Have you ever noticed that as soon as you take off your shoes, everyone glares at you? The glare could be triggered due to the smell coming from your feet which eventually leads to the common health condition, smelly feet. Sweating is an important part of our health mechanism and when it comes to foul-smelling feet; you can get rid of it only if you are able to follow certain measures.
At First, Know Why You Sweat
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There are four million sweat glands scattered all over your body and among them, there are two to three million eccrine glands. Rest of the glands are known to be apocrine glands. The eccrine glands are scattered throughout your body but mostly found under your feet, palms, cheeks and forehead.
One of the essential functions of the glands is to keep up the temperature by discharging sweat. The production of perspiration that is made of only electrolytes and water, can take place due to the response to the development of cholinergic nerves existing in the sympathetic nervous system.
It has been observed that acetylcholine acts a neurotransmitter; however, there are other mediums including galanin gene-linked peptide, calcitonin, adenosine triphosphate, catecholamines, vasoactive intestinal peptide and natriuretic peptide in periglandular nerve.
Sodium is preoccupied from the ductal area of the gland which leads to making the surface hypotonic. At the times, when sweating is heavy, this becomes crucial for preserving electrolytes.
Why do Your Feet Sweat?
There is no particular scale who can suffer from this particular condition; however, pregnant women and teenagers are the main sufferers. Hormonal change can be the prime reason for this problem regarding excessive sweat. Following are the possible circumstances that trigger the condition,
- You are on your feet for the most of the day
- You have a medical condition like hyperhidrosis
- You feet develop fungal infection including athlete’s foot
- You are going through a stressful condition,
The odour starts worsening if the shoes remain soaked with perspiration or you do not dry the pair of shoes before wearing them. Bacteria break down sweat because it comes out from pores and there is a certain type of cheesy smell as soon as the sweat initiates decomposing.
Do Your Feet Sweat Abnormally?
The condition of excessive perspiration is known as focal hyperhidrosis which can be generalised or focal. This particular condition is restricted to a certain area of body and armpits, feet and palms are mostly affected. Generally, perspiration causes during the day and slowly ceases as the night gradually forwards.
Genetics play a role in hyperhidrosis as it is seen that 30%-50% of the people seem to suffer from this condition due to family history. Emotional stress and other social anxiety conditions seem to stimulate eccrine glands but its development is not completely known to anyone.
The diagnosis procedure of visible, focal or excessive perspiration requires observation over a month and there must be minimum two of these features mentioned here,
- Abandonment of sweat while sleeping
- Impairment of regular activities
- Symmetric or bilateral moisture
- Family history
Psychosocial problems can be triggered due to the hyperhidrosis which can affect anyone’s daily life activities. This issue can lower self-esteem and self-confidence as people often get embarrassed by this condition. Malignant diseases, heart failure, cardiovascular diseases, use of illegal drugs and alcohol and neurological conditions are the general causes of hyperhidrosis.
Why Do You have Smelly Feet?
The main problem might not be your feet but what you are wearing. Smelly feet are caused by the dearth of ventilation present in shoes for your feet. A pint of sweat is only secreted in a day due to the existence of 250,000 sweat glands in every foot. You start to develop the condition of smelly feet when the sweat has nowhere to evaporate but of course, there are other reasons behind the stinky smell.
It is found that there are bacteria in your foot that lives on your skin taking nutrition from your foot. This leads to the production of isovaleric acid leading to the smelly feet. Poor hygiene, wearing bad quality shoes, fungus and adverse environments are responsible for triggering the smelly feet condition.
Vital Tips for Getting Rid of Smelly Feet
Smelly feet are widely common and this activates the fear of taking shoes off among people. Bromodosis or smelly feet can be prevented beforehand if you only effective measures to follow.
Shoes and Socks
In order to minimise the chances of excessive moisture and perspiration, you can choose to wear with proper ventilation. Mesh panels can be an ideal example of this type of shoes having the breathability feature. You can opt for shoes made of plastic, popularly known as, jellies that minimise the risks of smelly feet.
The pair of socks can trigger the nightmare of smelly feet but if you wear socks made of the sweat-wicking component, you can get rid of the smelly feet.
Another thing that you can follow is not to wear the same pair of socks and shoes every day. You can maintain two pairs of shoes and socks that you can wear alternatively every week or you can change the pair of socks twice a day. By following this method, you can minimise the chances of having smelly feet.
Baby Powder
You may seem to forget the usage of good old baby powder but you should know that this type of powder is largely helpful for all the people who suffer from smelly feet. Your feet can remain fresh and clean if you pour baby powder before putting your socks all over your feet. Do not forget to make sure that your feet are clean before putting the powder.
Callus Removal
People who are more engaged in outdoor activities have noticed that there is a generation of callus under feet on a large scale. Development of callus can be observed among people who go for walks on a daily basis.
