Secrets to Sweet Smelling Summer Feet
Secrets to Sweet Smelling Summer Feet
When you consider a person walks over 75,000 miles (nearly two and a half times round the world) in an average lifetime, it is easy to understand why older people
have foot problems. Three out of four people at the age of 70 should see a podiatrist in order to remain comfortable. By the age of 60, approximately 70% of us will have seen a podiatrist at least once.
Feet are one of the hardest working parts of our body, and we only get one pair. Decaying teeth can readily be replaced with a set of dentures. Decaying feet cannot be replaced.
The secret of having feet that feel and look good, for most of us does not just happen by chance. What you wear on your feet affects your entire body, not to mention your temperament and sense of humor, especially when your feet hurt!
As part of ongoing daily wear and tear of your feet, the cushions of fat on the balls of the feet will thin out over the years. The joints can become damaged with repeated pressure and shock from wearing thin soled shoes and/or fashion shoes.
The damage happens gradually and may not be noticeable until you hit your 60's or 70’s, seemingly a long way off when you are nowhere near that age.
The human body has evolved to walking upright, but unfortunately we have not adapted to shoes and walking on hard surfaces, like pavements, very well.
Facts
- There are 250,000 sweat glands on the feet.
- Your feet can swell by up to one full shoe size when hot.
- People who go barefoot or wear open sandals, usually do not suffer from smelly feet or athletes foot.
- Hot swollen feet make your legs ache and feel tired.
- 7 out of 10 people do not treat their athletes’ foot properly.
- You don't have to be an athlete to get athletes foot
A Pair to Wear and a Pair to Air
With 250,000 sweat glands, the average amount of sweat we loose daily would fill an egg cup. Imagine poring that amount of liquid into your shoes each morning before putting them on. That is effectively what happens when you wear the same shoes every day.
Shoes need to dry out more then overnight, they need a minimum of 24 hours.
“The "hot house" environment of the shoe is perfect for bacteria and fungi to grow,” says Dr. Daniel Altchuler a
“Smelly feet are usually thought of as a joke, but can be devastatingly embarrassing to the person with it.” Both athletes’ foot and smelly feet are usually due to poor foot hygiene.
Smelly feet happen when the foot is kept in soggy shoes for too long. The pH balance of the foot alters with the sweat and this triggers bacteria that live harmlessly on the skin.
As the sweat is released from the skin the corynebacteria break it down enabling a foul smell to be released (bromodrosis). For those who have never smelt smelly feet, try taking a whiff of limburger cheese, which has a smell that's very similar. Sweaty feet also provide the perfect conditions for athlete’s foot to occur.
“Just like mushrooms, athlete’s foot, (tinea pedes) is a type of fungi that lives in a dark, warm, moist environment, and lives off of organic matter. In this instance, it thrives off the protein keratin in the skin. If you provide the right conditions it will be very hard to get rid of.”
Did you know that 7 out of 10 people fail to treat their athletes’ foot properly and that athlete’s foot, or tinea pedis, can present in different ways.
The skin between the toes may look white and soggy. There may be an unpleasant smell and small fissures (splits). It usually itches like mad, particularly when the foot is warm such as in bed at night and after bathing.
Athletes foot may appear as patches of skin which are itchy and red with little blister type eruptions. This commonly appears on the inside arch of the foot, but can cover the entire foot.
A third type of athletes foot is often mistaken for dry skin. This usually appears as dry flaky skin covering the bottom of the foot, and often causes dry cracks to appear around the heels.
How to keep your feet sweet
Try not to wear the same shoes every day. You should have two to three pairs that are worn on alternate days. The accumulated moisture has to be given time to evaporate properly
If you must wear shoes on consecutive days, use a hair dryer, set on medium, for a few minutes to dry out the shoe. Avoid the high setting as it may shrink the leather of the shoe. Also don't leave shoes by direct heat.
Here are some tips on how to conquer those odiferous tootsies
- Wash feet every day and dry properly between the toes. This applies after swimming or using the gym.
- Wear clean socks or hosiery every day. Take spare socks if your feet sweat a lot to change into.
- Wear shoes with leather or Gortex uppers. Hard leather shoes retain more moisture than more porous softer leather shoes.
- In general natural materials such as cotton and wool are far better for your feet because natural fibers provide a "wicking" effect which absorbs moisture and keeps the feet cool as your perspiration rapidly evaporates.
- Even more effective are socks made up of synthetic and natural material blends such as Coolmax, Drimax, and Smart Wool which wick sweat away from the skin providing a constant dry layer next to the skin.
- Spray your feet with an antiperspirant deodorant - the type used for underarms.
- Wear open sandals as much as possible in warm weather. For leisure, wear well made sports sandals.
- If your feet smell, wash them using an antibacterial soap. (If this doesn't work – see a podiatrist)
- If you use athletes’ foot treatments, follow the instructions properly. Most over-the-counter products need to be used for at least one month (on both feet) for it to be cleared properly.
- At home, go bare foot as much as possible. Those with diabetes should not go barefoot.
- If you use talcum powder, shake off all excess otherwise it ends up as soggy clumps between the toes and makes matters worse!
- Always buy shoes late in the afternoon. Your feet swell throughout the day.
- Be sure to put on both pair of shoes, and walk around the store. Shoes should be comfortable when purchased.
- When possible leave shoes outside in direct hot sun for a few hours as the sunlight helps kill bacteria.
