Athlete s foot usually occurs when the feet or other areas of the body stay moist and warm and eventually becomes irritated with fungus. This skin condition can also be acquired when a person has direct contact with the objects or persons infected by the fungus. When Prevention Becomes The Ultimate Solution Tinea pedis or athlete s foot is considered as a fungal infection of the skin of the feet. As opposed to the name of this widely spread but very curable disease, Athlete s Foot is not just an athlete s disease. Even non-athletes are prone to this disease caused by a fungus and that usually occurs between the toes. Anyone who wears shoes can be affected by Athlete s Foot. When one wears shoes, the environment inside the footwear is warm, dark and humid and these conditions are perfect for fungus to breed on. You can ask for suggestions from your pharmacists which brands to buy but it does not really matter because most of these brands as long as they are not fake meds have the same working ingredients. These medications will not take effect though if you do not clean your feet regularly. There are chances that these medications will not take effect because of your not being able to practice good hygiene. Athletes make frequent use of such facilities and are therefore more likely to suffer from the disease, hence the popularity of the name. There are other fungal infections that can be similar to the ones brought about by athlete's foot such as eczema, psoriasis, and other infections and should be treated differently. It is important that you do not scratch the affected area as touching it will cause the skin to open up and allowing the fungus to enter deep into the skin, thereby exacerbating the condition. It is also so much easier for the problem to spread to other areas of the foot when you are scratching and touching the affected area. Athlete's foot as mentioned before, is a fungal infection caused by the organism tinea pedis. This fungus can be found in warm and moist areas such as shower rooms, gyms, spa houses and even by the poolside. They survive and multiply in moist places such as those and adhere to the skins of the feet when they have the chance.