Sweaty Feet Cause, Cures to Stop, Shoes, Socks & Remedies 

What causes my sweaty feet? Is this a symptom of a health condition, disorders or are these problems responsible for my this condition? This problem is never welcoming because it may embarrass you. Don’t panic even though. After going through the causes, how to cure it you will have a bigger picture of what to do for excessive cases and how to prevent this problem including on your hands.

What causes excessive sweaty and smelly feet?

Some causes are directly attributed to this problem whereas other explanations show how certain conditions form the basis of arguments to contribute to issue besides the normal sweating. For example, feet sweating in babies and toddlers.

Focal or Primary Hyperhidrosis

One common cause of rampant feet sweat is focal hyperhidrosis. Though not exactly understood, some researchers have shown that it could be potentially due to heightened actions of the sympathetic nervous system. This condition primarily symptomized by excessively sweating feet may worsen if you have anxiety disorders and especially when you cannot control emotional situations for example great fear.

Other possible related causes of hyperhidrosis (but not least) include:

  • Glomus tumor,
  • Glopan’s Burning feet syndrome,
  • Trench foot,
  • Diabetic neuropathy,
  • Parotitis,
  • Emotional hyperhidrosis

Certain Footwear

Though sweating is natural, some footwear generally causes it to increase. These wears include rubber shoes, nylon or synthetic footwear such as socks and plastic shoes. Whereas nylon and rubber blocks sweat from drying out through evaporation, some cotton materials always soak the sweat.

What are the good solutions? Here, it is very important to avoid these materials or sufficiently air our shoes and change them daily if they are made of cotton. You will not only avoid the problem but also prevent aggravating consequences such as toenail fungus, smelly feet, and the athlete’s foot.

Thyroid problem and Hypothyroidism Therapy

Sweating palms is a sign that you suffer from hyperthyroidism.  During treatment of hypothyroidism, your doctor may occasionally ask you for changes in weight (loss), heartbeat rate or sweaty hands.

Other causes including for hands

What else can lead to sweaty hands and feet? What causes sweaty feet in baby toddlers and children?

Mental or Anxiety Disorders?

According to WebMD an anxiety disorder is a serious mental illness. There are situations that lead to many babies or children feeling anxious until unconsciously or sub-consciously develop this problem on feet and palms.  However, it is sometimes considered a normal condition. The following categories of disorders play a role behind foot sweating that is beyond normal sweating, it becomes a bit manageable in finding solutions are applicable treatment means.

Panic Disorder

People with this condition may be terrorized by feelings and mental experiences. For example, carrying out on-spot tasks or tackling debut “hard tests.”

Social Anxiety Disorders

Another reason for sweaty palms and feet has to do with an individual’s ‘worrying’ thoughts about behavior and social expectations that are usually countered by judgments from other social members.

Phobia

Is phobia what causes hands and feet to sweat? Phobia which can be described as intense fear may arouse both your feelings and emotions. The intensity with which the feelings are expressed is observed through cold sweaty feet and hands.

Anxiety Treatment & Therapy

Since there is no physical illness in most anxiety disorder problems, diagnosis exclusively entails a set of interviews and questionnaire approaches. After successful diagnosis, treatment follows a series of medications or therapy to help the brain or modify behavior.

1.       Medication based on Drugs

First, as a means of treatment, the client suffering from the identified disorder is put under anti-depressants or anxiety-reducing drugs.

2.       Psychotherapy or non-drug Therapy

If the treatment is not responsive to that disorder, some clients are forced to have counseling sessions with a therapist. One of the common approaches is cognitive behavioral therapy in which the client is taken through lessons from which they learn to “recognize and change thought patterns and behaviors.” [www.webmd.com]

Other important measures are an alteration in one’s lifestyle, dietary and introducing a relaxation therapy.

How to cure it – treatments and therapies

The best solution for sweaty feet is to deal with what causes it. Some of them are either from the clinic (prescription treatments) or feet powder over the counter.

Clinic strength or Prescription strength Antiperspirants & OTC Antiperspirants

What are the active ingredients to look out for before deciding to acquire any treatment products?

1.       Aluminum Chloride

Aluminum chloride is an effective form of treatment for excessive sweating feet soles. This ingredient constricts the sweat glands so that no sweat is released to the surface of skin. How do you get rid of the sweat? It is usually sloughed off during cleaning because it is a gradual process.

2.       Aluminum Zirconium

This is another active ingredient used in products to use. After absorption by the skin, aluminum ions and Zirconium ions cause swelling of the skin cells. As a result, the sweat glands constrict hence controlling the release of the sweat. Moreover, aluminum zirconium also absorbs some perspiration that occurs.

Clinic antiperspirants whose concentration ranges between 20% – 40% is ideal for controlling this problem resulting from hyperhidrosis.

Other OTC clinic antiperspirant solutions that are considered strong are:

  1. Odaban Antiperspirant Spray which has a 20% aluminum concentration.
  2. Driclor Roll On. It is also available over the counter.
  3. Hydrosal Professional Antiperspirant gel. If you have a fairly sensitive skin this gel is appropriate for you because of it less harsh on the skin.

If the above doesn’t prove their worth as cures for sweaty feet try Prescription strength antiperspirants. They include prescription Drysol which has Aluminum chloride 30%. Another product is Xerac-AC which should only be used under strict professional guidance.

