<<Sniff>> What's that smell?!!
You may be wondering if that person who entered the room just had a grand ol’ time in a mosh pit of Limburger cheese crumble. Uhm. No. That’s the odor released by microorganisms happily feasting on sweat on that person’s foot. By re-wearing socks, or for the 2% of the population that have excessive sweating genes, our feet can be an all- you- can- eat buffet for the diverse community of bacteria and fungus. That’s right. Communities of Staphylococcus, Corynebacteria, Propionibacteria, Brevibacterium, and Candida are fattening up and going home to have more kids to bring to the buffet. It’s not a problem, so long as there’s no breaks or portals of entry into the body through the skin. The stink, however, is a problem. The best way to get handle on the situation is to keep the feet clean and dry, to identify the primary agent responsible for the smell, and to treat it with an antimicrobial agent if necessary.
However, even if you are a connoisseur of smelly feet, it’s impossible to identify the culprit agent by simply a sniff test. It’s advisable to go to the doctor for a full sniff and inspection. For example, the doctor may examine the foot with a Wood light to determine if it is overrun with Candida. Or if the stink is so bad that it clears the waiting room and the skin looks thickened and macerated, it might be a case of pitted keratolysis. In any case, if you ever find yourself with feet so foul despite extensive hygiene efforts, do yourself a favor and share the stink with your doctor. And don’t let your doctor know that Wellzaa sent you.
