Stinky feet is also known as smelly feet or foot odor. It is not exactly a medical condition in its general sense but some exceptional cases can become medical conditions or ailments. Stinky feet is a very common occurrence. Almost every adult has this problem. Many kids have this problem too. The only difference among people would be in the extent to which they develop stinky feet, how frequent and how stinky the odor is.
Contributing Factors to Stinky Feet
The primary cause of stinky feet is bacteria. You may notice that you have smelly feet after having worn socks for several hours or when you open your shoes after a day at work. Many people feel that the feet have sweated and that is what the cause is for smelly feet. That is not a wrong statement or perception but it is not entirely accurate either. Each human foot has more than two hundred fifty thousand sweat glands that have the ability to produce sweat through the day that can fill up anywhere between a pint to a bottle. Many people have smelly sweat and such people would have stinky feet from the sweat itself. However, most people have stinky feet because this sweat is gorged upon by the bacteria on the foot which produces isovaleric acid.
What Causes Stinky Feet?
Bacteria are present on every part of our body, both on the outside and inside. These bacteria find moisture to be their thriving ground and feed on the sweat. As a result, there is a pungent and undesirable smell from stinky feet.
Bacteria cannot be blamed entirely for stinky feet because there can be many other causes. Recycled socks, poor quality shoes, skin infections on the foot or medications can all cause stinky feet. If you feet are dirty and haven’t been washed, if the socks are unclean, if the leather or the fabric of the shoes have not been treated well or are not well maintained, if you have Athlete’s foot or any other type of infections on the skin then you would develop stinky feet. There are many medications that can cause bad odor, right from in your breath to in your feet. All these factors can cause or contribute to your stinky feet.
Fortunately, there are simple solutions to stinky feet. Proper hygiene, cleanliness, striking a balance to keep your feet open without any socks when possible and taking medications, can cure stinky feet.
