Diagnosis
The diagnosis is made by asking the doctor or chiropodist how the sweaty feet develop and whether there are other complaints, such as excessive sweating in another part of the body or an infection of the foot. In order to better determine the pathological, excessive sweat production on the foot, the amount of sweat can be measured with the help of blotting paper placed on the foot. If more than 100g of sweat is released after about five minutes, there is an overactive sweat gland or vegetative nervous system.
As an alternative to this method, which defines the diagnosis by the amount of sweat, the sweat production can be assessed with the so-called “iodine strength test”. In this test, the feet are coated with a specific iodine solution and then covered with starch powder. If too much sweat is now released, the applied substances turn blue to black. Whether the amount of sweat is too much, this test cannot indicate as precisely as the method with the filter paper.
Prognosis
If suitable measures against sweaty feet, such as medication or proper foot hygiene, are taken regularly and adhered to, the prognosis is usually quite good. Although it usually requires constant effort to treat sweaty feet, the results are generally satisfactory.
Prohpylaxis
In order to prevent sweaty feet and for prophylaxis it is already helpful to wash your feet every evening and then dry them thoroughly. In addition, cotton stockings and breathable shoes should be worn so that the sweat produced can evaporate and does not accumulate. It is also recommended to walk barefoot in warm temperatures or in open shoes suitable for sweaty feet.
Sweaty feet in children
Sweaty feet are also a big issue for children. The special feature of children is that they have a relatively high number of sweat glands on the sole of their feet. This fact alone means that children are more prone to sweaty feet, because more glands also produce more sweat.
In addition, some shoes are also defective, not sufficiently breathable and the sweat collects in the shoe.Even stockings made of synthetic fabric can provoke sweaty feet in children. It is therefore recommended to let children walk barefoot as often as possible in warm temperatures. Otherwise, it is best to wash the feet every evening, dry them thoroughly, possibly treat them with a cream and wear cotton socks.
For this purpose it can be helpful to use special shoes that allow the foot to release the sweat and to buy a pair of changeable shoes so that the shoes can air out sufficiently after wearing them. Certain homeopathic remedies can also be used for children’s sweaty feet. However, this should not be done without prior consultation with a specialist.
In many cases, shoes are the cause of sweaty feet, not those caused by physical activity, but those favored by external influences. Shoes are particularly problematic if they are made of a material that is not breathable and therefore can neither absorb nor release sweat. In addition, the shoes that are worn are often not ventilated for a sufficiently long time afterwards, so that the next time they are worn, there is still a residual amount of sweat in the shoe that was formed by previous wearing.
Breathable shoes or insoles for the shoes are ideal to avoid sweaty feet. These can be used additionally and also serve to keep the foot dry. The advantage of such insoles is that they can be changed as needed.
Sweaty feet can also occur in sandals. Even though the feet in sandals seem to have the ability to release their sweat through the air, the actual high density of sweat glands is located on the sole of the foot, which most of the time rests on the footbed of the shoe. Now the footbed of sandals is in many cases made of non-breathable material, such as artificial leather or similar, which cannot absorb the sweat of the foot.
As a result, the sweat accumulates between the foot and the sandal, which can be felt by a slight wetness on the foot. Sweaty feet are therefore caused both by the warm temperatures in summer when the sandals are worn and also by the sweat produced when walking. Of course there are also sandals that have a footbed made of material that can absorb the sweat and thus protect the feet from it. When buying sandals, you can either look for the material used for the footbed yourself and try it on to see if you are prone to sweaty feet, or you can contact a shoe salesman for advice. Generally, to avoid sweaty feet after wearing sandals, it is not only important to clean and dry your feet sufficiently, but also to keep your shoes dry.
