My feet stink when it's hot. Is it athlete's foot? The answer is unexpected →

"Your feet smell terrible, you must have athlete's foot!"

When the hot summer comes, feet become particularly prone to sweating, and then they emit a disgusting and unpleasant odor. This is definitely athlete's foot.

Rumor analysis: This statement is incorrect.

Foot odor ≠ athlete's foot. Athlete's foot can cause foot odor, but foot odor is not necessarily athlete's foot.

Summer is here, and I believe everyone is familiar with a smell, that is the intriguing odor on the feet. Now let me test you, is this odor foot odor? Or athlete's foot? I believe many people should be scratching their heads, isn't foot odor the same as athlete's foot? Not really. Don't get me wrong, foot odor and athlete's foot are different problems, don't confuse them. Today, we will reveal the secret for you. If you don't have time to read, you can directly scroll to the end of the article to see the summary.

What are foot odor and athlete’s foot?

In fact, foot odor and athlete's foot are both common names for skin problems among ordinary people. The scientific name for foot odor is bromhidrosis, and a more accurate term is "localized eccrine bromhidrosis". It means a disease that is limited to the feet, and the source of the disease is the eccrine glands. A disease similar to foot odor is axillary odor, which is a bromhidrosis that occurs in the armpits. The source is not the eccrine glands, but the apocrine glands. The scientific name for athlete's foot is tinea pedis or tinea pedis, which is a foot lesion caused by fungal infection. The related fungi belong to dermatophytes. It can be seen that foot odor and athlete's foot are actually two very independent and unrelated problems, but the common names are a bit similar, so it is easy to be misunderstood. In fact, this situation is very common, and it is not everyone's fault. The problem is that the naming itself is not very rigorous. In medicine, this situation is called "misnomer". The so-called athlete's foot, in fact, the main feature is not as the name implies-the feet have odor, but there are related skin lesions, which we will discuss in detail below. Similar situations include athlete's foot and beriberi disease, which are simply a world apart. Because beriberi is a disease caused by vitamin B1 deficiency, the symptoms are not on the feet, but in weight loss, mental depression, sensory dysfunction and even arrhythmia.

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How to tell whether it is foot odor or athlete's foot?

To determine whether it is foot odor or athlete's foot, we need to have a general understanding of their disease mechanisms. There are two sources of foot odor, one is sweating and the other is bacteria. You should know that the small sweat glands of the feet are very developed. There are 500,000 small sweat glands on both feet, densely distributed on the skin. The sweat they excrete is originally odorless, but with the action of bacteria, things become complicated-bacteria will interact with sweat, dead skin and other substances, decomposing and producing a variety of odor substances. This is like the reaction between yeast and grapes. Yeast can produce wine, while bacteria on the feet can produce foot odor. The root cause of athlete's foot is fungi. Fungi feed on keratinocytes on the surface of the skin and damage the skin. Not only that, they can also cause local inflammatory reactions and produce a variety of manifestations, such as redness, blisters, itching and other subjective and objective symptoms. Combined with the above discussion, we have sorted out the key points for identifying foot odor and athlete's foot, see the table below.

Table 1. Key points for identifying foot odor and athlete's foot

If the table is not intuitive enough, we can take a look at the photos of athlete's foot lesions.

Swipe left to view more typical athlete’s foot pictures Source References [7]

If you still find it difficult to judge after looking at these photos, you can go to the doctor offline for examination to confirm the diagnosis. Dermatologists can use a microscope to determine whether there is fungus on the feet that causes athlete's foot.

What can I do to avoid foot odor?

Want to improve foot odor? Dermatologists have plenty of ways to solve the problem. However, the key to solving the problem is persistence. If you want to solve it more thoroughly, you have to spend some money. Here are some measures that don't cost money:

Wash your feet every day to remove dead skin. After washing your feet, dry them to prevent your skin from being too moist, which makes it easier for bacteria to grow.

Wear shoes and socks in turn and change them frequently. It is best to wear different shoes and socks every day. After all, the longer you wear them, the more nutrients (such as dead skin) the bacteria will have, and the more bacteria there will be.

Reduce unnecessary sweating, such as standing for long periods of time and frequent strenuous exercise.

