If your shoes smell, do not rush to sound the alarm
The Smell of feet has four main varieties: sweaty, cheese, vinegar and cabbage. And how well and regularly the person was not washed he would not be able to get rid of the smell. Just some people have it more pronounced, while others — not so much. And depending on lifestyle feet can smell differently. What is the reason that feet smell? On our feet lives a number of different bacteria that scientists do not fully figured out. However, they identified several microbes that are responsible for 4 a specific smell.
There are 4 kinds of bacteria, each of which is responsible for the specific smell. It corynebacteria, micrococci, propionic acid bacteria and staphylococci. They, therefore, invoke the following fragrances:
Staphylococci on the foot of a person secrete izovalerianovoy acid — from it there is the smell of sweat.
Only a few types of bacteria have learned to survive on the human foot. Most of them — friends, despite their smell, and our partners throughout life. Hundreds of millions of bacteria live happily on our feet, which they consider the ideal environment: a warm, humid, and offering an endless supply of nutrients in the form of dead skin cells.
These bacteria come from a person shortly after birth and remain with us until the end of our days. They are also a necessary part of maintain the health of our feet.
Bacteria secrete oils which help to keep the skin soft and the enzymes that break down dead skin and remove dry, flaky areas, as well as corn. These bacteria also provide a barrier against microbial pathogens. Due to the fact that they are tied to a specific area, they have the mechanisms to reflect the pathogenic visitors. These bacteria produce a number of protective molecules called antimicrobial peptides that seek and kill any invaders. These molecules are similar to antibiotics, but pathogens are unable to them, so the effectiveness of protection is not reduced.
Notice that feet sometimes smell like Cheddar cheese?
If the smell will change and become sour, this can be a warning sign. There are a few infections, mostly fungal, which can settle on the foot and begin to attack. In contrast to our microbial flora, which prefers to feed on dead skin cells, these attackers want to eat something fresh.
Without proper treatment, these pathogens can cause skin rashes, cracks on the skin and large wounds. In this case, you may need medical assistance.
There are many sprays which mask the unpleasant smell.
Though foot odor is usually the symptom of your overall health, it doesn't help much in social life. Fortunately, there are ways to make it so that friendly bacteria happy, while maintaining a minimum of "flavors". One option is the use of talc or charcoal on the inside of the sole. They both absorb smelly chemicals and prevent their spread in the air. So the bacteria will continue to live on your feet and protect yourself from harmful germs, but with less smell.
Talc helps the smell of shoes, but your socks will hardly say «thanks»
There are other natural compounds, including citral, geraniol and citric, which are known to help remove the familiar smell of the foot. These chemicals alter the way the bacteria produce by-products, primarily preventing the formation of isovaleric acid. They can be found in common creams and care productsfor feet that are sold in pharmacies.
But the fact remains: not everything that smells bad, is harmful to our body. Often just the opposite.