Incorporate alcohol-free deodorants to reduce sweaty smelly feet. Apply or spray as per the directions are given.

Iontophoresis Physiotherapy

Besides the cure methods sown above, Iontophoresis is another excessive sweaty feet treatment. In this medical procedure according to [sweathelp.org] a “mild electrical current through water” is passed while your feet are placed in a shallow pan. Actually, you can cure and greatly reduce both palmar and planter hyperhidrosis. That is sweaty palms and feet. This treatment is professional but you can get your own device once you are familiar with the right procedures.

Surgical Endoscopic Lumbar Sympathectomy, ELS

ELS entails few small cuts for the endoscopic approach into the retroperitoneal area. The sympathetic chain close to the lumbar region of the abdomen is identified, then excised or clamped by a surgeon.

This surgical treatment was initially used in treating ischemic disorders has been effective in treating plantar hyperhidrosis patients who suffer from excessive sweating feet. According to statistics from a report published at NCBI, [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov], this primary hyperhidrosis cure diminishes plantar/feet excessive sweating and perspiration associated with or after Endoscopic Thoracic Sympathectomy. It generally improves the quality of women’s lives, the report points out.

How to Stop it– Prevention, Dos & Don’ts

What can I do to stop my feet from sweating too much? Proper foot hygiene and general lifestyle change is crucial as far as one may want to stop abnormal feet sweating which can make anyone uncomfortable.

  1. The preliminary steps towards preventing the issue is involve regular cleaning. Ensure that you wash your feet using medicated or antibacterial soap at least twice daily. The skin naturally harbors some bacteria. But if you allow more dirt to collect, more bacteria grow hence it becomes a problem to the sweat pores.
  2. The second thing you must consider doing is making sure that your feet are dry especially after having bath. Always line your feet skin with a foot powder for sweaty feet such as antifungal foot powder.
  3. If you have to put on some socks go ahead to do so but, remember to use choose the ones with an appropriate natural or acrylic material that collects the sweat away from the feet. Whether you go to school or work, change the socks daily and don’t allow soaking to take place. Avoid 100% cotton as it absorbs moisture but may cause soaking, feet odor (bad smell) and sweaty feet causing blisters to form around feet.
  4. If you are shoe favorite, then have alternate pair of shoes for changing. Don’t use same pair then and again because it promotes bacterial activity and multiplying means smelly (bromhidrosis) and sweatier feet.

Best shoes and socks to use

A good and quality combination of both shoes and socks is a proper remedy to stop feet sweating excessively and soaking. Here are the reasons behind wearing the right type of socks and shoes

Moisture Wicking socks

What are some of the best wicking socks and how do they serve as good solutions to this problem?

Wool Sock (liners)

The first positive fact about wool socks is that they keep in warmth during the cold seasons. What makes these socks best for sweaty feet is the fact that they absorb and keep wetness in their fiber. Now if you have these kind of socks it would be easier to allow for evaporation even faster when you remove them. They dry easily and quickly hence eliminating odor causing bacteria; are neither itchy nor clammy. You can find those for women and men e.g. Darn tough lightweight merino socks and Regular weight merino socks.

Other types of best socks in this category include:

  • Drymax active odor control socks,
  • Coolmax socks,
  • Under-armor socks
  • Bamboo fibre socks

What best shoes and insoles for sweaty feet are right for you? This problem doesn’t need rubber and plastic-made shoes. For you to make an ideal sweating-controlled footwear then you need the right design and type of shoes.

Apart from just changing from one pair to another choose what will help you to avoid this problem and smelly feet is advisable.

One, if you suffer from planter/feet hyperhidrosis buy non-occlusive light leather-made for the excessive sweating feet. Leather allows the feet to breathe to some good extent of evaporating some sweat. Alternatively, you may want to get mesh-shoes or canvas if the leather ones are not very affordable.

Remedies

They are general hygiene practices, observations or remedies for sweaty feet which you should stick to for you to begin seeing the changes coming. These remedies are not appropriate for

Brewed Tea Soak

Cool clean water, soaking basin, brewed black tea bags and hot water

  1. Clean your feet thoroughly and wipe them dry.
  2. Boil about 5 glasses of water.
  3. Add 2 glasses of hot water to 1/4 filled soaking basin.
  4. Place good amount of brewed black tea to turn the colour of water and then soak your feet for at least 25 minutes.
  5. Do this daily until you notice some improvements.

Tea contains tannin ingredients that act as an astringent which helps in shrinking sweat gland pores thus reducing sweating. Moreover, in the process more bacteria are killed hence removing the potentially smelling feet odor.

Apple Cider Vinegar

You can inculcate this cure and home remedy in two ways. One is by adding apple cider vinegar in bathing. If you hear that people are complaining of your sweaty palms after handshakes, do the following to reduce or stop mild (palmar) hyperhidrosis:

Soak your clean hands or feet in this solution for 5 minutes and then wash off the solution with medicated soap.

What causes excessive cases?

What reasons account for excessive feet sweating? Hyperhidrosis is a condition that accounts for (generalized) excessive sweating including on feet (localized), but “in excess of that required for regulation of body temperature.” [en.wikipedia.org]

The main cause for feet and hands is primary hyperhidrosis. This occurs because of overactive sweat glands located under the skin known as eccrine glands.