Excessive sweating, also known as hyperhydrosis, usually does not affect the feet only. Most people with sweaty feet also have sweaty hands. The reason for this sweating has to do with an abnormality in the nervous system. The unconscious part of the nervous system is called the autonomic nervous system. In essence, this part of the nervous system is always on auto-pilot, guiding the body through thousands of tasks the conscious brain does not handle. One of these processes involves the regulation of temperature. When the body becomes warm, the autonomic nervous system begins to take action. One of its solutions to ridding the body of heat is opening the blood vessels closer to the skin surface to bring body fluid heat closer to the outside air, while at the same time stimulating sweat glands to moisten the skin surface to help transfer the heat from the skin to the outer environment. For those with hyperhydrosis, the stimulation of the sweat glands is abnormal, and does not necessarily have to be initiated by excessive body temperature. In essence, the autonomic nervous system is slightly malfunctioning in regards to how it controls the sweat glands of the feet and hands. What results is feet that are inappropriately and excessively wet in situations where they should be dry.
Excessive foot moisture can contribute to numerous foot problems in addition to the obvious cosmetic issues. The most common problem seen with excessive foot moisture is athlete’s foot infection. This infection is caused by fungus, an organism that thrives in warm, dark, moist environments. A sweaty foot inside the darkness of a shoe is prime real estate for fungus. Bacteria can also take advantage of excessive moisture, often invading the areas in between the toes where most tissue can become ‘macerated’. Macerated tissue appears white, and is the same process seen when one’s finger skin become discolored by working in water or swimming for excessive periods of time. Unfortunately, the area in between the toes will not dry out as easily as the hands after extensive water exposure, and usually this area stays macerated for quite some time. This results in an easy entry point for opportunistic bacteria. Another infection that seems to take advantage of sweaty feet is the virus that causes warts. Although foot sweat has little to do with whether or not one will contract a wart virus, people with sweaty feet seem to have a greater incidence of warts or at least have warts that are more resistant to treatment. Perhaps this is due to the wider sweat gland ducts acting as a larger entry portal for the wart virus when it is stepped on.
Excessive foot sweating also can contribute to the formation of blisters on the skin. The moist skin creates an environment in which the friction of the skin rubbing on a moist sock allows for a separation of the top layer of the skin. Fluid will then fill this space and a blister thus forms. Frequent blistering can potentially cause pain and discomfort during activity, and occasionally blisters become infected.
Treatment for excessive foot sweating can be fairly simple. Measures like frequent sock changing can be an obvious solution to help keep the feet dry by removing accumulated moisture. However, a more effective solution to this problem is to treat it in the same manner one controls underarm sweating. The skin on the foot is no different in essence than the skin under the arm. Compounds that dry the underarm skin will work on the feet as well. Antiperspirants containing aluminum compounds are common, and can be quite effective in controlling foot sweat. The key to this simple treatment is two fold. First, one must ensure they are using an antiperspirant, and not a deodorant. Deodorants alone will not reduce the sweating. Secondly, using an aerosolized spray antiperspirant makes coverage of the various nooks and crannies of the foot much easier and more effective than using a roll-on applicator. The foot should be sprayed once or twice a day to control significant sweating, and only once a day for less serious cases. The treatment may take a couple weeks to become effective, but eventually the sweating should lessen significantly. There are other solutions, including a prescription version of an antiperspirant, a daily gentle electrical therapy to disrupt sweat gland function, as well as surgery to alter the abnormal nerve signal to the sweat glands. Of all the above options, the use of a simple antiperspirant is the easiest to try for initial relief. A physician can be consulted if this measure fails to provide relief.
Dr. Kilberg provides compassionate and complete foot and ankle care to adults and children in the Indianapolis area. He is board certified by the American Board of Podiatric Surgery, and is a member of the American Podiatric Medical Association. He enjoys providing comprehensive foot health information to the online community to help the public better understand their feet. Visit his practice website for more information.
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