Smelly feet can be a huge source of insecurity. Nobody wants to feel like their feet are stinking up the room. Or that other people have noticed the smell. Sometimes, smelly feet are caused by bad hygiene. If you notice that your feet smell better after you wash them, and worsen after exercise, you may just need to wash your feet more thoroughly. In this case, foot antiperspirants can also be helpful with the smell.
What is it?
Toenail fungus or Onychomycosis usually causes the toenails to smell like cheese. The unpleasant odor is caused by the organism, tinea unguium. Other symptoms of toenail fungus include discoloration and brittleness of the toenail. This condition is common in people who wear closed shoes for long periods of time. The feet are unable to breathe and become sweaty. This becomes the perfect environment for fungus to grow. The fungus thrives in dark and damp environments. It can be worse when you do not wear socks.
Cause of Smelly Toenails
If you have a smelly toenail problem, you may not even know what is actually causing it. Nail fungus is one of the most common causes of smelly toenails. The fungal spores infect the nail bed and use this bed to grow their colonies. Fungal growth occurs when fungal spores from the environment come into contact with the nail and attach to the nail bed. After the initial attachment has formed, some people will develop a full-fledged infection more quickly. This is particularly more common with people who wear closed-toed shoes, exercise frequently, or sweat excessively. Fungus loves dark, moist, humid environments; sweaty shoes are perfect for them!
The cheesy smell from toenails=fungus?
Smelly toenail causes can usually be narrowed down to fungus by identifying a few factors. The similarity of the smell to cheese is one of these factors. If the smell coming from your toes has a cheesy odor emanating from your nails, it is likely that a fungal infection is the culprit. Fungal nail smells will also get worse when the nails are trimmed, since the nail clippers will loosen up the fungus from the toenail into the environment.
Signs of nail fungus
However, the biggest sign that a toenail fungus is the cause of the smell is if you have noticed other visual signs of a fungal infection. Frequently, this will include discoloration of the toenails that are black, white, yellow, or brown. Fungal infections can also cause the nail to detach from the nail bed and fall off. Also, make the nail surface brittle, hard, crumbly, or cracked. Fungal infections can also cause what looks like debris buildup under the nail, which can actually be fungal spores themselves and can be a cause of the smell. While looking for signs like this can help you narrow down the cause of your funky smell, only a licensed medical professional will be able to give you a true diagnosis. The best medical professional to seek care from is a podiatrist. They are licensed doctors who specialize in feet and will be able to give you answers to the condition you have.
Should I get treatment?
If untreated, a fungal smelly toenail problem will get worse. Fungus usually won’t disappear without actual treatment. To cure the smell coming from your nails and avoid it becoming worse, you should seek an FDA-approved treatment from a podiatrist as soon as possible. At-home treatments for fungus are not the best idea and are just a waste of time. Some of them can even be very dangerous, like using bleach on the toenail. Because of this, seeking medical treatment for smelly toenails is a much better option. A medical professional will be able to diagnose your fungus and recommend the best treatment option for you.
However, not all smelly toenail treatments and prescriptions are the same, and many are much worse. For example, topical treatments are actually very weak, making them ineffective at treating fungus. Topical medications like these, including both over-the-counter and prescription forms, aren’t good at penetrating into the nail bed well enough to eliminate the fungus. They are also made relatively dilute so that bad reactions to the chemicals in them don’t happen. Oral antifungal medications are another prescription option for fungus, but these pills come with more downsides. They actually carry big risks of dangerous side effects like liver toxicity, and they are unsafe for many patients. Our nail doctors in Indianapolis do not recommend taking oral medication due to the dangerous side effects.
Sweaty Feet Can Cause Toenail Fungus: Sweat + Warmth = Fungus’s Favorite Conditions
Fungus loves warm, dark, and moist environments, which describes the inside of your shoes when your feet are sweaty. Add in tight socks, limited airflow, or long hours on your feet, and it’s practically an invitation for fungus to grow.
Once fungus enters the nail bed (often through small cracks or cuts), it can be incredibly hard to eliminate, especially with just over-the-counter creams.
Signs Your Feet Might Be Too Moist
Even if you’re not drenched in sweat, excess moisture can lead to trouble. Watch out for:
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Constantly damp socks or shoes
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White, wrinkled skin between your toes
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A strong odor that doesn’t go away
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Itchy, peeling skin near the nails
These might be early signs that conditions are right for a fungal infection to take hold.
Additional reasons for smelly feet
However, some people’s smelly feet aren’t affected by washing at all. This is true in the case of toenail fungus, which makes the nails themselves smell. Washing your feet won’t get under the nail to the nail bed where the fungus resides, making it ineffective at treating the smell from fungal infection.
How to Keep Sweat From Causing Nail Fungus
You don’t have to stop living your life or avoid shoes altogether, but a few smart habits can make a big difference:
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Change socks daily (or more often if they’re damp)
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Use moisture-wicking socks, not cotton
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Rotate your shoes to give them time to dry
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Let your feet air out when you’re home
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Apply antifungal foot powder before putting on shoes
These small steps can help keep your feet drier and less likely to harbor fungus.
Treatment options for Smelly Toenails
Smelly feet from toenail fungus won’t be cured with just hygiene alone. There are effective options available for smelly fungal toes. These treatments specifically target the fungus itself. Because they remove the cause of the issue, your feet should smell better after the fungus is killed.
Smelly feet should be treated immediately to lessen the burden they have on your life. Not all treatments for fungal nails are the same, though. For example, some of them, like topical antifungal medications, require at least a year of application to see any results. The PinPointe laser differs in that it only requires one treatment to eliminate the fungal spores from under the nail. Therefore, it is a more desirable solution.
Already Seeing Signs of Toenail Fungus? Here’s What Works
If your toenails have already become thick, yellow, or crumbly, sweat may have already played a role in fueling a fungal infection. That’s where laser treatment with the PinPointe™ FootLaser® comes in.
Unlike creams or pills, this laser targets the fungus under the nail — the source of the problem — without harming the skin or nail tissue. It’s:
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Non-invasive
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Medication-free
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Effective in up to 85% of cases
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Safe, quick, and requires no downtime
Take the First Step Toward Clear Nails
Now that you know sweaty feet can cause toenail fungus, it’s a good time to take action if you have noticed any of the aforementioned symptoms. Here at Laser Nail Therapy, we offer free consultations with our experienced doctors to confirm whether you have toenail fungus and explain all your treatment options, including the PinPointe™ FootLaser®.
If sweaty feet have led to persistent nail issues, don’t wait.
Call us at (800) 672-0625 today to book your free consultation and finally tackle toenail fungus the right way.
