You might get something other than healthy at your health club, if you don't take proper precautions, warns Dr. Kent Aftergut, a member of the American Society for Dermatological Surgery.

The gym is a prime place to pick up a skin disease, Dr. Aftergut warns.

Sweat left behind on fitness equipment can lead to a staph infection, which typically manifests itself in skin lesions or open, non-healing sores.

If you walk around barefoot on the floor of the locker room or the shower, you could contract athlete's foot -- red, scaly rashes between your toes.

Shared yoga mats and dirty towels are breeding grounds for ringworm -- red, scaly rings on the surface of the skin.

If your gym shoes are too tight, you could contract a nail infection, Dr. Aftergut says.

You can avoid these skin maladies if you wipe down all fitness equipment before and after you use it; bring your own exercise or yoga mat, and wear flip-flops in the locker room and the shower, he said.

You should also use more than one towel to wipe away sweat while you're exercising, Dr. Aftergut said. If you wipe yourself off with a towel you've used before, the risk of spreading bacteria to your skin increases significantly.