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Dr. Chrysoula I. Liakou MD, PhD
- Treated online: Sometimes. Athlete's foot, mild fungal nail infection and a small infected cut in an otherwise well adult are treated online; spreading redness, fever, a deep or smelly wound, and any foot infection in diabetes need in-person care.
- What it is: fungal (athlete's foot, affecting about 1 in 6 people at any time, and fungal nails), bacterial (an infected wound, paronychia beside a nail, or cellulitis spreading up the foot), or a mix when fungal cracks let bacteria in.
- Diabetes rule: any new redness, swelling, warmth, discharge, ulcer or wound on the foot of someone with diabetes needs in-person examination without delay, because nerve damage hides pain and poor circulation slows healing.
- How long: athlete's foot clears in 2 to 4 weeks of antifungal cream, continued for 1 to 2 weeks after the skin looks normal; fungal nails take 6 to 12 months to grow out; a bacterial foot infection improves within 48 hours of antibiotics.
- Telling them apart: athlete's foot itches, peels and flakes slowly, usually on both feet; a bacterial foot infection makes one area red, hot, swollen and painful and spreads over hours to days, often with fever.
- Emergency: call 112 for a foot infection with red streaks up the leg and fever, confusion or a racing heart, or for a foot that has suddenly turned cold, numb, pale or dark.
If you have diabetes, do not book an online consultation for a foot problem: go to in-person care the same day. Any new redness, swelling, warmth, discharge, ulcer or wound on a diabetic foot can threaten the limb and needs urgent physical examination.[1] The same applies to anyone with redness spreading up the foot or leg, fever, a deep or smelly wound, or a foot that is suddenly cold, numb or discoloured. Itchy, peeling skin between the toes, without those features, is well suited to online care.
Can an online doctor treat a foot infection?
It depends on which kind. Fungal infections such as athlete's foot can usually be diagnosed from clear photographs and treated online. Early, minor bacterial problems, such as a slightly inflamed nail fold, can sometimes be managed online with close follow-up. Spreading bacterial infection, wounds, ulcers, and any foot infection in a person with diabetes need in-person care.
That honest split is the point of the consultation: feet hide serious trouble well, so the doctor's first job is sorting "annoying but safe" from "needs a clinic today", and the second is treating what genuinely can be treated from home.
How an online consultation helps with a foot infection
- Fungal or bacterial, settled quickly: itchy peeling between the toes and hot spreading redness are completely different problems. Photos plus a structured history usually separate them in one sitting.
- The right treatment first time: antifungal creams do nothing for bacterial infection, and antibiotics do nothing for athlete's foot. Getting the label right saves weeks of the wrong tube.
- Nail and toe-web detail: close-up photos of nails and spread toes give the doctor the exact detail this diagnosis hangs on, plus a plan for stubborn fungal nails, which need patience and often testing.
- Unmissable safety triage: diabetes, spreading redness, fever and dead-looking tissue are checked in every consultation, and when the answer is "clinic, today", you hear it clearly with directions, not a cream.
📷 Photograph in daylight: the whole foot from above, the sole, the skin between your toes (spread them with your fingers), and a close-up of any nail changes, redness or broken skin. If there is any spreading redness, draw around its edge with a pen and note the time.
What the doctor checks in an online foot infection consultation
The assessment runs from danger signs down to detail. In a foot infection consultation, the doctor will typically assess:
- Diabetes, circulation and sensation, first and always: diabetes, known artery disease or numb feet reroute the whole consultation towards same-day in-person care, whatever the infection looks like.[1]
- Signs of spreading bacterial infection: expanding redness, heat, swelling, pain, red streaks up the leg, fever or feeling unwell, checked against your pen line and photos.
- The toe webs: the itchy, peeling, sometimes soggy white skin of athlete's foot lives between the fourth and fifth toes most of all, which is why the spread-toe photo matters.[3]
- The sole and pattern of scaling: fine dry scaling across the sole in a moccasin pattern points to a fungal cause that usually needs longer treatment.
- The nails: thickened, crumbly, yellow-brown nails suggest fungal nail infection, which is a months-long project and often needs confirmation before tablets.[2]
- Entry points and wounds: cracks between toes or on heels, blisters, cuts, puncture wounds, and ingrown nails with an inflamed fold, because these are where bacteria get in.
