Athlete's foot is a very common skin problem caused by a fungus, and unfortunately it is not limited to athletes. In an acute outbreak of athlete's foot, the skin on the foot becomes red or white, with cracks, scales, cuts, blisters and painful inflammation. Burning, stinging and itching can also occur. Athlete's foot is also very contagious and is transmitted by coming in contact with wet floors, or by touching  infected shoes or socks.

If repeated fungal infections are developed, it might be a sign of fungus in the groin area in these cases the problem should be treated simultaneously. Symptoms are: burning sensation between toes, itching, redness, scaling, blistering.  Taking the following steps will help you avoid re-infection:

-- The fungus that causes athlete's foot dies in natural sunlight. So, spend two weeks barefoot in the Bahamas. If that's a bit impractical, then for one hour a day, expose your feet to sunlight. It might eliminate a mild case of athlete's foot.

-- In between sunbaths, keep the feet well aired by wearing loose-fitting socks.

-- At night, apply rubbing alcohol (it stings for a couple of seconds), then wait until your feet are completely dry and sprinkle them with talcum powder (the unscented kind is preferable).

-- Apply one clove of crushed garlic to the affected area. Leave it on for a half-hour, then wash with water. If you do this once a day, within a week, you'll be smelling like a salami, but you may not have athlete's foot.

-- Soak the affected (and surrounding) areas in antiseptic mouthwash such as Listerine. Use the original kind (the medicine one). Immediately relieves the itching and burning symptoms.

Sweet Feet
-- Every evening, apply cotton or cheesecloth that has been saturated with honey to the infected area. Tape it in place. To avoid a gooey mess (a possibility even with the tape in place), wear socks to bed. In the morning, wash with water, dry thoroughly and sprinkle them with talcum powder (preferably unscented).

-- Grate an onion and squeeze it through cheesecloth to get onion juice. Massage the juice into the fungus-infected areas of your foot. Leave it on for 10 minutes, then rinse your foot in lukewarm water and dry it thoroughly (fungi thrive in moist conditions). Repeat this procedure three times a day until the condition clears up.

To avoid reinfecting yourself with athlete's foot, soak your socks and pantyhose in white vinegar. Also wipe out your shoes with vinegar.
Do not wear socks twice, and make sure to keep your feet dry. The smell of vinegar will vanish after being exposed to the air for about 15 minutes.