Dermatologist’s advice on how to get rid of bad breath
Zhanna Prykhodko, a dermatologist-cosmetologist of the highest category, told the newspaper “Express” what is the cause and how to deal with unpleasant foot odor.
“The problem is not only that some people do not regularly wash or ignore the cleanliness of their socks and shoes. It is also the fact that specific colonies of fungi and bacteria live on everyone’s skin,” Zhanna Prykhodko explained. “In the process of life, these microorganisms produce a cocktail of chemical compounds, makes us wrinkle our noses. Among corynebacteria, micrococci, beta-proteobacteria, staphylococci stand out.
Staphylococci stand out among corynebacteria, micrococci, and beta-proteobacteria. They produce isovaleric acid, which has a very unpleasant smell (this “aroma” is characteristic of some types of moldy cheese). The temperature of the human body contributes to the intense release of this smell.
– But why did these “tenants” choose human feet to live in?
– Human feet have anatomical features. On average, there are 600 sweat glands on each square centimeter. It is even less than on the skin under the armpits. These glands secrete a mixture of salts, glucose, amino acids, and vitamins. All this is an ideal environment for the reproduction of microorganisms.
– And if a person washed more often, would it be possible to get rid of the unpleasant smell?
– Washing disinfects the skin. But in some people, whose skin is vulnerable due to weak immunity, hormonal imbalance or liver disease, an unpleasant smell appears already a few hours after wearing clean socks. Therefore, it was enough to simply wash your feet with soap. You will need baths with sea or just table salt (it stabilizes the pH of the skin), and even better – with an infusion of oak bark, which inhibits the sweating process. It is useful to sprinkle the feet with medical talc (powder). It dries the skin and creates a protective layer on it.
It is important to do this not only because of the unpleasant smell. Proliferating on the skin, bacteria and fungi do not make it healthy. First, redness appears, then itchiness, in the least delicate places (for example, the area between the fingers), the skin begins to peel, cracks appear on it. And this is the gate for infection to enter the body. The inflammatory process begins.
In order to find out exactly which microorganisms are parasitizing on the feet, and therefore to find methods of their neutralization, I would advise you to give blood for analysis, microbiological samples from the skin. It is important to check the internal organs, in particular the liver, organs of internal secretion.
The main rule of prevention is not to let your feet sweat and steam. Closed shoes made of artificial leather or other synthetic materials create a greenhouse effect – both bacteria and fungi feel perfect in a humid environment. Therefore, in summer it is better to wear open leather shoes in which the skin “breathes”. And if the shoes are closed, wear only cotton socks that absorb moisture well.
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