Have you ever found yourself in an embarrassing situation where you have to pull off your shoes and you catch a distinctive whiff which sets you into panic mode?

Well, a lot of us have found ourselves in that situation, where an embarrassing odour comes out of our shoes. Foot odour, otherwise known as bromodosis is usually not a serious medical condition asides from the embarrassment it brings.

We’ve done our research and we bring to you the reasons why you have foot odour and what you can do to alleviate this condition.

Sweaty Feet
Having sweaty feet can cause foot odour because the moisture and warmth produced can cause the bacteria living on your skin to want to go into sporadic feeding mode. The bacteria creates the odour by breaking down dead skins and sweat.
If your foot odour occurs as a result of sweat, you can fight it by changing your socks regularly especially when they are moist. You can also change your socks material to something woolly which can absorb sweat from your feet more. Furthermore, you may also want to consider using antiperspirants on your feet. They will help to curtail sweating and will have a generally profound effect on your foot odour. You can apply them a couple times a week at night or every time you’d be on the road for long hours.

Your Shoes
Shoes and socks share a similarity in that when they are moist and warm, they tend to cause smelly feet. Podiatrists usually recommend that one shouldn’t stick to a pair of shoes and socks for everyday wear if the embarrassment of smelly feet is to be avoided. This is usually a tough call for a lot of people most especially for people who work in environments requiring a particular shoe specification. Having optimum foot hygiene is the way to go if you are stuck with wearing the same pair of shoes.
Regularly cleaning and scrubbing your feet, including using a pumice stone to scrape of dead and dry skin cells will go a long way to in helping you to combat your feet odour. More so, if you have feet odour, consider wearing shoes that breathe, as air can go a long way in helping to reduce bad smells.

Stress
Stress makes you feel undue pressure which can result in you sweating more than necessary. The more stressed you are, the more likely you’d sweat more and of course, the higher the chances of foot odour. Moreover, sweat induced by stress contains some compounds which are not found in sweat produced normally which is because both are produced by different sweat glands which can typically worsen the smell of the former.

Fungal Infection
Fungal infections such as Athlete’s foot contribute to foot odour. The mistake a lot of people especially athletes make is that they tend to apply antifungal creams for the tiniest bit of itch they feel which may be as a result of moisture between their toes. The moisture from the cream will likely make things worse. The cream should instead be applied to the bottoms and sides of your feet and if possible, antifungal powders should be used instead.
In some rare cases however. You may need to see a doctor if the smell persists to prescribe oral antibiotics which can kill bacteria produced by excessive moisture.