Smelly feet - the medical name is bromodosis - can affect anyone. It can be embarrassing and uncomfortable. The main cause is sweaty feet and there are simple steps you can take to help prevent this.

What causes sweaty and smelly feet?

The function of sweat glands is to keep the skin moist and therefore supple, and to regulate temperature when the weather is hot or while you are exercising. There are more sweat glands in our feet than anywhere else in the body. However, unlike sweat glands elsewhere in the body, the sweat glands in the feet secrete all the time, not just in response to heat or exercise.

Feet smell when bacteria on the skin break down sweat as it comes from the pores. A cheesy smell is released as the sweat decomposes.

The main causes of sweaty and smelly feet are:

Wearing the same shoes every day. Feet become smelly if sweat soaks into the shoes and you wear them again before they are dry.
Poor personal hygiene.
Hormonal changes can cause feet to sweat more, so teenagers and pregnant women are especially prone.
If you are stressed.
A condition called hyperhidrosis, which causes you to sweat more than usual.
Not letting sweat accumulate inside your shoes is the most logical way of preventing smelly feet.

Preventing smelly feet

The best way to prevent smelly feet is good personal hygiene and not wearing the same shoes 2 days in a row. It's important to wash your feet every day and dry them thoroughly, especially between the toes. Teenagers especially should be discouraged from wearing the same pair of trainers all the time. You should also wear clean socks every day. Cotton or wool socks are much better than nylon.

If you're particularly prone to sweaty feet, you could:

Use a spray deodorant or antiperspirant on your feet. A normal underarm one will work just as well as a specialist foot product.
When you have dried your feet with a towel after a shower or bath, dab between your toes with cotton wool dipped in surgical spirit.
Put detachable medicated insoles in your shoes. These have a deodorizing effect.
Try foot-fresh socks. These are impregnated with chemicals to discourage the bacteria that break down the sweat and cause a smell. Some sports socks have ventilating panels to help keep feet dry.
Wear leather or canvas shoes. In the summer, wear open-toed sandals. Go barefoot at home if you can safely.
Sweaty feet can be treated with an antibacterial foot scrub, but avoid using these scrubs if you have broken skin or eczema.
These steps to prevent sweaty and smelly feet will usually help. If they don't, or you are worried about how much you sweat, seek medical advice.

Athlete's foot can also cause your feet to smell. You can treat this yourself with antifungal treatment available from a pharmacy. Seek medical advice if you're concerned or if the problem is not clearing up.

Causes and Prevention of Smelly Feet

Everyone is familiar with the causes of body odor from sweat. Sweat itself does not have any odor; it is when it interacts with bacteria (underarm pits or groins), the sweat gives out a body odor. Although body odor brings a downslide during social interactions, the sources of body odor can be more serious than a person might consider and may not go away with regular baths or by applying deodorants. The article discusses a few sources of body odor other than sweat.

The Fish Odour Syndrome

Trimethylaminuria (TMAU) is a common body odor disease due to a genetic disorder. It is also commonly known as the fish odor syndrome and might be inherited in nature. The rare metabolic disorder does not allow the production of Flavin-containing Monooxygenase 3 (FMO3), an enzyme which generally converts trimethylamine (TMA) into trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) by the process of N-oxidation. This results in building up of TMA, which releases a fish odor smell through sweat and mouth. TMAU can be treated naturally in the following ways  

Keeping distance from foods, which have choline, carnitine, nitrogen and sulphur. For example, salt-water fish, eggs, etc.
Reducing the doses of antibiotics taken.
A medical study also suggested that in 85% of the cases, taking in charcoal or copper chlorophyllin helped to reduce the body odor.
There is also secondary trimethylaminuria (TMAU2), a type of TMAU where it is not hereditary.

Rotten Apple Smell

Diabetic ketoacidosis is a diabetic disease when untreated. When the body is not able to compose enough insulin, there is a metabolic disorder which makes the body burn or break down excess fat for fuel. This causes the person to exhale breath with a sweet but disgusting aroma similar to the smell of rotten or decomposing apples. This is the reason why doctors, specializing in body odor, ask the patients to go for a urine or blood test, to determine whether the patient has diabetes. Treating diabetic ketoacidosis is same as managing teeth disorder  

Brushing teeth regularly and flossing daily.
Drinking plenty of water to keep the mouth moist.
Following all the medical prescriptions to regulate the sugar level of the body as given by the doctor.
Stress Disorders

It is also reported by medical clinics that body odor can result from emotional stress disorders causing excessive perspiration. It is common among teenagers who are in the phase of developing hormones.