- Your background: immune-suppressing illness or medicines, poor circulation, swelling of the legs, and footwear, work and sport habits that keep feet damp.
- What you have tried: which creams, for how long, and whether treatment was continued after the skin looked better, the step most people skip.
Is it athlete's foot or a bacterial infection?
Athlete's foot is a fungal infection: it itches, peels and flakes, usually starts between the toes, often affects both feet, and grumbles along for weeks. Bacterial infection is different: one area becomes red, hot, swollen and genuinely painful, often spreading over hours to days, sometimes with fever. The first is uncomfortable; the second is urgent.
The two are also connected, which is why both get treated seriously. The cracks and soggy skin of untreated athlete's foot are a classic entry point for bacteria, turning a fungal nuisance into cellulitis, a spreading infection of the deeper skin that needs prompt antibiotics.[4] Athlete's foot itself belongs to the ringworm family of fungal infections, which the ringworm page covers across other body sites, and soggy redness deep in the toe webs can also be intertrigo, a moisture-fold rash with a fungal passenger. Naming the problem correctly is the whole first half of treating it.
Foot infections and diabetes: why the rules are different
If you have diabetes, any foot infection is urgent until proven otherwise. High glucose damages nerves, so injuries and infections can be painless and silently deep; it damages circulation, so healing is slow; and minor wounds can progress to ulcers, deep tissue infection or infection of the bone. Guidelines are unambiguous: a suspected diabetic foot infection needs urgent in-person assessment, and established pathways refer these feet to specialist multidisciplinary teams rather than treating them remotely.[1]
What that means on this page is simple, and it bears repeating: diabetic foot infections are not treated online. If you have diabetes and a new red, warm, swollen, discharging or broken area on your foot, arrange same-day in-person care; if you cannot reach your usual clinic, use an urgent-care service. What an online consultation can still do for people with diabetes is the surrounding work: prevention advice, daily foot-check technique, early review of athlete's foot before skin breaks (with a low threshold for in-person referral), and plain-language triage when you are unsure what you are looking at. Prevention is genuinely powerful here: daily foot inspection, well-fitting shoes, never walking barefoot, moisturising dry skin but not between the toes, prompt attention to corns and nails with a podiatrist, and treating fungal infections early, before they open the door.[1]
Which foot infection treatment might the doctor recommend?
Treatment follows the type of infection and your risk profile. This is the framework the doctors use, aligned with the cited guidance:[1][2][4]
Swipe sideways to compare →
| Presentation | Likely first step | Suitable for online care? | When referral or in-person care is needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Itchy, peeling skin between the toes (athlete's foot) | Topical antifungal for 1–4 weeks depending on the product, plus a strict drying routine | Usually yes | No better after two weeks of correct use, or skin breaks down and reddens |
| Dry scaling across the sole, or thickened crumbly nails | Assessment; nail infections usually need laboratory confirmation before months of oral treatment | Assessment yes; treatment case-dependent | Where local pathways require nail testing first, or scaling fails topical treatment |
| Red, swollen, tender skin fold beside a nail (early paronychia) | Warm soaks and antiseptic; antibiotics only with clear signs of bacterial infection | Often yes, with close follow-up | A collection of pus needs drainage; an ingrown nail that keeps recurring needs minor podiatry or surgery |
| Redness spreading up the foot or leg, heat, pain, fever | Same-day in-person care; antibiotics by mouth or into a vein after examination | No: you are directed to in-person care the same day | Always |
| Any foot infection with diabetes, numbness or poor circulation | Same-day in-person care, every time | No | Always; diabetic foot infections can threaten the limb[1] |
Not sure which row is your foot? A doctor can tell you in one consultation.
See available times →Treatment options for a foot infection
What you can do yourself
For athlete's foot without broken skin or diabetes, pharmacy antifungal creams such as terbinafine or clotrimazole work well: apply as directed for the full course (typically 1–4 weeks depending on the product) and continue a little beyond visible clearing, because stopping early is the usual reason it returns.[2][5] Dry carefully between the toes after every wash, change socks daily (cotton or wool over synthetics), alternate pairs of shoes so each dries out, wear flip-flops in shared showers and changing rooms, and use an antifungal powder or spray in shoes if sweating is heavy. Do not share towels, and dry your feet last or with their own towel so the fungus does not travel to your groin. If you have diabetes, skip self-treatment of anything beyond intact dry skin and involve a professional early.
