The main causes of smelly feet are a build-up of sweat and bacteria on them and fungal infections like athlete's foot. The amount you sweat can be affected by: hot weather. exercise.
You can apply talcum powder to your feet to soak up any wetness or sweat. If your feet are very sweaty, you can even try using antiperspirant on the bottom of your feet. While at home, allow your feet to get some fresh air by removing shoes and socks. Try to wear sandals when you can to reduce sweat.
Because their feet are extra sweaty and become home to bacteria called Kyetococcus sedentarius (say: kite-oh-KAH-kus SEH-den-tair-ee-us). These bacteria produce more than just stinky organic acids — they also produce stuff called volatile sulfur compounds. Sulfur compounds usually are powerful and awful smelling.
It's due to a buildup of sweat, which results bacteria growth on the skin. These bacteria cause bad odors. Fungal infections like athlete's foot can also lead to bromodosis. The good news is that bromodosis is easy, quick, and inexpensive to treat.
Most of the time, foot odor isn't a sign of underlying illness. However, severe sweating and foot odor in every season — not just when it's hot during the summer — could be a sign of hyperhidrosis. Hyperhidrosis is excessive sweating even if you aren't overheated.
Antiperspirants are considered the first line of treatment for excessive sweating and can be used nearly anywhere on the body where sweating is a problem. That's right, antiperspirants are not just for your underarms – you can use them on your hands, feet, face, back, chest, and even groin.
In fact, one type of bacteria, brevibacterium, lives in between the toes, thrives in a damp, salty environment, and produces the cheese-like smell of feet. That same bacteria is actually used in the cheese-creation process for Muenster, Entrammes, and Limburger cheeses.
Getting a fungal infection on your toenails can cause the nails to turn yellow and brittle, and the bugs that cause the infection often emit a foul odor as they feed on your body. The same microorganisms that cause athlete's foot also are the cause of fungal toenail infection.
Hyperhidrosis — a condition that causes overactive sweat glands — can make your feet extra stinky. You may also have particularly smelly feet if you get a fungal infection called Athlete's foot. If you notice a bit of a rotten egg smell, you may have Kytococcus sedentarius bacteria on your feet.
This overgrowth is called subungual hyperkeratosis. People with hyperkeratosis may notice a white, chalky substance under the nail. When this occurs in the toenails, the pressure of shoes pushing down on the nails might cause pain.
In medical terms this is called onychomycosis or tinea unguium,” says Batra. The fungal infection breaks down the keratin in the nail to form a white or yellow chalky substance under the nail plate. "As keratin debris spreads under the nail, the nail plate typically becomes lifted up off of the nail bed.
If your toenail turns black, it's most likely a bruise under the nail, technically called a subungual hematoma. You can get it from stubbing a toe or from footwear that cram your feet into the front of the shoe.
Be sure to change your layers of socks often if you tend to sweat a lot and wear socks that will wick moisture away, keep your feet cool and neutralize odors. Exfoliate your feet using a pumice stone, dry brush, or loofah to remove dead skin cells from the top layer of the skin to keep your feet clean and odor-free.
(slang) The sticky, smegma-like substance that accumulates between one's toes in case of insufficient hygiene.
Use antiperspirant—yes, under your boobs
"Antiperspirant can be used anywhere—on your feet, hands, and even under your bra," she says. Consider using a spray, which Dr. Hazen says is easiest to apply to the chest. If you're concerned about developing contact dermatitis, Dr.
Myth 3: Baby powder stops sweaty feet
This has the dual effect of soaking up a limited amount of moisture as well as temporarily constricting the outer body tissue, making skin feel soft and dry. Some powders can help absorb sweat, but this does not stop the accumulation of the bacteria which leads to body odor.
Your Socks Are Synthetic
That dark, warm, damp environment makes your feet a bacteria playground. Even if they're naturally occurring, bacteria can quickly grow out of control, leading to a stink-fest.
When your belly button smells, it is usually because of a hygiene need or infection. The belly button contains several tiny skin folds that can trap sweat, dirt, dead skin cells, and bacteria. Possible infections include candidiasis, bacterial infections, or an infected urachal cyst.
Although age is the main cause of thickening toenails, there are other reasons why it occurs: Experiencing trauma to the nail bed over time (such as surgery, stubbing your toe, general wear and tear ) Diabetes – poor blood circulation or peripheral neuropathy. Peripheral heart disease, high blood pressure.
The growth rate of nails decreases when people get older. This results in thickening because nail cells pile up. The process of nail cells piling up is referred to as onychocytes. Another reason why fingernails don't thicken as much is their growth rate is smaller than the growth rate of toenails.
I would always advise to file a thickened nail rather than cut it, this way you can do little harm to the nail and surrounding skin. A 'Diamond deb' nail file usually works best, filing the nail 2-3 times a week will usually keep the thickness reduced.