Conclusion

A man or woman who is looking completely healthy and fit from the outside can too have body odor disorders. This will affect their social relationships, and so it is always better to seek advice from the specialists so that effective actions can be undertaken as soon as possible. A doctor can prescribe appropriate medication and advise some natural measures to restrain the problem.

Body Odour - How It Indicates Your Health?

Deodorants and antiperspirants are items of regular use all over the world. You would never want to smell bad or have sweat stains under your armpits. Hence, after using a deodorant or an antiperspirant you usually stick to it and keep on using it continuously. There is a major confusion regarding deodorants and antiperspirants, and it is important to know the major difference between these two similar items of everyday use.
Deodorant-
Deodorant serves the function of preventing unwanted and unpleasant odour from our body. Deodorants do not prevent sweating. Body odour is caused due to the bacterial breakdown of sweat. The ingredients of a deodorant are designed especially for the elimination of the smell caused by bacteria.
The common ingredients of a deodorant are :
Water
Sodium stearate
Organic aloe vera juice
Witch hazel water
Glyceryl laurate
Fir needle oil
Chamomile flower aqueous extract
Hops [CO2] extract   helps eliminate the odour
Caprylic/capric triglyceride
Ascorbic acid
Silica shell
Organic Lemongrass Oil
Antiperspirants-
Antiperspirants are different from deodorants, and they are designed in such a way that the body produces lesser sweat. This is done by blocking sweat from reaching the skin. The ingredients present in antiperspirants, especially aluminum, block the pores on the skin and do not allow sweat to pass through them. When an antiperspirant is applied to the skin, the aluminum salts get dissolved in the sweat under the armpit. The dissolved aluminum forms a gel, which acts like a plug on the sweat glands or pores on the skin. This stops sweat secretion. Aluminum is, however, a cancer-causing factor and may also lead to Alzheimer s disease. Several forms of aluminum present in some antiperspirants leave yellow stains on clothes as a result of mixing with sweat.
The primary ingredients of antiperspirants are:
Aluminum Zirconium Trichlorohydrex.
Dimethicone.
Tribehenin.
Artificial fragrance.
C18 36 Acid Triglyceride.
People are often confused as to what to use among deodorants and antiperspirants. This depends totally on your personal choice, but it is recommended to use a product which incorporates natural ingredients instead of using chemicals such as aluminum. Hence, deodorants are considered to be safer for everyday use. However, several artificial dyes and fragrances are used as ingredients in both deodorants and antiperspirants, which cause reactions on the skin. Allergies and skin irritation also occur sometimes as a result.


What is the Difference Between an Antiperspirant and a Deodorant?

It is perfectly normal to have body odour after a hard day s work. However, it can get downright embarrassing and alarming if such body odour persists, even after a good warm shower. This medical condition is a symptom of hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating.

What causes body odour?
When the body bacteria combine with sweat, a chemical decomposition occurs that lets out a stinky and pungent smell from certain body parts, especially the feet and the armpits. Working outdoors or being subject to high stress levels over a prolonged period of time can result in this condition. An inclusion of excessive amount of garlic, onion and other spices in your regular diet can trigger body odour as well. Excessive alcohol consumption, conditions such as obesity and diabetes mellitus can also lead to body odour.

Below is a list of some of the most effective homeopathic treatments for body odour:

Silicea: This homeopathic preparation is effective to remedy feet odour. The concerned person might also show symptoms of excessive sweating in the feet along with the appearance of cracks in between the toes.
Hepar Sulph: This homeopathic preparation is effective to address a pungent body odour occurring due to excessive physical or mental stress. Additionally, this preparation is also effective to cure body odour that emerges from the armpits and tends to leave a yellow stain around the region. If the pungent body odour persists even after a proper bath, the homeopathic preparation Rheum can be an effective remedy.
Psorinum: This homeopathic preparation is extremely beneficial to address foul smell in combination with the symptoms of excessive sensitivity to cold weather, an unhealthy /dirty looking skin, and excessive sweating.
Baryta Carb: This homeopathic preparation is effective to cure feet odour, especially in children.

Suffering from Body Odour - 4 Homeopathic Remedies to Help Treat it

Sweating is a normal function of the body, but some people sweat so much that their clothes are often drenched in sweat. Hyperhidrosis is a condition where the amount of sweat produced by the sweat glands cannot be regulated. It is characterized by excessive sweating commonly seen in the underarms, palms and soles. This disorder can affect a person at any age and if left untreated, can become a lifelong condition. Though this condition is not a serious threat to your health, it can be quite embarrassing and can hamper your lifestyle.

