Excessive Sweating (Hyperhidrosis) and Stinky Feet

Hyperhidrosis means excessive sweating and it is not a temporary condition. Many people may suffer from it right from childhood and sometimes from puberty stage. The excessive sweating is constant and results in stinky feet and shoes, slippery hand, and stained clothes

When excessive sweating occur at hand, its called plantar hyperhidrosis. Palmar Hyperhidrosis occurs at hand. Hyperhidrosis also affects the armpit. Foot smell is also called bromodosis.

 There are times you just wish to remove your shoe in public to ease your feet, but because of the embarrassing smell, you could not. If care it’s not taken, it can bring bad luck as people will stop associating with you because of the bad odor. I will share some easy tips to stop the embarrassment and you will thank me later. Firstly, let’s talk about the cause of stinky feet.

Hyperhidrosis Causes

Hyperhidrosis is mainly caused by the presence of many sweat glands in the hand, feet, and underarms.

What causes stinky feet?

A lot of people have been disturbed with the actual cause of stinky feet as they have tried all possible means  may also be responsible for a smelly foot. People on a particular medication are also prone to smelly foot. Poor hygiene which may also include wearing of low quality shoes and a consistent wearing of shoe can be responsible for the bad odour. People under stress, emotional or mental have a high tendency of having a smelly foot. Also, profuse sweating is also a factor. People whose work has to do with standing for a long time are also at the risk of having smelly foot. Hormonal changes in pregnant women and teenagers render them prone to a smelly foot as well.
to stop it. Medically, it can be related to bacteria that find a moist and warm place favourable, just like the condition your shoe, socks and feet provide. This provides a condition favourable for bacteria reproduction as they breed and increase. Our sole has a lot of sweat gland which provide the reason why we sweat often there. The sweat contains water, salt (sodium chloride), minerals, fat and other acidic compound produce in the body. The combination of this bacteria and sweat leads to the breaking down of sweat into its component and thus the outbreak of the odour. Also fungus known as Athletes foot

Stinky feet home remedies

    Use of antibacterial soap- there are a whole lot of antibacterial soaps in the market. Go for a good one and scrub your feet with it for few minutes and rinse. This will help you to combat the bacteria and fungi. Try to do this as at least twice daily.

    Good hygiene- as they say cleanliness is closer to holiness. Good hygiene get you closer to a fresh smelling feet.  After washing your feet with antibacterial soap, clean with a neat towel. Then use a surgical spirit to dry it out by using a clean cotton wool. Then apply a deodorant of nice smell, keep your nails short and always remove the dirts underneath it.

    Clean shoes- shoes serve as the store house for these bacteria. Here are the ways to ensure a clean shoe and avoid stinky feet and shoes, which you might have heard before but you take them less serious;

    1. Always put your shoes in a well-ventilated place. Do not put in dark cupboard as they encourage the growth of bacteria.

    2. Sundry your shoes after wearing to enable the evaporation of the sweats and ensure a dry shoe.

    3. Put deodorizing medicated insoles when your shoes are in rack.

    4. If you are a profusely sweating type, wear more of open toed shoes/sandals, leather shoe and canvas as these encourages ventilation. Avoid plastic shoes as much as possible.

    5. Do not wear a shoe for 2 consecutive days.

    Clean socks-do not wear a socks for two consecutive days without washing it. Woolly or cotton socks is advisable to wear than nylon ones. For pregnant women and teenagers, use antibacterial socks which are embedded with chemicals which provides unfavourable condition for the bacteria

When to Contact your Doctor

You can see a doctor if this entire tip does not help as it can be a sign that there is a need for medical attention. Doctor can prescribe a strong antiperspirant for you if you have abnormally high sweating rate. Doctor can also refer you for iontophoresis in which they use electric current to stop the profuse sweating.