There’s probably little worse than sniffing your own smelly feet; unless that is you have to smell someone else’s. So what can be done about this pongy problem?
Remember that the skin on your feet is covered with thousands of different glands, so it is perhaps unsurprising if a bad smell rises up after a day tightly contained in your shoes. Everyone has their own bodily odour and it is more or less affected by the amount your feet sweat – the stronger your feet smell, the stronger your body odour in general.
Therefore the first piece of advice is to make sure that you wash your feet carefully at least once a day! Make sure you rub the arch of the foot, then carefully soap and rinse between each toe. And don’t forget to take as much care drying your feet as washing them – wet feet aggravate the problem of smelly ones.
To reduce transpiration, your feet need to be able to breathe – a good pair of shoes made of natural materials should help you do that. Alternatively, a spare pair of shoes that are clean and dry can be used alternately with the shoes you wear in the morning if you need to change them during the day.
Sprinkling some talcum powder in your shoes or using some boric acid can help to disperse some of the bad smells from sweat. Specialist products and in-soles are also available from sports shops. But don’t forget about the socks either! Those made of natural fibres are preferable to synthetic ones as they help to mitigate the amount of sweat.
Be careful though as sometimes the cause of smelly feet can be something more serious. In the case of fungal infections, a fungicidal cream is essential. In cases of bacterial development, antibiotics should be an effective remedy. Used widely in deodorants, treatments based on aluminium salts are also efficient as they limit the secretion of sweat by the arch of the foot. Iontophoresic treatment can also help those who have excessive sweat. This is where the feet are placed in a tub of water linked to a very weak electrical current which interrupts the activity of sweat glands in the feet. 3 sessions of 15 minutes a week, for about 5-7 weeks should be enough to have an effect.
Finally, you could always try botox! Botox reduces local transpiration for about 6 months following the injection. Don’t forget though, if you have any questions or problems about any of the methods talked about here, then you should speak to your podologist, dermatologist or your family doctor for more information.
 Antoine PANAITE
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19/06/2012 | 
