Does your family cry when you take off your shoes after a hard work? If they do then you are like so many people, your feet do not smell very well after they sweat - but not me because I use what I am going to detail to you now.

Like any bad odor that can be attributed to personal hygiene, it is embarassing to you when you take good care of yourself, yet this damn odor tells the others something different. It is normal that fungi will norish in a wet warm atmosphere, so it is a preventable situation as you will see, and if you could not prevent it you can easily treat it.

As we see, the odor is caused by fungi which survive and norish in a humid warm environment, and the problem is reinforced when a viciuos circle is created , when they penetrate deeper into skin layers and predisposes the foot skin to bacterial infection, or live in the shoes, so that any superficial treatment does not suffice to eradicate the problem, because there is always the source of infection.

Drying your foot is the milestone of eradicating the problem

Amongst the so many tips and advices given to you, drying your feet immediately after bathing even if you have to use your hair dryer, changing soaks frequently, and not wearing the same shoes two succesive days - whenever possible -, are the most important precautions you can take to prevent foramation of foot odor.

Since we deal with a probelm that is basically caused by increased sweating, it is helpful if you spend a couple of minutes to read The solution of excessive sweating. Here are some remedies to overcome this problem

* Black Tea

Brew 2 tea bags in 2 cups (1 pint) of boiling water for 15 minutes. Add the tea to 2 quarts of cool water that contains 1 teaspoon of Epsom salt, and soak your feet for 20 to 30 minutes. You can use Liquid Grape Tannin by adding 1/8-1/4 teaspoon to 1 quart of hot water. Tannins are protein precipitant and they are believed to help heal the cracked skin.

* Epsom Salt Ointment

Vaseline Petroeum Jelly ................... 100 grams

Epsom salt ................................ 2 teaspoons

Sage oil .................................. few drops

Thyme oil ................................. few drops

You may dissolve Epsom salt in 1-2 spoons of water and mix it with vaseline. Apply it before wearing the shoes.

* Zinc oxide & Benzoyl peroxide ointment

Zinc oxide ointment ...................... 25 grams

Benzoyl peroxide cream ................... 25 grams

Epsom salt ............................... 1 teaspoon

When the problem is beyond your control because you have hypersiderosis (abnormal sweating) or bromohidrosis ( very stinky foot), your doctor may recommend to you one of the following therapies :

* Bacterial infection thrapy:
In case your foot is inflamed and infected with baceria, he may prescribe an antibiotic like Erythromycin %2 or Clindamycin %1 to be applied topically twice daily.

* Glutaraldehyde

It is the active ingredient in many sun-free tanning products, its solution  may be applied to the bottom of the feet, but it stains them brown. In fact, glutaraldehyde and formaldehyde (which does not stain the skin and is used in some nail polishes) are very effective in eradication the problem, since they kill the fungi and bacteria, harden the skin through protein cross-linking, and greatly reduce perspiration, but their safety remains an issue.

* Acetic Acid Foot Baths
Acetic acid foot baths can be effective in drying up sweat glands, if treatments are given 3 times per day.

There are some more drastic treatments like Electrode Therapy, Botulism Injections, and Surgical Solutions, yet they are hazardous and more expensive.