Why do feet smell? The following four aspects will tell you

Foot odor is very common in our daily life, but only few people know why our feet smell. Foot odor is caused by the presence of many sweat glands in the soles of the feet, which makes them sweat easily. In addition to water and salt, sweat also contains lactic acid and urea. Let us explore this together.

1. Humid environment: The soles of the feet are a sweaty environment. There are more than 600 sweat glands per square centimeter on the soles of the feet, which is 2 to 4 times more than other parts of the body. There are a total of more than 250,000 sweat glands that can secrete nearly 500 ml of sweat a day. In addition to water and salt, sweat also contains lactic acid and urea. When the moisture content is high, it is very conducive to the growth and reproduction of bacteria and mold.

2. Stuffy and enclosed space: When shoes are worn tightly and have poor ventilation, in addition to increasing moisture, the pH value on the skin surface will change from the original pH 4.4 to around pH 7, and carbon dioxide gas will be released. This environment is most suitable for the growth of certain bacteria on the soles of the feet.

3. Fungal reproduction: A hot and humid environment will cause fungus to grow and cause foot odor, commonly known as athlete's foot. The symptoms of athlete's foot are very diverse, and not all athlete's feet have a bad smell. The type of athlete's foot that is most likely to cause foot odor is the type where the skin between the toes is wet and rotten, and the foot odor is the most serious.

4. Excessively thick old keratin: Excessively thick old keratin, under the infiltration of sweat, will become a source of nutrition required by bacteria and mold, promote the proliferation and reproduction of bacteria and mold, and worsen the formation of foot odor.