Pool Toes: Case Report and Review of Pool-Associated Pedal Dermatoses

Abstract

Pool swimmers are susceptible to pedal dermatoses. The causes for these conditions are asteototic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, friction-induced injury, infections, keratoderma, pruritus, thermal injury, ultraviolet radiation exposure, and urticaria. The specific dermatoses include aquagenic keratoderma, aquagenic pruritus, aquagenic urticaria, cold-induced urticaria, contact urticaria, erosion interdigitalis blastomycetica, erythrasma, Mycobacterium abscessus hand and foot disease, onychomycosis, photosensitivity, pitted keratolysis, plantar verruca, pool dermatitis, pool feet, pool toes, pool water dermatitis, pseudomonas hot-foot syndrome, skin cancer, subcorneal hematoma, sunburn, swim fin dermatitis, tinea pedis, toe web infection, and xerosis. A seven-year-old girl developed erythema and superficial blisters on her feet after they were exposed to the surface of her new swimming pool. The friction-induced injury, referred to as pool toes, resulted in skin lesions not only on the plantar surface of her toes but also on the areas of her soles-including her heels-that came in contact with the rough pool surface. In addition to discussing the characteristics of pool toes, the features of the other pool-associated pedal dermatoses are reviewed.