Your Guide To Happy Feet

Everyone desires a healthy and beautiful skin. We spend a lot on skin care products to keep our skin soft and supple. But we tend to neglect one of the most important parts, which bear the weight of entire body-our FEET!

One of the commonest problems our feet encounter is cracked soles. The main reason for this is dryness, which is worsened by the cold & dry weather. It’s a well known fact that the skin of soles, lack the oil secreting glands which are needed to keep the skin moisturized.

What starts as mild roughness over heel can often progress to deep painful cuts and bleeding if not treated in time. This is aggravated by standing and walking bare foot; working in water for long time, repeated contact with detergents, obesity, wearing improper ill fitting shoes, and not moisturizing feet daily. This facilitates the entry of organisms leading to infections like cellulitis which can pose a threat especially in who have diabetes.

Some common illnesses like diabetes, thyroid disorders, leprosy and various nervous system diseases can cause fissuring over soles. Skin diseases like psoriasis, eczema, fungal infections and some genetic diseases can also result in a similar picture. In women, menopausal stage of life is known to cause fissuring over the heels.

Since there are varied causes, it is important to have a consultation with a specialist to find out the reason of cracks and receive appropriate guidance. Some patients need office based treatments like paring for callosity or minor surgery for corn removal.

Here are few basic tips to protect your feet:

Daily inspect your feet to look for any cracks, calluses, cuts, roughness etc (very important if you are diabetic).

Soak your feet daily in warm water for 5-10 minutes followed by gentle wiping (including spaces between the toes) and moisturizing immediately will work wonders for your feet.

Moisturizers containing urea, keratolytics like AHA & BHA are more suitable for thick skin of the soles. Soft silicone insoles & heel pads help to distribute body weight equally and reduce pain. Do not hesitate to seek your skin specialist’s help to keep your feet healthy and soft.