Perhaps more than any other part of the human body, our feet have a habit of showing us up with their unmistakeable bad odour. When you understand that your feet have around 250,000 sweat glands, it’s no wonder that so many of us have a problem. Sweat plus bacteria often equates to that cheesy or vinegary smell which signals the onset of foot odour but there are plenty of things you can do to combat it.

What causes foot odour?
Most of us sweat – it’s an odourless, salty liquid and generally doesn’t cause much offence. Mix it with bacteria and you begin to get things like smelly armpits. And if you are wearing socks and shoes the chances of creating something a little more pungent increases because the sweat simply has nowhere to evaporate to.
But that’s not the only cause of foot odour. Stress can cause you to get a little fragrant in the foot area as can changes in your hormonal condition, for instance when you go through puberty or hit the menopause. If you are on particular kinds of medication then it can have an effect, as can an addiction to certain drugs and alcohol. If you have a fungal foot infection then you could also experience the odd unsavoury whiff when you take your socks off at the end of the day.
And, of course, there’s poor hygiene. If you are wearing the same socks and shoes day in and day out then you can’t complain if your feet begin to smell.

How to beat foot odour
At Beauchamp Foot Care were used to seeing a wide range of problems regarding the feet, so here are some of our top tips for reducing the amount your feet smell.
•  First of all wash your feet each day in soap and water and pay special attention to them while you are in the shower. If you have a chronic problem then use a zinc/castor oil based cream to massage into your feet.
•  It might seem trendy to grow your toenails but cutting them short can also help you stay free of bacterial and fungal infections.
•  Wear socks made out of natural fibres such as cotton or wool. Nylon socks have a tendency to make us sweat more, increasing the likelihood of our feet smelling.
•  When you wash those socks, turn the inside out so that the detergent can get at all those lose flakes of skin you’ve left behind.
•  Don’t wear the same pair of shoes every day and try to get footwear that has some form of breathability.

It’s always a good idea to have your feet checked out at least once a year to make sure they are in good condition. A quick visit to a chiropodist can save you a lot of problems later on and you can also get some good advice about how to avoid things like foot odour.
At Beauchamp Foot Care we pride ourselves in giving the best advice along with hygienic treatments that make a huge difference to one of the most important, and often neglected, parts of the human body: The feet.

Book a consultation today.