Flip flops and strappy sandals are warm-weather staples. But are your tootsies in tip-top shape? Here are solutions to 4 common foot woes…
Cracked heels, damaged cuticles and dryness aren't just ugly. They can put your health at risk.
Serious medical conditions can result from neglected feet – from bacterial infections to cutaneous tuberculosis, says Amy Newburger, M.D., a Scarsdale, N.Y., dermatologist and author of Looking Good at Any Age (Doubleday).
But chill out! You don’t have to celebrate warm weather without healthy, pretty feet. Here are easy fixes for 4 common foot woes:
Foot Problem #1: Painful cracks
Some disorders, such as diabetes, poor circulation and thyroid problems, contribute to dry, cracked feet. Dryness may also be caused by skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis.
Plus, a poor diet and not drinking enough water makes cracks worse, says Michelle Facer, founder of Lotus Spa in Eau Claire, Wis. So can scrubbing with harsh soaps and applying alcohol-containing lotions.
Foot fix: If your feet are already cracked, your top priority is to avoid infection. Here’s how:
Don’t walk barefoot outdoors where germs, fungal spores and parasites lurk in grass.
Always wear flip-flops or water socks at public pools and in shower rooms.
When getting a pedicure, make sure the footbath is sterilized before dipping in your toes.
Once you heal, make small changes in your daily routine to stay crack-free:
Shower and bathe in water between 88˚-90˚, Newburger advises. And don’t linger in the tub longer than 5-8 minutes. The hotter the water and the longer you soak, the more it dehydrates your skin.
Use an exfoliating scrub on your feet and rub heels gently with a pumice stone at least every other day.
But watch out: Rubbing too hard can take off too much skin.
Plus, every day apply a keratolytic, a lipid-delivering moisturizer.
When shopping for hydrating foot creams, look for some key ingredients on the label, such as salicylic, lactic and glycolic acids. These peel away outer layers of dead skin to make feet softer and smoother.
Urea is another skin-saver and actually comes from urine. Sure, it sounds gross, but it helps skin retain moisture.
The American Podiatric Medicine Association recommends several urea-containing products, including AmLactin, AmeriGel Care Lotion, Gold Bond Foot Cream, Healthifeet and Kerasal.
If over-the-counter brands don’t soothe cracks, doctors can prescribe ointments with higher concentrations of urea.
For maximum benefits, moisturize feet before bed and sleep in socks made of breathable, soft fabrics (like cotton or bamboo). They’ll help skin absorb moisturizer and protect sheets.
A diet rich in “good” fats can also keep feet crack-free. Look for omega-3s fatty acids in whole grains, nuts, olive oil and some fish like salmon, sardines and mackerel.
Eating iron-rich foods (like leafy greens, beans and red meat) is also important; not getting enough iron leads to skin fragility and makes wounds heal more slowly, Newburger says.
Or take supplements with these nutrients; ask your doctor how much you need a day.
Foot Problem #2: Dry, rough cuticles
Trimmed, smooth cuticles certainly make a woman look fabulous, but they’re also essential to good foot health.
Cuticles serve as a seal between skin and nail bed to prevent microbes from getting in and causing infections, Newburger says.
Foot fix: Dry feet thoroughly after bathing, and then apply a cuticle-removing product (you’ll find them at drugstores) to soften cuticles and dissolve any dry, excess skin. Finally, push them back gently with an orange stick.
Also ask your pedicurist to go easy on cuticles. Aggressive pushing can cause damage that can lead to infection.
Foot Problem #3: Corns and calluses
Corns and calluses are technically the same – a hard, thickened area of skin – but they show up on different parts of your feet. Calluses can form in various places – heels, toes or balls – but corns always appear on top.
What causes them? Pressure on the skin caused by the way you walk, structure of your foot and nonsupportive or ill-fitting shoes.
Pronation – rotating your foot in and down as you walk – is another factor. It can trigger calluses on sides of big toes and bottom of your feet, says Chicago podiatrist Marlene Reid, M.D.
“Hammertoes” – crooked toes that stem from too-high heels or too short or narrow shoes – “are also notorious for causing corns because they make the top of the toes rub against the shoe,” she says.
Although those bumps are unattractive, calluses and corns are the body’s defense mechanism.
“The body produces callus material to protect itself from irritation,” Reid explains.
Foot fix: “Prevention is really the goal,” Reid says. “It’s much harder to deal with the problems after they’ve developed.”
Creams with urea can help too, she says.
So can changing your shoe-buying habits. Some tips from Reid:
Shop for shoes late in the day, when feet tend to swell.
Choose styles with wide toe boxes.
Try on shoes (don’t trust the size listed on the box) and walk on a hard surface. A carpeted floor can mask an uncomfortable fit. Make sure shoes don’t rub anywhere. If they don’t feel great in the store, they won’t feel any better once you get them home.
Stick with heels no more than 1-1/2 inches high. Those stilettos may look sexy, but 3-inch-plus heels put seven times the normal pressure on the ball of the foot, Reid says.
Once you have a callus, a simple pedi won’t fix it because pedicurists aren’t allowed to cut off calluses in many states. For that, you’ll need to see podiatrists, who are licensed to trim away thick, scaly layers of dead skin.
To stop calluses that come from hammertoes, you’ll need to straighten the toes. Extreme cases, where toe is rigid and can’t be stretched straight, may require surgery.
If toes are still flexible, Reid says custom orthotics often solve the problem. A 30-minute procedure can implant orthotics right into your foot, Reid says.
Too scary? You can also get orthotics to insert into your shoes.
“They’re like eyeglasses for the feet,” Reid says. “You put them in and they correct the deficiency.”
And orthotics aren’t just for sensible shoes. They also fit in pretty pumps and even some sandals, she says.
Foot Problem #4: Athlete’s foot
You don’t need to be a jock to get the itching, burning and flaking skin that comes with this fungal infection.
So why the name? People catch it from walking barefoot in showers or locker rooms – as well as from sharing footwear, clothing or towels. Not taking care of your feet can make the fungus spread.
“Warm, sweaty feet with lots of dead skin on the surface [are] an incubator,” Newburger says.
Foot fix: Keep feet dry to prevent them from hosting organisms that cause athlete’s foot, Newburger says.
Other key tips:
Change socks frequently if your feet sweat a lot and always right after aerobic exercise.
Use absorbent powder (like baby powder) on feet daily, including in between toes.
Shoe-holics will relish this tip: Don’t wear the same pair two days in a row. It takes at least 24 hours for sweat in shoes to dry out from the previous day’s wearing.
If you have athlete’s foot, treat mild cases with over-the-counter ointments. A more severe infection may require antibiotics. See your doctor if the problem persists.
Glenda Winders is a freelance writer in San Diego, Calif.
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