What Causes Smelly Feet?

Smelly feet are an embarrassing condition that can occur in children, men and women of any age. The causes of smelly feet include certain personal hygiene habits, skin disorders and environmental conditions that cause excessive sweating.

Heat

• Hot indoor temperatures or outdoor weather can cause your feet to sweat and get stinky, especially if you are dressed in heavy or thick socks and shoes.

Emotional Stress

• When you are stressed, the apocrine glands in your skin can release a fatty substance into your sweat, which is digested by bacteria on your skin and results in a smelly odor.

Synthetic Fibers

• Wearing socks and shoes made from synthetic fibers such as nylon or pleather trap moisture around your feet and promote odors.

Shoes

• Constantly wearing the same pair of shoes can cause moisture and odors to linger because the shoes do not have enough time to dry out between uses.

Covered Feet

• Wearing shoes and socks all day long can trap moisture between your toes and allow bacteria to build up and cause odors.

Infrequent Bathing

• Infrequent bathing or showering can allow dead skin, fuzz, and dirt to accumulate on your feet, which helps to feed the bacteria that cause smelly feet.

Hyperhidrosis

• Hyperhidrosis is the medical term for excessive sweating. This skin condition can affect your feet and result in persistent smelly foot odor.