Unpleasant foot odor: causes and methods of treatment

Unpleasant foot odor: causes

The problem of disgusting foot odor, although delicate, is very common. It causes a lot of inconvenience to both its owners, teak and their environment.

Hyperhidrosis (increased sweating) is usually considered the main cause of bad odor, but this is not true. The liquid secreted by the human sweat glands, although it contains substances harmful to the body, has practically no odor.

However, it is a favorable environment for the proliferation of various microorganisms, which, as a result of their vital activity, release substances that have an unpleasant odor to humans.

Why does an unpleasant foot odor occur in a healthy person?

• failure to comply with basic foot hygiene: walking in dirty and wet shoes, using dirty socks, unwillingness to wash feet frequently and remove rough skin on the feet;
• wearing socks, stockings and tights made of cheap synthetic materials;
• wearing low-quality or tight shoes that do not provide air circulation;
• individual characteristics of the body that cause hyperhidrosis during an active lifestyle, physical activity, and in stressful situations.

Another reason is fungal infections, which disrupt the water-salt balance of the skin and create a favorable environment for the proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms.

The main reason is Foot and nail fungus

Fungal disease is caused by parasitic microorganisms. You can get infected with them everywhere : in crowded places where people walk barefoot, in swimming pools, showers, saunas, baths, gyms.

When a fungus appears, you can detect symptoms such as peeling, dry skin, itching, unpleasant odor, cracking, redness, yellowing of the nail plates, their separation and fragility.

There are many types of the disease. A doctor can determine the type and nature of the fungus. He will also prescribe appropriate treatment.

Unpleasant foot odor in men

Due to the physiological characteristics of the structure of the body, the sweat glands of men are larger, and their number on the body is greater than in women. Therefore, the sweating process of the stronger half of humanity is more active and they suffer from hyperhidrosis (increased sweating) more often.

The second reason for increased sweating in men is greater body weight than women, and, accordingly, the amount of fluid in the body.

Therefore, high physical activity, the use of closed, protective shoes and non-compliance with personal hygiene rules cause hyperhidrosis in almost every man and, as a result, unpleasant foot odor.

Special products and antiseptics, foot powders

To eliminate the problem of bad smelling feet, pharmaceutical companies offer many different products. Each of them is effective in its own way and has its own application features:

1. Foot lotions are special preparations that have a deodorizing and disinfecting effect on the skin of the feet.

Effective drugs are “ Galeno Pharm ” and “ 5 days ”.

2. Ointments:

• zinc ointment is an affordable budget product for reducing foot sweating, softening, moisturizing the skin and eliminating unpleasant odors;
• ointment DEO-control , consisting of lavender, tea tree, shea, cocoa oils and a complex of vitamins. Thanks to this composition, the ointment acts on the feet as an antiseptic - it softens the skin and reduces sweating;
• Teymurov's paste is a recommended and highly effective drug for combating foul odor. The product has drying and antibacterial properties and has proven itself in eliminating deficiencies.

Before using any ointment, you need to wash your feet well , let your feet dry naturally, then rub the product in with smooth, careful movements for several minutes and wait until it dries completely. The procedure must be carried out for 4-7 days until a noticeable result is obtained.

Zinc ointment

Zinc ointment is a fairly effective and proven remedy for sweating feet, which is offered by Russian pharmacies.

The essence of its use is to apply a small amount of the product to the cleansed part of the skin in the area of ​​the problem area. After 20-30 minutes, the remaining product should be removed with a dry towel without rinsing it off. This procedure should be carried out every day until the expected effect appears. It's best to do this before bed.

After each use of zinc ointment, it is recommended to treat the skin of the feet with a nourishing cream, since the pharmaceutical product has one small drawback - it dries out the skin of the feet.

Review of effective products from Garnier to combat sweat odor

Now that we know how to deal with the smell of sweat in the armpits and, for example, on the feet of women and men, it’s time to do some shopping—virtual for now.

Magnesium effect Ultra-dryness for women

Available in spray and lotion format with a roller applicator. Antiperspirant deodorant contains magnesium from natural rocks, known for its absorbent properties: it is better at absorbing moisture than talc. Instantly drying texture, 72 hours of odor protection and the absence of ethyl alcohol in the composition - this product will successfully fit into the morning hygiene ritual of a modern woman.

Proper care of shoes and socks

The problem of unpleasant foot odor can be completely eliminated only through a comprehensive approach. To do this, you need to monitor not only foot hygiene, but also properly care for your shoes. It must be stored in special ventilated boxes.