Prescription treatment
A prescription is never issued without a consultation. After assessment, the doctor can prescribe stronger topical antifungals, or oral antifungal tablets for moccasin-pattern, recurrent or nail disease, after checking your other medicines and liver health, and usually after laboratory confirmation for nails, which local pathways often require.[2] Antibiotics are reserved for genuinely bacterial infections: that is antibiotic stewardship, and it also protects you from side effects that will not buy you anything. Early, minor bacterial infections suitable for oral antibiotics at home come with a pen-line tracking plan and a fixed review; anything spreading or systemic is redirected to in-person care the same day.[4]
When a foot infection is treated online, and when you need in-person care
Treated online: athlete's foot, including recurrent cases and the drying routines that stop the cycle; fungal nail assessment, with the honest testing-first pathway explained; early minor nail-fold infections with close follow-up; and reviews when treatment is not working on schedule.
In-person care: every foot infection in someone with diabetes, numbness or poor circulation, the same day, without exception; spreading redness, fever or red streaks, the same day; ulcers, deep or dirty wounds, puncture wounds through shoes, and suspected foreign bodies; abscesses and pus collections that need drainage; ingrown nails needing minor surgery; and any foot that is suddenly cold, pale or blue, which is a circulation emergency. When the doctor redirects you, you leave knowing exactly where to go and how urgently.
When to get in-person care
Diabetes plus any foot infection means same-day in-person care, every time. For anyone: same-day care for redness spreading up the foot or leg, fever with a painful hot foot, a deep or smelly wound, or pus you cannot drain. Call 112 immediately for signs of sepsis (high fever with confusion, rapid breathing, a racing heart or mottled skin), for skin turning grey, purple or black, for pain wildly out of proportion to what you can see, or for a foot that is suddenly cold, pale and painful.
How Mobi Doctor works
- Book a time that suits you: open daily 7am–11pm CET. You can see a doctor over video, usually within 15 minutes. No subscription, exact price up front.
- Upload your foot photos, then speak to a licensed doctor: a private video call: you describe what you feel, the doctor asks what matters, and you agree the right plan together.
- Leave with your plan: everything agreed before you hang up: your plan, and a prescription to use at a pharmacy near you where medication is clinically right for you. If your doctor decides you need to be seen in person, you get a full refund.
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Frequently asked questions about a foot infection
What counts as a foot infection?
A foot infection is any infection of the skin, nails or deeper tissue of the foot: athlete's foot (a fungal infection between and under the toes), fungal nail infection, an infected cut, blister or ingrown toenail, paronychia beside a nail, cellulitis spreading through the skin of the foot, and, in people with diabetes, infected ulcers that can reach bone. Fungal foot infections are by far the commonest.
What causes foot infections?
Most foot infections are caused by fungi that thrive in warm, damp shoes, picked up from changing-room floors, shared showers and pools; bacterial foot infections happen when Staphylococcus or streptococcus bacteria enter through a blister, cut, cracked heel, ingrown nail or the broken skin of untreated athlete's foot. Sweaty feet, tight shoes, diabetes, poor circulation and a weakened immune system make foot infections more likely.
What are the symptoms of a foot infection?
Athlete's foot causes itching, peeling, flaking, cracking and sometimes small blisters between the toes or on the soles, usually on both feet. A bacterial foot infection causes one area that is red, hot, swollen and painful, sometimes with pus, a bad smell, red streaks running up the foot, fever or swollen glands in the groin. Fungal nails thicken, crumble and turn yellow-brown.
Can an online doctor prescribe treatment for a foot infection in Europe?
Yes, for the right cases, and only after a consultation. A prescription is never issued without one: the doctor assesses your photos and history by video first, then prescribes antifungal treatment for athlete's foot or fungal nails, or antibiotics for a small bacterial foot infection in someone who is well. Any prescription can be used at a pharmacy near you; spreading infection and diabetic feet go in person.
