Causes of smelly feet and their treatment

A little talked about condition that many Ugandans suffer from is smelly feet. Dr Patrick Musinguzi explains that the cause of this condition is poor hygiene.

Passing by a group of people, its hard to tell if any of them is suffering from smelly feet.

It is until one of them removes his or her shoes that you will choke on a pungent smell.

This condition is medical and curable.

According to Dr Patrick Musinguzi, a senior dermatologist, while many people suffer from the condition, many of them don’t seek medical care.

This was testified by the fact that the entire time I was at the Mulago skin clinic, I did not see a patient come through. This was a chance for us to discuss the causes of smelly feet.

Dr Musinguzi says that smelly feet are caused by a combination of things. Sweating is among the causes of smelly feet.

The type of shoes one wears fuel smelly feet. This is especially so for people who wear gumboots for over 6 hours are likely to have smelly feet.

Dr Kyambadde, a dermatologist at Mulago skin/UTI clinic suggests that people who have to wear shoes for long periods should consider shoes with upper mesh for aeration, avoid thick socks the absorb sweat.

Dr Musinguzi adds that medication like powders can also help counteract the bad smell but this should be backed by constant cleaning of the feet.

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