When you’re getting dressed in the morning, bleary-eyed and half asleep, you could be making one crucial mistake.
As you pull your underwear over your feet and legs, keep your toes well away, or you could end up with ‘crotch rot’.
Experts tell Metro that foot fungal infections are incredibly common — and extremely contagious. So if you then catch your foot on your pants, there’s a ‘strong chance’ it could transfer to your genitals.
Here’s everything you need to know.
What is crotch rot and how can you get it?
Simply put, crotch rot, jock itch, or tinea cruris (its medical name) is a fungal infection in your genitals.
And according to Dr Suzanne Wylie, a GP with over 10 years’ experience, accidentally rubbing your foot in your underwear is among the ways it can be transmitted.
Dr Wylie says foot fungus is both ‘extremely’ common – affecting around 15 to 25% of Brits in their lifetime – and ‘highly contagious’.
‘It can spread through direct skin-to-skin contact such as touching or rubbing the infected foot, and then touching somewhere else on your body before washing your hands,’ she tells Metro.
‘It can also spread indirectly through contaminated surfaces such as floors, towels, shoes, underwear or socks. Once on the skin, the fungus can thrive and multiply, particularly in warm and damp environments.’
While Dr Wylie notes that your feet touching your underwear is a well-known route of transmission for the infection, it won’t always be easy to work out exactly where you caught crotch rot from.
‘This is because the fungus can live on surfaces or clothing for a while,’ sexual health nurse for Lovehoney, Sarah Mulindwa, explains.
Plus, it can be caused by other issues such as a compromised immune system or increased skin moisture due to tight clothes or excessive sweating.
What are the symptoms of crotch rot?
‘In men, tinea cruris often presents as a red or reddish-brown rash with a scaly or raised border, usually affecting the inner thighs and groin,’ says Dr Wylie.
‘Itching is a prominent symptom and may be accompanied by discomfort or a burning sensation. There may also be some peeling, cracking, or flaking of the skin.
‘The scrotum is usually spared, which helps differentiate it from some other rashes or conditions.’
Nurse Sarah Mulindwa adds that both men and women can catch the infection, but men are more susceptible.
‘This is largely because men have increased sweating in the groin area, the shape of male anatomy, and the types of clothing often worn, such as tight underwear or sportswear,’ she tells Metro.
For women, symptoms appear in the groin, inner thighs and lower abdomen, but the scaly patches may be less ring-shaped.
‘It can sometimes be mistaken for other conditions like irritant dermatitis (skin irritation) or candidiasis (a fungal infection caused by an overgrowth of yeast), so proper diagnosis is key,’ Dr Wylie, for IQdoctor, adds.
The London borough with England’s highest rates of syphilis, genital warts and gonorrhoea
Residents of the London borough of the City of Westminster have the highest rates in England for not one, but three, major STIs, with more cases of syphilis, gonorrhoea and genital warts per 100,000 people than anywhere else in the country.
Most prevalent is gonorrhoea, otherwise known as ‘the clap’ or ‘drip’, with a whopping 749 cases, suggesting some Westminster locals may have skipped their lessons on safe sex.
The city-centre location was also found to have 135 cases of genital warts per 100,000 people, caused by HPV, while syphilis came in at 125 cases.
With a population of 247,614, that means 1,855 have had gonorrhoea infections, 334 have had genital warts, and 310 have had syphillis.
Is crotch rot treatable?
If you ever find yourself with these symptoms, your first port of call should be your doctor.
Once they’ve confirmed you’ve got crotch rot, you’ll be offered treatment such as topical antifungal creams, powders, or sprays.
Dr Wylie explains: ‘You apply this to the affected area for at least two weeks but in more severe cases where it’s spread to other parts of the body, you may be prescribed an oral antifungal medication.’
Keeping the affected area clean and dry is crucial for recovering from your infection – as it is for preventing the infection in the first place.
If you’re prone to sweating, Dr Wylie recommends using antifungal powders to prevent crotch rot. And when it comes to avoiding fungal foot infections, you should also avoid walking barefoot in communal areas like swimming pools and showers.
‘Wearing breathable footwear, and changing socks and underwear daily also helps,’ she adds. ‘Avoid sharing towels or clothing too.’
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