I have diabetes and my toe is red. Can I book an online consultation?
No: please get in-person care without delay. In diabetes, a red, warm, swollen or broken area on the foot can be the surface of a much deeper foot infection, because nerve damage hides pain and poor circulation slows healing, and an infection that reaches the bone can threaten the limb within days. Diabetic foot infections need physical examination, probing of any wound and often urgent specialist care.
How do I tell athlete's foot from a bacterial foot infection?
Athlete's foot itches, peels and flakes, usually between the toes and often on both feet, and it changes slowly over weeks. A bacterial foot infection hurts more than it itches: one area turns red, hot and swollen, spreads over hours to days, may produce pus or a smell, and can bring fever. The two often coexist, because the cracks of athlete's foot are the door bacteria use.
Do I need antibiotics for athlete's foot?
No. Athlete's foot is a fungal foot infection, and antibiotics do nothing against fungi; the treatment is an antifungal cream, spray or powder used for the full course, plus keeping the feet dry and treating shoes. Antibiotics only enter the picture when broken skin lets bacteria in and the foot becomes hot, swollen and painful, which is a separate infection on top.
How long does a foot infection take to clear?
Athlete's foot clears in two to four weeks of antifungal cream, continued for one to two weeks after the skin looks normal to stop it returning; stubborn or sole-wide infections sometimes need antifungal tablets. Fungal nail infection takes six to twelve months to grow out. A bacterial foot infection improves within 48 hours of the right antibiotic, and one that does not needs review in person.
What can I do at home for athlete's foot or a minor foot infection?
For athlete's foot, wash and dry carefully between the toes, apply the antifungal exactly as directed, wear clean cotton socks daily, alternate pairs of shoes so each dries out, use antifungal powder or spray in shoes, and go barefoot at home. For a small cut or blister, clean it, cover it, rest and raise the foot, and watch for spreading redness, which means a doctor is needed.
Why do my feet keep getting infected, and how can I prevent it?
Feet keep getting infected because the conditions that caused the first foot infection never changed: damp shoes, sweaty socks, shared showers, untreated fungal nails reseeding the skin, or stopping treatment as soon as the itch faded. Prevent foot infections by drying between the toes, changing socks daily, rotating and airing shoes, wearing flip-flops in shared showers and pools, treating fungal nails, and finishing every antifungal course.
Is a foot infection contagious?
Athlete's foot and fungal nail infections are contagious: the fungus spreads on skin flakes left on floors, towels, socks and shoes, which is why changing rooms and shared showers spread it. Bacterial foot infections are not caught in everyday contact. Keep towels and footwear personal, wear sandals in shared wet areas, and wash socks and bath mats hot while treating a foot infection.
Are foot infections different in older people, in pregnancy or with poor circulation?
Yes. In older people and anyone with poor circulation or neuropathy, a foot infection heals slowly, hurts less than it should, and can reach deeper tissue before it is noticed, so the threshold for in-person care is as low as in diabetes. In pregnancy, athlete's foot is treated with creams rather than tablets, and with a hot, swollen, painful foot or calf you should get medical advice the same day to rule out a clot.
When does a foot infection need in-person care?
Get in-person care for a foot infection with redness spreading up the foot or leg, fever or chills, a deep, smelly or discharging wound, a wound that will not heal, pain out of proportion to what you can see, a foot that is suddenly cold, numb or discoloured, any foot problem with diabetes, or athlete's foot that has not improved after four weeks of proper antifungal treatment. Everything milder suits a photo and video consultation.
- Diabetic foot problems: prevention and management (NG19), NICE, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, updated 2023.
- Fungal skin infection, foot: Clinical Knowledge Summary, NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries, revised 2023.
- Tinea pedis (athlete's foot), DermNet New Zealand Trust, reviewed 2024.
- Cellulitis, acute: Clinical Knowledge Summary, NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries, revised 2024.
- Athlete's foot: signs, symptoms, causes and treatments, HSE, Health Service Executive Ireland, accessed August 2026.
- Athlete's foot, NHS, National Health Service (UK), accessed October 2026.
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for a medical consultation. Guideline links are provided for transparency; treatment decisions are made with your doctor.
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