Smelly feet are a common and often frustrating issue for teenagers and their parents. If you’ve noticed your teen’s feet smell worse than they used to, you’re not imagining it. While anyone can suffer from foot odour (or bromodosis), teenagers are especially prone to persistent, strong-smelling feet. Hormonal changes, increased sweating, and lifestyle habits all contribute to why smelly feet tend to be worse during adolescence. In this post, we’ll explain what causes teenage smelly feet and what you can do to help.
If you don’t know what to do about teenage smelly feet, you’re not alone. Browse the health sections of newspapers and magazines, and you’ll find other people in a similar position. ‘My 14-year-old son has the smelliest feet and it is really starting to affect our household,’ one parent told a newspaper last year. Teenage foot odour can make family life, education, making friends and staying active challenging. As medical resource Patient emphasises, teens with bromodosis ‘may become socially isolated and avoid useful activities’. In other words, the issue has the potential to hold your son or daughter back during one of the most important stages of their life.
The problem is particularly noticeable at this time of year, when everyone wants to shed their socks and shoes and feel the summer sun on their feet. So now is the best time to find out more about why teenagers tend to have the worst cases of smelly feet and how to overcome the issue with the help of our London chiropody experts.
What Causes Smelly Feet in Teenagers?
Feet are more likely to have an unpleasant smell than most other body parts because they’re more likely to be sweaty. This is true for adolescents but also for people of other ages. Feet have the highest concentration of sweat glands: approximately 150,000 per foot. The glands’ job is to help regulate the body’s temperature (sweating cools you down) and keep skin supple.
The combination of water and salts these glands excrete is odourless. Foot odour problems only arise if sweat doesn’t evaporate or get washed off the skin promptly. When sweat lingers on feet for hours, bacteria have the opportunity to feed on it. The by-products of this process, such as volatile fatty acids, create nasty smells. In particular, cheesy-smelling isovaleric acid is often responsible for foot odour.
Bacteria thrive in warm, dark conditions and colonise hard skin, so wearing non-breathable hosiery/footwear and neglecting feet often exacerbates bromodosis.
Teenagers Have Overactive Sweat Glands
There are several reasons why teens typically suffer the most from smelly feet:
- Sweat glands become overactive during puberty due to hormonal changes. Plus, teenage stress and anxiety (linked to exams, peer pressure, dating, etc.) trigger sweating on the soles of the feet.
- Many teenagers have sporty lifestyles – they play football, go on bike rides, dance, swim, etc. and therefore sweat a lot.
- They may not have developed a good foot care routine yet or be mature enough to appreciate the importance of foot health.
- Teenagers often wear the same shoes to school/college five days a week. Sweat and bacteria can therefore easily build up inside their footwear.
- Being image-conscious means teens are more likely to wear fashionable, unsupportive shoes in their spare time (such as high heels or sliders) than comfortable, breathable alternatives.
- They’re particularly susceptible to odour-producing athlete’s foot infections – the fungi easily take hold in sweaty, warm, dark environments.
Teenage boys are more likely to develop severe foot odour than teenage girls, as their sweat glands are larger. Some adolescents experience excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis), which compounds the problem.
Expert Help to Combat Teenage Foot Odour
You can tackle foot odour by encouraging your son or daughter to:
- Wash their feet twice daily with antibacterial soap then dry them thoroughly
- Spray feet and shoes with foot deodorant
- Change socks/tights twice daily
- Leave sweaty footwear in an airy place to dry
- Freshen up sports shoes in the washing machine each month
- Go barefoot in their room
Giving your teenager breathable Merino wool hosiery and leather footwear will also help, as will ensuring they have two pairs of school shoes.
But sometimes teens’ feet continue to smell even when they follow the sort of practical tips outlined above. That’s when our skilled, sympathetic London chiropodists step in:
- We conduct thorough foot health checks to identify any underlying/developmental issues.
- We diagnose and treat conditions linked to foot odour, including athlete’s foot and hyperhidrosis.
- We provide gentle yet effective chiropody treatments, such as hard skin removal, to make feet less hospitable to bacteria.
- We show teenagers how to care for their feet and advise them about suitable footwear.
If your teenager is struggling with smelly feet, you’re not alone – and there are effective solutions. From simple daily habits to professional chiropody treatments, there’s plenty you can do to tackle the problem and boost your teen’s confidence. Our expert team at Feet By Pody is here to help diagnose and treat the underlying causes of teenage foot odour.
Book an appointment today and take the first step towards fresher, healthier feet.