Prevention and Treatment of Foot Odor

Symptoms: Feet that do not smell good.

Causes:

• Bacteria on the feet
• Eating too much meat.
• Not changing the socks often enough and wearing sock while feet is still damp.
• Wearing rubber or plastic shoes. They will make your feet smell like an old rubber tire.

Prevention and Treatment:

• Wash your feet frequently, scrub gently with using a soft toothbrush and dry them well when finished.
• Expose your feet to sunlight regularly.
• Salt-water soak can help disinfect and soften the skin. You can also soak your feet for 15-20 minutes in ½ cup apple cider vinegar added to 1 quart of lukewarm water. Use the apple cider foot soak twice per week.
• Use a foot powder to get rid of odor. Sprinkle foot powder or cornstarch inside the shoes to absorb moisture. You can also sprinkle baking soda inside each shoe to absorb moisture and neutralize odors.
• Change your socks often, a few times per day if necessary. Wear natural fiber socks such as cotton to decrease foot odor. Natural fibers allow the foot to breathe, reducing the chance for foot odor.

• Use leather shoes, for they breathe. This reduces the perspiration.
• Avoid stress. It increases sweating, which multiplies bacterial action.
• Change your shoes daily to prevent foot odor. Alter the pattern in which you wear your shoes to give each pair a chance to air out odors for at least 24 hours prior to wearing them again. Putting them out in the sun for a while can also help control fungal growth.
• Wear slippers in the locker room

How often should you wash your feet? Wash frequently to remove the offending bacteria but not so often that you remove all the protective oils from your skin. For strong foot odor, you may need to wash your feet several times a day. However, if you notice that your feet are becoming scaly and cracked, cut back on the number of washings. It is also helpful to moisturize your feet with virgin coconut oil for its antibacterial and antifungal properties.

Note: Athlete's foot can take a while to heal. Allow at least a month for a severe case.

Warning:

• Infected dead skin that's flaking off contains living fungi that can reinfect anybody who will come into contact with it. So avoid walking barefoot especially on locker room.
• Athlete's foot is much more difficult to handle once it gets under the nails, you may not feel any discomforts but there may be a discoloration. If you see whitening of yellowing of the nail, or if it starts to separate from the toe, go to your doctor immediately.