Hyperhidrosis and Your Feet

If you haven’t heard of the term, “hyperhidrosis,” you probably don’t suffer from it yourself and don’t know anyone else who does. Hyperhidrosis is a rare disorder, in which the affected person has excessively sweaty palms, feet, armpits, groin area, and/or under breasts. The exact cause is unknown, though it seems to be hereditary. However, the excessive sweat does seem to be triggered by stimuli, such as exercise, anxiety, smoking, and/or caffeine. So you can imagine that it can cause a lot of anxiety (which, unfortunately, can perpetuate the sweating) for those who suffer from it.

How it affects your feet:

• Soggy socks and soggy shoes. The excessive sweating can cause your socks and shoes to become drenched in sweat. This can make for a breeding ground for bacteria, viruses, and fungi. It can also be embarrassing to take shoes off when going to someone’s home.
• Foot odor. Directly related to having wet socks and shoes, foot odor can be a persistent issues as each pair of shoes you wear will constantly be wet. This can certainly be embarrassing!
• Slippery feet on slick floors and smooth footwear. Not only is there a real risk of slipping on hardwood or tile floors, even shoes may be non-functional as your feet cannot grip on the smooth insoles (think: your feet slipping forward in sandals or slipping around on the flip flops), which leads to injury.
• Cracking, chafing, or blistering skin. The wet environment in shoes can cause your skin to break down or get irritated.

Foot care tips:

• Avoid aforementioned triggers.
• Wash and check your feet each day. Use warm water and soap to clean the feet. Dry them completely before putting socks or slippers on. Additionally, check for any signs of skin breakdown, infection, or blistering and treat them promptly.
• Wear a clean pair of socks each day, and change into a fresh pair mid day.
• Rotate the shoes you wear each day to allow them to fully dry in between wears.

There aren’t any absolute cures available for hyperhidrosis. Some temporary measures include iontophoresis (using low electrical currents to block sweat glands) and botox injections. However, those only reduce sweating for a short time. Sympathectomy is a procedure in which the sweat signal is interrupted by performing a procedure to the nerves. This is only used in severe circumstances.

If you suffer from severe issues, including recurring skin problems on your feet due to hyperhidrosis, make an appointment today at Alamitos-Seal Beach Podiatry Group for a thorough assessment for your feet. One of our board-certified podiatrists, Dr. Douglas H. Richie, Dr. Jeremy L. Cook, and Dr. Faye E. Izadi will be happy to help at either of our Seal Beach, CA and Los Alamitos, CA offices in Orange County.