Sweaty Feet

The body regulates its temperature mainly through the process of sweating, in which glands on the skin excrete a fluid (mainly composed of water) which then evaporates on the surface drawing heat away from the body. There are more sweat glands on the hands and feet, nearly 600 per square cm, than anywhere else on the body, and an average foot can release up to a quarter of a litre of sweat a day. Therefore sweaty feet are a common problem, which is further exacerbated by the fact that in a modern society we normally wear shoes.

Encasing your feet in shoes means that sweat from the foot cannot evaporate normally. Foot sweat is not in itself smelly, but it does provide the ideal environment for certain bacteria’s to grow, which break down sweat into fatty acids. These fatty acids are what produce the unpleasant and pungent odour. The moist, damp environment in your shoes can also encourage the growth of fungi that lead to athlete’s foot, which can also produce an unpleasant smell.

The type of shoes you wear can have an affect on sweaty feet. Shoes made from natural materials such as cotton linings and leather uppers can ‘breathe’, allowing a small amount of air circulation and evaporation to take place. Plastic shoes with synthetic linings do not breathe at all, and can actually make your feet sweat even more as they just get hotter and hotter. Loose, natural material socks can also help by absorbing some of the sweat away from your foot. Synthetic socks are non-absorbent only make sweating worse. In the summer leather sandals are a great way of allowing your feet to breathe, and let natural evaporation take place.

Steps to take against foot sweating and odour:
* Never wear nylon socks. Choose socks that are a wool/cotton blend as these are best for absorbing sweat. Pure cotton socks are good in the summer as they are lighter, but they do not absorb as much sweat as the wool blends. All wool socks are very insulating and retain too much heat making your feet even sweatier.
* Change your socks twice a day if you sweat excessively, and always put on clean pairs. Make sure you wash socks on a hot cycle to kill the bacteria, and if you suffer from infections such as athletics foot you may want to consider soaking socks in an antiseptic/antifungal solution before washing.
* Make sure both your socks and shoes are not too tight, which prevents air from circulating.
* Look out for footwear that includes special ventilation panels to aid the evaporation of sweat.
* Make sure you wear all leather shoes and not plastic ones, and check the linings are made from natural and not synthetic materials.
* Buy washable insoles for sports shoes and those shoes you were most often, which can be removed and washed or replaced regularly to cut down on odour.
* Make sure you have several pairs of shoes, so that you can allow one pair to dry out completely before you wear them again.
* Only use trainers for exercise and sport, as they are usually made of synthetic materials, which will encourage sweating and odour.
* Also make sure you keep your feet in good condition. Hard, dead skin deposits become soggy and wrinkly when damp and do not allow evaporation like soft healthy skin. This provides an ideal environment for bacteria to grow in, so ensure that you treat your feet weekly to a scrub with a pumice stone and a good rub of moisturiser.
* You can also buy special foot antiperspirant/deodorants – these will not completely prevent sweating, but will help you to control odours and can be reapplied throughout the day. In extreme cases you can get aluminium chloride solutions, which must only be applied to dry feet and cannot be used if you have any broken skin or infections such as athletics foot.

If you suffer from excessively sweaty feet then there are some treatments available. Iontophoresis is an effective treatment that uses electrical currents to numb the nerves that trigger the sweat glands and you can obtain this treatment from your doctor or physiotherapist. Botulinum toxin injections (Botox) are used on armpit sweat glands and can be a good treatment for sweaty feet as well. You may need up to look 35 tiny injections in your feet which can be very time consuming and uncomfortable, and the treatment is not permanent so would need to be repeated after a few months.

Sweating feet encourage fungal infections so make sure you check your feet for signs of this regularly. Red and spongy skin between the toes and itching is a sign of athlete’s foot. Make sure you keep your feet as dry as possible to inhibit fungal growth and buy an antifungal spray or powder to treat the condition. Small honeycomb pits in the skin of your sole, accompanied by a pungent smell is a sign of ‘pitted keratolysis’. This is a bacterial infection and common in people who wear shoes or boots constantly in damp, humid conditions. You will need antibiotics to treat this condition so you will need to see your medical advisor.