It is not surprising, then, that athletes easily acquire this disorder. Identifying the Infection Physical findings. Pitted keratolysis manifests as discrete pits or craterlike lesions on the plantar surfaces. The craters range from 1 to 7 mm in diameter and are similar in depth. Their dimensions are proportional to the size of the bacterial colony on the skin surface.
Affected areas have little or no inflammation, and most cases are asymptomatic.
Hyperhidrosis is often noted on the feet, and the pits are more prominent when water-soaked. Plantar warts typically have localized areas of hyperkeratosis and are often painful. Athlete's foot involves pruritus between the toes and is not limited to pressure-bearing areas. Less common considerations in the differential diagnosis include punctate hyperkeratosis, porokeratosis, basal cell nevus syndrome, arsenic keratosis, tungiasis, and yaws. Wood's ultraviolet light examination is not consistently helpful, but the affected area displays a characteristic coral red fluorescence in the presence of pitted keratolysis.