Instead of going to nail salon, you can have baby smooth fresh feet only if you get rid of the dead skin. You can your feet soak in hot water because it is the easiest way to get rid of callus. Thereafter, without spending loads of bucks behind pedicure, callus removal by placing hot water can minimise the risks of smelly feet.
Nail Clipping Set
Another inexpensive way to get rid of smelly feet is to make use of the nail clipping set at home. Widely available in physical store or online store, the set is generally essential when you go out on holidays.
Clip your toenails because they are usually the birthplace of menacing germs which eventually lead to infections. You can keep the set in mint condition by cleaning it with alcohol. In this way, it remains completely bacteria-free even after its rigorous usage.
Changing Insoles
It is better to replace the insoles if they are infected with bacteria or fungus. You can get antibacterial insoles and stink-reducing insoles on the market that can help you win the battle against smelly feet. Disinfecting spray or antibacterial spray is useful for the smelly insoles but you can choose to dry out the insoles first.
Another thing that you can follow is not to toss your shoes in the closet but keep it in a dry place. When you toss the shoes in the closet, the fungal infection is likely to be developed as the closet is generally a dark place. You should always choose a place with proper air circulation for keeping the chances of infection at bay.
Home Remedies for Preventing Smelly Feet
You are probably familiar with the idea by now that your feet are the primary home for billions of bacteria that is caused due to moisture, skin cells and sweat. You might have two options that involved paying visits to the doctor and following home remedies. Taking medical consultation is highly recommended without a doubt but au naturel home treatment is undoubtedly helpful.
Home remedies make use of tea soaks, vinegar and salt baths in order to minimise the risk of smelly feet. Now the best thing about the home remedies is that all the ingredients are found easily in every household so that you do not have to take a trip to the departmental store before taking care of your feet.
Wash Your Feet Daily
When you develop the case of smelly feet, poor hygiene is one of the prime risk factors. There might be hundreds of excuses for not taking care of your feet. But the least you can do is to wash your feet every day.
However, you have probably thought that taking a simple shower would be enough for making your toes and feet clean. This is not the case because one has to earn scented and fresh feet by following the proper technique of washing. Moreover, what you have been doing might be wrong.
- Take an antibacterial soap to wash your smelly feet
- Drying feet after taking the bath is more important
- Pay close attention to the areas that exist between toes because sweat takes place in most of these regions
For further protection, you can spray feet and shoes with the spray powder that is usually advised for athlete’s foot. If you routinely follow this method, you are likely to bid the woes of smelly feet soon.
Soak Your Feet in Vinegar
The benefit of apple cider vinegar is known to everyone and it provides relief in getting rid of smelly feet on a large scale. Apple cider vinegar, salt baths and tea soaks can be tried in order to get relief from the antifungal impact on feet.
You can make a blend of apple cider vinegar and water to reduce the odour from feet and for teak soaks, you can make use of four to five tea bags with water. If you soak your feet in such mixture for twenty minutes per day, you can get effective help within few days.
If you are not keen to use vinegar, you can always choose Epsom salt and make a mixture with water to let your feet soak in it for ten to fifteen minutes.
DIY Foot Scrub or Foot Powder
After cleaning and then drying your feet, you can choose to apply powder which can be made at home. The ingredient includes cornstarch or arrowroot and baking soda due to the high absorbing power of these components.
It is easy to make the antifungal powder because it only takes only ten minutes to prepare and you can apply it eight to ten times. Thereafter, for making the antifungal powder at home, you can collect these ingredients,
- 1–1/2 tbsp Bentonite Clay
- 1 shaker bottle or glass
- ½ teaspoon cayenne powder
- 2 drops of frankincense essential oil
- 2 drops of cinnamon essential oil
- 2 drops of clove essential oil
At first, you need to take a bowl and mix the cayenne powder and bentonite clay well. Now the next step requires you to include essential oils and keep blending it into other components. Then place the mixture in a container and you can use a glass as it can prevent a chemical reaction.
Sprinkle the concoction on your feet and keep applying for one or twice every day to see effective results quickly.
Get Proper Treatment Smelly Feet
If your smelly feet develop due to fungal infection, it is highly important for you to see a foot doctor before thing start to go downhill. However, you might be interested in knowing that the general treatments include,
- Methylated spirits
- Discarding stinky shoes
- Wearing open-toed shoes in summer or warm days
- Using foot creams or anti-fungal sprays
- Spraying deodorants on socks
Once you notice smelly feet, it is always better to rush to the doctor because surgery is often required to get rid of the bacterial infection. With the help of medical advice, you are likely to get out of the stinky situation faster. Moreover, it is necessary for you to wear the shoes in which you are comfortable in because poor ventilation of the shoes makes your feet unhappy in every possible way.
So, do not worry, follow the step which is convenient for you to get fresh feet 24×7.