In many cases, there is no obvious trigger for Hyperhidrosis, and it is caused by the malfunctioning of the nervous system. This is known as primary Hyperhidrosis. Sweat is a function which helps the body cool itself. In cases of primary Hyperhidrosis, the brain sends a message to the sweat glands to produce sweat even though the body does not need to be cooled. A genetic mutation may also be the cause for some cases of Hyperhidrosis.

Hyperhidrosis with obvious trigger factors is known as secondary Hyperhidrosis. While primary Hyperhidrosis mostly affects the underarms, groin, palms and soles, secondary Hyperhidrosis can affect all parts of the body. Some of the common triggers for this condition are:

Pregnancy
Menopause
Anxiety
Low blood sugar
Hyperthyroidism
Medication side effects
Alcohol or drug withdrawal
Parkinson's disease
Hyperhidrosis can be challenging to diagnose and treat. Lifestyle changes are the easiest way to address this disorder. Some changes that can help you fight Hyperhidrosis are:

Avoid spicy food and alcohol
Replace deodorants with antiperspirants
Choose cotton fabrics over synthetic fabrics
Wear loose fitting clothes.
Try using armpit shields and wearing absorbent socks.
Anticholinergic or antimuscarinic medicines can also help treat Hyperhidrosis. This keeps the nervous system from activating the sweat glands. Dry mouth, blurred vision, constipation, abdominal cramps and difficulty in passing urine are some of the side effects associated with this medication. Iontophoresis is a more aggressive form of Hyperhidrosis treatment. This involves passing a weak electric current through a wet pad to the affected area to block the sweat glands. It is usually used to treat excessive sweating in the palms and soles. 

Botox injections can also help treat Hyperhidrosis by blocking the brain signals to the sweat glands. However this is not a permanent cure and may need to be repeated after a year or so. Endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy or a surgery to remove the sweat glands may also be recommended in extreme cases of Hyperhidrosis. This is usually seen as a permanent solution for excessive sweating, but are relatively new procedures and hence not very common.

Hyperhidrosis - Making Summer Miserable

Sweating during warm weather is very common, but if a person wakes up from bed soaked in sweat, it is not a pleasant feeling. It does not allow for a sound sleep, and may not always be related to warm weather.
There is no serious underlying medical issue, but it is always advisable to see a doctor to get this corrected. The following are some common reasons that could lead to night sweats.

Menopause: The hot flashes that are so popularly associated with menopause is one of the main reasons for night sweats. The presenting factors (woman, age, and other symptoms) should help arrive at this diagnosis. Hormonal levels can be checked to confirm if required. Even puberty and pregnancy can cause night sweats, due to hormonal level alterations.
Infections: Most infections present with fever and night sweats are very common. Tuberculosis, osteomyelitis, endocarditis, influenza and even HIV can cause night sweats and hamper a person s sleep. Most infections cause an increase in temperature, which is worse at night.
Obstructive sleep apnea: The walls of the windpipe get narrowed, and the person might have short periods where the breathing just stops. These people are three times more likely to develop night sweats.
Hypoglycemia: One of the most common symptoms of low blood sugar is night sweat. When the sugar drop happens during the time the person is sleeping, it is very common for the person to wake up soaked in sweat.
Cancer: For some cancers, night sweats are one of the first warning signs. These cancers include lymphoma, and presence of symptoms like unexplained weight loss, fatigue, etc. should be addressed to rule out the possibility of cancer.
Side effect of medications: Antidepressants, psychiatric drugs, anti-pyretic drugs, anti-virals, steroids, anti-diabetic medications, hormones, etc. can lead to night sweats. Suspected cases of night sweats should have their medications reviewed to see if any drug is causing the night sweats.
Gastro-esophageal reflux disease: GERD, as it is popularly known, can cause night sweats in addition to heartburn. They would also have other symptoms of indigestion, which will help in identifying the problem.
Neurologic disorders: Stroke, neuropathy and anxiety disorders can cause night sweats and would require psychotherapy in addition to medications.
Idiopathic: And despite all these possible reasons, if there is no identifiable reason, it is known as idiopathic hyperhidrosis (increased sweating). The person produces too much sweat without any known underlying cause and can even wake up at night soaked in sweat.
Management: Identifying the underlying cause is the first step in treatment. It may require hormonal corrections, changing or withdrawing the causative medications, treating associated conditions, etc., as the case may be.

Sweating While Sleeping - 9 Reasons Behind It?

Don't wait any longer, manage your Sweaty Palms online with a Lybrate doctor today

Consult for Sweaty Palms - Online and Easy!

FilterClear All

COMMON SPECIALITIES

COMMON ISSUES