If you feel like you need to scratch your feet a lot, or if you’ve been noticing large, itchy welts on your feet, you might be experiencing itchy feet or hives.
What causes it?
If you’ve been getting hives, you might also be stressed or wearing shoes that make your feet too warm. Certain products, like foot lotions or laundry detergent, can irritate your feet and cause itchiness. You could also have a food allergy that you don’t know about; some of the more common food allergens are peanuts, milk, wheat, tomatoes, and eggs. Athlete’s foot, a fungal infection, can also cause itchiness in the feet.
Tips?
If you’ve been wearing a new pair of shoes or socks, avoid them for a few days and see if your feet feel better. If your feet are still itchy, try using scent-free products around your feet to reduce irritation. Pay attention to any new foods that you’ve been eating, to detect a potential allergy. If you notice that the skin on your feet is blistering, burning, peeling, or looks raw, or your toenails appear discolored and abnormal, check with your provider to rule out athlete’s foot or another condition.
Sources
- “Hives on feet.” Hives. Hives, 2017. Web.
- “Tinea Pedis (Athlete’s Foot)” NCBI. National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web.
