The Hong Kong Foot

Dear reader,

Today’s topic is requested by a reader from Singapore. Hopefully today’s topic will spice up your curiosity about the Hong Kong Foot. Why does specifically called the “Hong Kong Foot”? Well, you will find out soon!

The origin of the Hong Kong Foot

There were many sayings regarding of the origin of the Hong Kong Foot and one of the famous stories dates back during the Qing Dynasty. After the British won the first Opium War, they successfully occupied and stationed themselves in Hong Kong. Unlike Britain, the weather in Hong Kong was warm and humid, and the footwear worn by the British soldiers were not providing enough ventilation for their feet. Such condition creates an ideal environment for fungus to grow and releases an unpleasant odour. Many of them caught the disease during their service in Hong Kong and such medical condition was never been seen or treated in the West. Since the epidemic started in Hong Kong, therefore they named it the Hong Kong Foot.

Nowadays the term Hong Kong Foot is widely used in Asia especially in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore. A Hong Kong Foot is also known as an Athlete’s foot in the Western world.

For us podiatrist, we call it tinea pedis (doesn’t it sound professional?) Anyway, they are the same thing =)

What is Tinea Pedis/ Athlete’s foot/ Hong Kong Foot?

If you ever come across someone mentioning either one of the above, they are all the same condition. Throughout the rest of the blog, I will be using TP (Tinea Pedis). Basically, TP is caused by harmless skin fungi (plural of fungus), also known as dermatophytes, that already exist on the human skin but only in a small number.

When did my ‘harmless’ fungi became an embarrassing NIGHTMARE?

Based on two conditions listed below:

1. Resources - Our keratinised skin tissue is the food supply for the dermatophytes
2. Environment - Dark, warm, moist (sweaty!) and limited ventilation area especially the foot is an ideal location for the dermatophytes to breed and multiply.

Without either one of the above, these skin fungi do NOT stand a chance!!

How do I know if mine is TP?

TP often affects the skin between the little toes first (4th & 5th). If you separated the toes, you will notice accumulation of moisture and sogginess, and also a kind of unpleasant odour. It will slowly spread to the entire sole of the foot with the followings:

Itching

Blisters

Cracked skin

Redness/ tiny red spots

Scaling/ skin flaking/ peeling of skin

Who gets it?

Nowadays you don’t need to go to Hong Kong to have a Hong Kong Foot, nor be an athlete to get an Athlete’s foot. One can easily gets contracted by walking barefoot around the swimming pools, wearing an enclosed footwear for long period of time, sharing footwear or towels with someone who has got TP.

MANAGEMENT

When you have had enough of the harmless yet annoying TP, there are two things you can do. You can either D.I.Y or consult a Podiatrist =)

What you can do

At the beginning we discussed about the two conditions that allow the dermatophytes to grow happily on our skin. Which are again the RESOURCES and ENVIRONMENT available FREE for them. Everyone loves FREE stuff and so do the Fungus! So I am going to share with you some TIPS that will help to improve, if not cure the fungal infection on your feet.

There are two important criterias to be met: FOOTWEAR & FOOTCARE

Footwear

There is no point treating your feet without sorting out the source of infection (footwear). So first and foremost is to investigate the footwear that you wear regularly or on a daily basis. A good way to do that is to check for: Dampness & Odour. If YES, please follow the 5 Simple Steps below.

The 5 Simple Steps:

1. Remove the insoles of your shoes & let it air dry
2. Undo/ loosen the laces & open up the tongues to allow air ventilation
3. Place them in areas that has got sunlight (UV-ray kills germs)
4. Allow at least 24-48 hours before wearing them again
5. Alternate your shoes daily

Lastly, change your socks every single day, period!

Footcare

There are many ways that you can make the environment of your feet less sustainable for the dermatophytes. There are a lot of antifungal products out on the market that can are effective in treating Athlete’s foot and they come in sprays, gels, powder and emollients (cream) depends on your need.

The 4 Simple Steps:

1. Clean your feet with cold water (bearable coldness)
2. Tap dry the entire foot and in between the toes with a separate towel
3. Apply the antifungal product based its given instruction
4. Put on a pair of clean cotton socks

Thumbs up if you are doing so :) If not, please start getting into the habit now as its never too late.

What we can do

TP is not that difficult to get rid of if you follow the advice and tips given above. Many patients are able to get rid of TP via self-treatment within two weeks provided that they comply accordingly. If everything you have done still does not solve the problem, please visit your local podiatrist. Sometimes self diagnosis may not be always accurate, but with the opinion of a foot expert (podiatrist) you can be assured the best treatment for your condition.

Alright folks, before I conclude today’s topic, please remember to maintain a good foot hygiene as this will prevent yourself from getting fungal infection. Also remember that tinea pedis, Athlete’s foot and Hong Kong foot are the SAME thing! They are all fungal infections.

Once again thank you for reading and have pleasant week.

See you next week

Louis :)