing or linens with those who might have athlete’s foot.
5. Consider Visiting an Urgent Care Clinic
   
   If the above methods don’t get rid of athlete’s foot, it’s time to consider urgent medical care. With that in mind, many people dealing with untreated athlete’s foot visit urgent care clinics. In fact, statistics gathered from the Urgent Care Association of America found that nearly 3 million people visit these locations weekly. Urgent care clinics are great places to receive medical treatment for non emergency conditions, including athlete’s foot.

To summarize, there are several important ways to prevent athlete’s foot. This condition is known to cause itchy, painful feet. In addition, many feel understandably embarrassed to show their feet while dealing with athlete’s foot. If your athlete’s foot isn’t going away on its own, you’ll want to visit an urgent care clinic. Statistics show that nearly 20,000 physicians are currently practicing Urgent Care Medicine. In turn, you’ll easily be able to find the nearest urgent care center to treat this condition.