“My feet sweat so much, it makes them smell badly."

Does this describe your feet?

At Podiatry Station we work with all types of feet, even the smelly sweaty ones! There is usually a reason for the sweaty feet, which can be addressed very easily. Once the cause of the excessive sweating has been addressed, the smell often disappears by itself.

Why feet sweat

Anyone can get sweaty feet, at any temperature or in any season during the year. Teenagers and pregnant women are more likely to get them because hormonal changes make them sweat more. Athlete's Foot can also result in smelly feet.

You are also more likely to have sweaty feet if you're on your feet all day, wear shoes that are too tight, are under a lot of stress, or have a medical condition called Hyperhidrosis, which makes you sweat more than usual.

Feet often become smelly if the sweat absorbs into your shoes and they don't dry before you wear them again.

How to treat and prevent smelly feet

The good news is that smelly feet are usually easy to treat by keeping your feet clean and dry, and changing your shoes regularly.

To treat sweaty or smelly feet yourself, try to:

• Wash your feet with an antibacterial soap once a day. If this is not strong enough then the Podiatrist can recommended different products for you to try.
• Dry your feet properly after a shower especially between your toes.
• Try not to wear the same pair of shoes 2 days in a row so that they have at least 24-hours to dry out.
• Change your socks (cheap nylon socks work best as they don't retain the sweat) at least once a day.  Alternatively bamboo socks are known for keeping sweat at bay due to their absorbent qualities.
• Keep your toenails short and clean, and remove any hard skin with a foot file (it can become soggy when damp, which provides an ideal home for bacteria)
• Using a spray deodorant or antiperspirant on your feet – a normal underarm deodorant or antiperspirant works just as well as a specialist foot product and will cost you less.
• Placing medicated insoles, which have a deodorising effect, into your shoes may also help.
• Try to wear shoes that are made of breathable materials like leather.