Put Your Best Foot Forward: Advances in the Management of Tinea Pedis

摘要

From a nuisance itch with mild erythema to painful, fissured, inflammatory eruptions that may limit function, cutaneous dermatophyte infections present in a variety of ways, affecting a large population of patients. In fact, Americans make more than 4 million physician visits each year for dermatophytosis. Despite intriguing research findings, such as the recent discovery of the genetic factors that predispose our patients to fungal infections, most dermatologists are more intently focused on overcoming the day-to-day clinical challenges of treating tinea pedis, which is the most common of all the superficial dermatomycoses, and the predecessor to the development of toenail onychomycosis (tinea unguium).