Going sockless in order to sport the bare ankle look can increase the chances of getting Athlete’s Foot
Sporting the ‘bare’ or ‘naked ankle’ look has been in vogue lately, especially among the men as the ‘mankle’ continues to soar in popularity. While we’re not debating how chic the look is... what we’d like to bring to your notice is the health concerns associated with it. Read to know more...
RISING CONCERN
Podiatrist Emma Stevenson, from the College of Podiatry, says, “As a whole, we are seeing more and more men coming to us with issues caused by poorly fitting footwear, and not just ones choosing to go sockless,” reported The Daily Telegraph. She explained that the issue comes down to the amount of sweat produced by the feet (half a pint a day, apparently). When there are no socks to absorb the sweat, it leaves the feet more susceptible to fungal infections. Athlete’s Foot is a rash that most commonly appears between the toes, typically causing blistered, red and itchy skin, according to the National Health Survey (UK). It can usually be remedied with over-the-counter creams or by simply wearing your socks like a considerate, hygiene-abiding citizen.
MUST WEAR SOCKS IN HUMID CLIMATE
Wearing shoes without socks, especially in a country like ours, where the humidity levels are so high and people sweat at all times of the day — is not recommended, cautions Dr Mohan Thomas, senior cosmetic surgeon, Cosmetic Surgery Institute. “Moreover, we walk a lot; as a result, the sweating in the feet is greater. Also, the footwear that most people wear does not allow air to be circulated, which causes the secreted sweat to remain stagnant and weaken the skin barrier. Continuous moisture causes breakdown in the skin surface, which harbours fungal and bacterial infections causing Athlete’s Foot as well as the nasty odour,” he adds.
Cotton socks act as wicks and absorb the moisture generated from sweaty feet (on an average, human feet secrete about 200 cc of sweat a day) preventing odour as well as infection. Dr Thomas recommends wearing the below ankle socks, which will give the shoes without sock look.
FUNGAL INFECTIONS ARE COMMON
Fungal infections depends upon factors like how much the person sweats, what kind of shoes he/she is wearing the material precisely, duration of the shoes worn and how regularly they clean their shoes and feet. Speaking of socks, they have to be cotton socks. Yes, the chances of fungal infection can increase if the person goes sockless for a long period of time, says Dr Soma Sarkar, dermatologist and medical director, Skin Inn Clinic.
Dr Sarkar has seen patients equally coming to her with Athlete’s Foot and who wear socks too. “I have seen fungal infections very regularly as this year as we have all witnessed rise in temperatures. These can be treated by antifungal drugs and can completely be taken care of. Besides Athlete’s Foot, we do see bunions and corns because of ill-fitting shoes or the sole being too dry and can cause callosities,” she says.
GOING SOCKLESS ISN’T THE SOLE PROBLEM
In his practice spanning over 20 years, podiatrist Chaitanya Shah has observed that around 80 per cent of the population has at least once in their lifetime encountered some feet-related problem. He has designed anti-bacterial and anti-fungal socks known as Orthofit under the brand name Edge, last year.
However, according to Shah, the problem doesn’t lie in not wearing socks alone but rather a combination of factors. Factors like ill-fitting footwear (loose or tight fitting footwear), closed footwear whose inner lining comprises of synthetic material, which are usually dyed with chemicals and contain metals like chrome and lead, etc, friction between the skin and the footwear, wearing socks containing synthetic material (not 100 per cent cotton socks), also practising poor hygiene (not washing socks after each day, not drying feet completely before wearing footwear, around 90 per cent of people don’t clean the inside of their footwear) — all these factors can contribute to problems like skin irritation, red spots, fungal and bacterial infections, smelly feet to even problems like corns, warts, calluses and Athlete’s Foot in some cases.
FOOTCARE TIPS
Dr Soma Sarkar lists the following guidelines:
- Always try to keep the feet dry by using antifungal powder.
- Cleanse your feet properly with antifungal soap.
- Always wear cotton socks.
- Avoid wearing socks for too long and wash them on a regular basis.
- Consult a dermatologist for smelly feet.
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