Dear doctor;

My feet stink! This is so embarrassing. I can’t take off my shoes in front of anyone because the smell is so awful. Is this a disease? What can I do dear counselor

Yours desperate Kalisa, 20.

Dear Kalisa, Smelly feet is indeed an embarrassing problem. The most common cause of this bad odour is sweat mixed with bacteria. There are about 250,000 or more sweat glands in the feet which produce about a pint of sweat every day. Sweat itself is odourless, but when it mixes with bacteria, it gives a dirty cheesy or vinegar like smell. Some people sweat throughout the year, while some only during hot weather. Most of the sweat produced by feet everyday is evaporated. But wearing shoes and socks prevents this evaporation. The sweat is confined and tends to stick to the feet, shoes and socks. Due to its entrapment, bacteria mix with it and grow in the dampness. Due to wearing closed shoes with socks for long time, the dampness is increased. This dampness can also cause necrosis of parts of skin of feet. Dead necrotic skin and cells aggravate the odor. Once someone takes off his shoes after continuous use for eight to 12 hours and uses them again next day, dampness in shoes persists, causing repetition of the cycle of dampness and growth of microbes, thus aggravating the situation It can also be due to hyperhidrosis (condition of excess sweating), alcohol and abusive drugs, fungal infections of the feet, poor hygiene, hormonal changes as around puberty or menopause in women.

Prevention of this condition lies in maintaining good hygiene of the feet. Feet should always be kept clean and dry. One can wash feet daily at end of day by soaking them in lukewarm water for few minutes. This helps in removing dust, sweat, debris, all is removed. Wipe them dry afterwards. Avoid re-using shoes in consecutive days. Similarly, socks worn should also be fresh and clean each day. Cotton socks are better than nylon ones because they allow good ventilation of the feet thus reducing dampness. Using a dusting powder before wearing socks will also help in keeping dampness away. Home remedies like washing feet or shoes with soda, vinegar, among others, are also used.