Everything You Want To Know About Your Sweaty Toes

Similar to perspiring when you are working out, sweaty toes are just another way of your body ridding itself of excess heat.  Evaporative cooling is how this is accomplished.  Sweat does not generally produce an odor but if it sits on the skin for an extended period of time then bacteria can grow which will breakdown chemicals found in the skin and cause an odor.

Risks Of Sweaty Toes

Your sweaty toes can also have quite a negative effect on the overall health of your foot.  Excess sweat will act like a chemical solvent and extract chemicals out of the linings found within your shoes.  These shoe chemicals that have dissolved have the ability to cause allergic dermatitis, otherwise known as a skin rash.  Sweat can also deteriorate your shoes and shorten their lives.

Even more importantly, having sweaty toes changes your shoe's environment.  Instead of it being only warm and dark, it is now also damp which is the ideal environment for mold, fungal, viral and yeast infections to grow on the skin.  If you have sweaty toes, you are more likely to develop athlete's foot, skin rashes, fungus, toenails, yeast infections and warts.  If you have any of these problems then you need to control the moisture of your feet.

Hygiene

It is very important to address the issue of hygiene if you have sweaty toes.  If your toes, feet and toe webs are not properly cleaned regularly and also kept dry then sweat will accumulate resulting in infections and foot odor.

Your feet need to be thoroughly cleaned, not simply rinsed off.  An anti-bacterial, surgical-grade soap should be used.  Betadine is recommended skin cleanser but it is very drying and cannot be used by individuals that are allergic to iodine.  Hibiclens is another good brand.  Deodorant soaps are not strong enough, your pharmacist can recommend a good product for you.  After washing your feet, it is essential that you dry them completely.

Foot Environment

The second area to focus on is your foot environment.  Your feet spend a good amount of time in tight, closed shoes that are almost always made from non-absorbent materials.  It is advised to help eliminate sweaty toes, to never wear cotton socks with closed shoes as this only makes your feet wetter and hotter.  Cotton is good to absorb sweat however, it also holds the sweat on your foot.

It is also important to wear shoes that fit properly in the toe box.  If you cannot comfortably wiggle your toes then the shoe is too tight.  You should also not wear the same shoes on back to back days.  Your shoes should be allowed ample time to dry out between wearings.

Never make the mistake of putting powder in your shoes.  To combat your sweaty toes you must powder your feet before putting on your socks.  If your feet sweat a lot then you may want to change your shoes and socks halfway through the day and re-powder if possible.  When you have the opportunity at the end of the day, give your feet a break and go shoeless.

What You Can Do

If you have sweaty toes, it can be helpful to soak your feet in tea daily.  The astringent tannic acid that it contains is very beneficial.  Wiping your toes with rubbing alcohol a few times a day is helpful as well.  For extreme cases, place a bit of gauze in the webbing of your toes and along the top and bottom of your foot.  Prescription strength antiperspirants may be suggested to use as well.  If your efforts are not helping then you will want to speak to your doctor about treatment options.