The Surprising Reason Your Feet Smell

The Surprising Reason Your Feet Smell

You don't have to be a teenage athlete to have a case of stinky feet. But we have a feeling you already know that.

As explained in the Reactions video above, the bottoms of your feet are covered in sweat glands. Sweat doesn't have any stank on its own, but it does facilitate the growth of bacteria that release foul-smelling gasses. Wearing shoes exacerbates the odors because the footwear provides an ideal environment for the bacteria. In shoes, your feet are enclosed, warm and damp. Your body's dead skin cells, which the germs love to feed on, are trapped in one place.

To battle the foot funk, wash your feet with anti-bacterial soap. The bottom of your feet will also benefit from some kind of exfoliation to remove the dead skin. Wear clean socks everyday that are made from natural cotton. And when you're not wearing them, keep your shoes in a dry, open space.

These starting measures should keep your tootsies smelling fresh.

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