Of the available remedies, a small amount of baking soda . If you pour this product into your shoes, you can eliminate excess moisture and bad odor. The portion of shoe soda should be changed every day.

Bay leaves will help eliminate unpleasant odor from shoes that is transferred to your feet . You just need to put a few leaves under the insole. The spice clove will help solve the same problem.

To prevent your feet from smelling bad, you need to pay attention to the cleanliness of your socks or tights. It is better to wash clothing items inside out .

If you approach solving the problem comprehensively, regularly devoting a little time to foot and shoe care procedures, you can get rid of the foul-smelling scourge in the shortest possible time.

How to get rid of the smell of sweat: types of remedies

If you consult a doctor with a question about how to remove the smell of sweat, he will suggest first finding out if you have hyperhidrosis. Let's say the level of sweating is normal, the only concern is the smell. What to do?

Perhaps the best non-injection method is cosmetics: deodorants and antiperspirants. They appeared at the end of the 19th century and were then imperfect. Over the decades, their formulas have been improved, and numerous studies have proven their harmlessness. Applying such products to damaged skin is not recommended. Components of the composition - preservatives, aromatic compositions and antibacterial actives - can cause irritation.

Let's figure out what to choose for a woman, man or teenager to get rid of the smell of sweat in the armpits and other areas of the skin with high activity of the sweat glands.

How is deodorant different from antiperspirant?

Both products promise to eliminate the smell of sweat in the armpits and beyond, although their mechanism of action is different.

• The deodorant suppresses the growth of bacteria in the armpits and masks the unpleasant odor with fragrance. Note to people with sensitive skin: some deodorants contain ethyl alcohol, a component with antibacterial properties.
• Antiperspirant offers to get rid of the unpleasant odor of sweat for a long period - up to several days. The antiperspirant formula temporarily narrows the opening of the sweat duct, reducing sweating.

According to world health organizations, both types of products are safe and effective. Re-examination of early studies shows that even metal salts (found in both conventional antiperspirants and popular alum) are harmless.

Increased skin sensitivity is likely to be a contraindication for the use of some deodorants and antiperspirants that contain alcohol. It’s important to remember that no one is immune from individual skin reactions. When buying a new anti-sweating product, be sure to test it on a small area of ​​skin.

How to choose a sweat remedy?

How can you remove the smell of sweat from your armpits or feet, which, by the way, are also very prone to intense sweating? Each format of cosmetic products has its own specifics.

• Spray. Easy to apply and not felt on the skin. The choice of those who are always in a hurry.
• Video clip. Allows you to reliably protect against the smell of sweat, because it applies evenly to the skin.
• Cream. The texture features leave manufacturers the opportunity to add more caring components to the composition.

Let us immediately note that the format has nothing to do with the direction: an antiperspirant may well be a spray, and a deodorant can be a cream. And vice versa! Moreover, some products successfully combine the functions of both deodorant and antiperspirant.

Manufacturers of cosmetics conduct clinical and dermatological tests of their products and necessarily take into account the skin type and sweating characteristics of potential consumers.

• If you sweat a lot, use an antiperspirant designed for sports. The stated duration of action should be up to 48 hours.
• If your skin is hypersensitive, prone to allergies and irritations, choose deodorants and antiperspirants with soothing ingredients and a comfortable texture.

Recipes for refreshing and therapeutic foot baths

A good way to eliminate the annoying nasty foot odor are various baths. They must be taken regularly to achieve noticeable results. Several available recipes:

Oak decoction . To create the product you will need crushed oak bark (2 tbsp.), 1 glass of boiled water. The mixture should be placed in a water bath and cooked for 30 minutes. After cooling, the liquid must be filtered and a little water added to it to replenish the original volume.

Maintaining personal hygiene rules

To prevent the problem of bad foot odor from disturbing a person once again, it is necessary to follow the rules of hygiene. It is much easier to prevent the occurrence of any disease than to deal with its consequences. Therefore, a few worthwhile tips will be useful to everyone:

• You should not walk barefoot in public places;
• It is important to change socks regularly;
• you need to keep your feet clean, for this you need to wash them daily and wipe them dry with a towel;
• You need to keep your shoes dry and air them regularly. Various aerosols to eliminate odors will help in this matter;
• try not to wear someone else’s shoes and not give yours to strangers to use in order to avoid acquiring fungus;
• Do pedicures regularly and monitor the condition of the skin on your feet.

Pasta Teymurova

One of the best remedies for sweating feet is another pharmacy product - Teymurov's paste. Its effectiveness has been proven by time, as well as by a lot of positive reviews left for the ointment.

