Embarrassed to take off your shoes or wear sandals because of stinky feet? Constantly washing or wiping your feet only to find you have the same smelly result? Spraying shoes to eliminate the odour is a constant chore with poor results? Have you given up and just accepted your cheesy smelling feet? Don’t despair there is a solution!
Why do feet smell?
Bacteria and fungus thrive in warm, dark and moist environments. When the sweat from your feet (all 300ml/day of it) mixes with secreted wastes produced by these bugs, stinky feet is the outcome. The smell alone can be bad enough, but even worse, it can escalate to athlete’s foot, fungal toenails, warts, rashes and itchy blisters that can become infectious ulcers when scratched.
How do you treat stinky feet?
By now you’ve realised it’s the bacteria and fungi that need to be targeted that have taken up residence on your skin nails, socks and shoes. If your skin and toenails have clearly been affected and damaged by these bugs, it’s best to see a Podiatrist as soon as possible to manage the progressive spread. Treatment will involve the use of anti-fungal and anti-bacterial strategies.
At home you can assist by:
- Use Podiatry prescribed creams, powders & sprays
- Ironing socks to kill fungal spores as these can survive machine washes
- Wear cotton shoes, avoid synthetic ones
- Use non-synthetic shoe insoles
- Wear open-toed sandals/shoes whenever possible
- Wash your feet properly every day, especially between your toes
- Discard stinky shoes
- Alternate your shoes
- Air footwear in direct sunlight
- Clean footwear with methylated spirits