If you're willing to spend money, we also recommend:

· Change your shoes and socks and choose shoes and socks with good breathability. For socks, you can choose pure cotton or wool socks, which have better sweat absorption function. If you choose traditional nylon socks or other synthetic fibers, the probability of foot odor will increase.

You can spend a little money to buy a scrub or antibacterial soap. When washing your feet, use the scrub to remove excess, thickened dead skin and reduce the nutrients for bacteria; the role of antibacterial soap is to reduce the total amount of bacteria.

· Charge the battery fully, turn on the air conditioner, and keep the environment cool and refreshing. With less sweating, foot odor will naturally be less likely to occur.

If you sweat a lot, it is recommended to buy antiperspirants. The most classic and effective antiperspirant ingredient is aluminum chloride (such as 20% aluminum chloride hexahydrate). Don't waste money on products with Chinese patent medicine or plant ingredients, as they are easy to be deceived.

If all these measures don't help, you still have two options: either give up and surrender to foot odor, or see a dermatologist for help.

How to deal with athlete's foot?

What should I do if I suspect I have athlete's foot? To be honest, athlete's foot treatment requires more professionalism. It is recommended to leave this professional matter to a professional dermatologist. The reason for this is that the medication for athlete's foot is relatively complicated, involving the selection of different antifungal drugs. If the condition is serious, oral medication may be required. In addition, before treatment, it is necessary for the doctor to further determine whether it is athlete's foot. There are several diseases that may look like athlete's foot, such as eczema, contact dermatitis, pitting keratolysis, skin chapping, juvenile plantar dermatosis, etc. However, this does not prevent us from sharing the treatment and care ideas for athlete's foot here. First of all, the key to the treatment of athlete's foot is to use antifungal drugs, which generally require continuous treatment for 2 to 4 weeks to complete the course of treatment. It is recommended to choose creams for topical medications, which are better than sprays. There are many types of creams, and it is recommended not to choose products containing glucocorticoids, such as Pervison and Fuyanning, which contain hormones such as triamcinolone acetate. Secondly, pay more attention to protection, otherwise athlete's foot is more likely to recur. The key to whether the protection is effective or not lies in how lazy you are. So how to take care of it? We have also sorted out the key points:

Keep your feet dry and well-ventilated, as fungi prefer moist, stuffy environments.

Keep your feet clean, wash them every day, and dry the soles, toes, and between the toes in time.

Wear breathable shoes and socks to avoid feeling stuffy.

· Change and wash shoes and socks frequently. Socks and insoles can be washed with hot water and then dried thoroughly in the sun.

Do not share nail clippers, slippers, foot basins, foot towels and other items with others, otherwise there is a risk of fungal infection.

Also, don’t walk barefoot in shared places like bathrooms and swimming pools.

To sum up, foot odor and athlete's foot are actually two unrelated issues, so don't confuse them. Foot odor, medically known as bromhidrosis, is caused by the sweat secreted by the small sweat glands producing odor under the action of bacteria; while athlete's foot is medically tinea pedis, a skin lesion caused by fungal infection. To distinguish the two, it should be noted that foot odor is mainly manifested as odor in the feet, while athlete's foot is accompanied by skin symptoms such as itching, blisters, and erythema. Foot odor can be improved through daily cleaning, changing shoes and socks, reducing sweating, etc. In severe cases, antiperspirants can be used. The treatment of athlete's foot is more professional, usually requiring the use of antifungal drugs, and attention to dryness, cleanliness and personal hygiene of the feet to avoid infection. How about it, have you learned it?

Looking in the mirror of rumors

The reason why such rumors can mislead people is that, firstly, because it is related to physical health, people tend to be concerned and confused; secondly, because it is related to personal privacy, the person concerned may be ashamed to consult others, so they take it for granted that two symptoms with similar names are one disease. But in fact, sometimes two diseases with similar names are often very different in nature.

Therefore, it is recommended that when you are unsure or have doubts about some of your physical symptoms, the best way is to consult a professional in a timely manner. Avoid blind "self-diagnosis" to avoid incorrect treatment, which not only fails to cure the disease, but also brings some other health risks.

Author | Tang Jiaoqing, attending physician of dermatology, doctor of medicine, popular science author

Review | Feng Jun, deputy chief physician of the Dermatology Department of Sinopharm Tongmei General Hospital