The main effect of Teymurov's paste is to eliminate excessive sweating. A significant advantage of the product is its composition. The thing is that the structure of the ointment contains not only an antiseptic, but also glycerin and peppermint oil - these components protect the skin of the feet from drying out, which is often observed when using products of this type.

Teymurov's paste should be applied only to previously cleansed skin. After this, you should wait no more than 20-30 minutes, and then rinse off the remaining product with warm water. The average duration of treatment with this remedy is a week, after which it is worth taking a break of a month and then repeating it.

Diagnostics

It is impossible not to notice that your feet are sweating. This is detected by the patient’s subjective sensations and external signs: wet socks and shoes. To find out the cause of hyperhidrosis, you should consult a dermatologist. He will conduct an examination for a fungal infection: he will shine a Voodoo lamp on the nails. If fungus is present, the fingers will glow a characteristic color.

Scraping from the nail followed by microscopy allows you to accurately diagnose mycosis. This study is carried out when the results obtained by the lamp are questionable.

Severe armpit sweating

How to get rid of armpit sweating?

The following folk remedies will help with this:

Herbal decoctions (the most effective are oak bark and chamomile flowers).

Recipe: five tablespoons of oak bark are poured into two glasses of water and heated. After boiling, the broth is infused under a closed lid for two hours. Afterwards, filter and wipe the problem areas with the resulting mixture several times a day.

Recipe: three teaspoons of chamomile flowers are poured with half a liter of boiling water. Leave until the liquid cools to room temperature. Then filter and add a teaspoon of baking soda to the resulting broth. The resulting composition is used to treat the armpits twice a day: morning and evening.

Natural juices.

You can get rid of armpit hyperhidrosis at home using natural juices. These include: lemon juice, potato juice, apple juice, radish juice.

Recipe: freshly squeezed lemon juice is diluted half with water and treated problem areas of the armpits.

"Formagel"

Formagel, a light transparent ointment sold in pharmacies at a cheap price, is considered a fairly effective remedy for men from sweating feet. It should be applied in small quantities to problem areas of clean skin. After 30 minutes, the product should be washed off with cold water.

The reduction in sweating intensity with this product occurs as a result of the formation of an invisible protective film.

To obtain the desired result on a long-term or even permanent basis, you should use Formagel for three weeks. If such a need arises, after some time you can carry out a second course of treatment with this remedy for foot sweat, however, as practice shows, this is required only in isolated, especially advanced cases.

If hygiene products fail

Foot odor in men

It is not always possible to eliminate it using the above hygienic measures. In this case, it is necessary to seek medical help from specialists. At the moment, a popular and effective procedure is the method of using iontophoresis.

This treatment procedure consists of placing the patient in water, into which an ionic current is gradually passed. Several sessions of this procedure help normalize the functioning of the sweat glands and the unpleasantness of foot odor is eliminated.

Operational methods for eliminating this problem also exist, but they are used infrequently. Taking care of your health and responding to your body's requests in a timely manner is the key to a healthy future.

This article does not constitute medical advice and should not serve as a substitute for consultation with a physician.

Sweaty feet

You can get rid of severe sweating of the feet using the following folk remedies:

Baths with herbal infusions:

from oak and willow bark.

Recipe: two tablespoons of oak bark, one tablespoon of willow bark, pour one and a half liters of water and boil. The feet are immersed in the resulting liquid for 15–20 minutes daily.

from horsetail leaves.

Recipe: four tablespoons of crushed horsetail leaves are poured into two liters of boiling water. The feet are immersed in the resulting liquid for 20 minutes.

from sage, mint and nettle.

Recipe: take one tablespoon each of mint, sage and nettle, pour a liter of boiling water. The feet are immersed in the resulting liquid for 15 minutes daily.

Essential oils.

The most effective oils are lavender, cypress, bergamot, fir, tea tree and lemon.

Recipe: 3-4 drops of oil are applied to the feet and massaged for a couple of minutes before going to bed. They are also added to a foot bath.

Olive leaf paste

If you can get your hands on olive tree leaves, be sure to use them to combat excessive sweating of your feet. From them you can prepare an effective foot paste, which will not only eliminate the problem, but also soften the skin of the feet. Rumor has it that this remedy was used back in Ancient Greece.

To prepare the miraculous composition, take a handful of olive leaves and grind them thoroughly in a mortar until a paste-like consistency is formed. The resulting mass should be applied to problem areas of the skin using a cotton swab.

The treated legs should be wrapped in polyethylene and then left at rest for half an hour. After 30 minutes, the polyethylene should be removed and the feet should be washed with warm water, without using soap, and then dried with a terry towel.