Symptoms of Itchy Soles

Let’s look at what causes them

Itching is uncomfortable no matter when or where it appears, but especially when itching develops on the soles of your feet as you are trying to fall asleep, the discomfort can make it difficult to drift off.

If you keep getting up to scratch your feet and then lying back down, it can also wake you up again, and sometimes the itching continues no matter how much you scratch your soles.

Let’s go over the causes of itchy soles one by one, along with how to relieve and prevent this symptom.

During winter, skin can become dry easily because of cold wind and the use of heating devices, and if you take frequent baths with hot water, your skin may dry out even more easily.

When the skin becomes dry for various reasons like this, itching can occur, and symptoms such as flaking white skin may also appear.

If you have itchy soles, the symptom may be caused by a skin condition, and athlete’s foot can cause itching on the soles.

If itching appears on the soles and small blisters or scaling are observed there, athlete’s foot may be suspected.

Athlete’s foot is one of the skin diseases caused by infection with dermatophytes. The fungus invades the stratum corneum of the skin, and infection can spread through skin contact with someone who has athlete’s foot or through places such as swimming pools.

There are various types of athlete’s foot. If blisters form and itching or pain is felt, it is the vesicular type; if there is oozing, it is the interdigital type; and if the skin becomes thicker and cracks, it is the hyperkeratotic type.

Besides athlete’s foot, if your soles are itchy, contact dermatitis is another possibility. If your soles only itch when you wear a certain pair of shoes, contact dermatitis may be the cause.

Contact dermatitis is a skin inflammation that occurs when the skin is exposed to certain substances that irritate the skin or trigger an allergic reaction.

When the leather in shoes worn regularly, or the chemicals used in leather manufacturing, come into contact with the skin, contact dermatitis can develop and cause itching along with hives.

If no particular symptoms are visible on the skin, but you continue to feel itching, or the itching does not go away even after scratching, diabetes may be the cause.

Diabetes can reduce the skin’s moisture content, causing itching, and itching may also appear as blood flow decreases.

As such, itchy soles can occur for a variety of reasons, and identifying the cause and managing it appropriately can be helpful.

Because this symptom can be caused by athlete’s foot, you should use separate towels from someone with athlete’s foot, and when using a public bath, it is a good idea to wear slippers.

Also, after washing your feet, you should carefully dry off any moisture, and wearing cotton socks with good ventilation may help prevent itching.

We looked at what causes itchy soles and how to prevent the symptom. Please refer to the information above and try to improve the symptom.