Summer Foot Care Tips Checklist

Pretty summer shoes have an ugly side: heel pain and foot cramps. Fortunately, simple remedies can provide sweet relief. Treat your feet well with these easy remedies and pampering tips

Massage

Coat your palms with a thin layer of lotion or balm.            

Look for something infused with a circulation-boosting ingredient, such as peppermint, pine oil, camphor, or rosemary.

Use long stroking motions.  

Slowly massage the sole of one foot with both thumbs, starting behind the toes and moving toward the heel. Apply extra pressure along the arch and at the ball of the foot, two places that are especially prone to tightness.

Grip the foot with both hands.          

Gently twist your hands from side to side as if you’re wringing a towel. This may help remove the pain that can develop after hours of standing. End the massage by gently pulling and releasing each toe.

Repeat on the other foot.     

Strengthening Exercises

Stand barefoot on a wooden or tile floor.   

Place a small towel in front of you, with its edge underneath your toes.

Scrunch up your toes to grip the towel, pulling it toward you, then release.       

Repeat until most of the towel is bunched up under your toes.

Reverse the motion to push the towel away from you.     

Repeat the entire exercise.  

As your feet get stronger, you should be able to complete the sequence three or four times. Rolling your bare foot over a golf or tennis ball can also stretch and strengthen foot muscles while relieving tension.

Pampering Your Feet

Bring down any swelling with a soak.            

Soak feet in a mixture of water, a dozen ice cubes, six drops of tea-tree oil, and rosemary leaves (or use a store-bought tea tree–oil soak). Submerge one foot for 30 seconds, remove from water, then rub vigorously with a towel. Repeat with the other foot, and keep soaking until the swelling subsides. While all soaks help soften skin, certain ones also exfoliate dead skin cells, making feet smoother. Look for products with ingredients such as milk and fruit juices, which contain natural acids that gently dissolve dry, rough patches

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Soften your feet with a scrub.            

Frequent exfoliating is not just about looking good: Thickly callused skin can crack, leading to pain and infections. Pumice-based pastes can swiftly eliminate scaly skin, keeping feet soft for longer. If you prefer scrubs, go for a salt scrub with added oils to help hydrate. Avoid razors and callus scrapers, which can break the skin and cause infection. And be sure to slough gently: Calluses actually protect the feet, so you don’t want to strip them away entirely.

Hydrate the skin with a cream.         

Foot creams are generally thicker and more viscous than body formulas because they’re supposed to deliver more moisture. The best ones hydrate and soften with petrolatum, glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and shea butter, so make sure one of these is at the top of the ingredient list. If thick, scaly calluses are a persistent problem, use a foot cream that contains exfoliating lactic acid, which dissolves dry patches while it hydrates. Lotions containing urea can also break down calluses and smooth hardened heels.

Source

Dr . Tarik Torki

Diabetic Foot Specialist & Foot Care Specialist
Saudi Arabia – Riyadh
0562154241
Khuris Street – In Front of Pakistanian Airline
Info@diabeticfootarabia.com

http://diabeticfootcareonline.blogspot.com

10 tips on foot care

Your feet take the weight of your whole body, so foot problems can quickly lead to discomfort and affect the way you walk. This can in turn cause knee, hip and back pain.

Research from The College of Podiatry shows that nine in 10 of us experience some sort of foot problem, with one in five admitting to suffering with foot pain often or constantly.

Podiatrist Lorraine Jones says: "What this research shows is that a huge amount of people are willing to put up with sore, aching and painful feet.

She adds: "Your feet shouldn't hurt on a daily basis. If you are experiencing discomfort it is usually because you aren't wearing the right footwear. You don't need to put up with it so do seek professional advice."

Here are 10 tips from the College of Podiatry to keep your feet in good condition and prevent problems:

Wash your feet often

Keep your feet clean by washing them every day in warm soapy water, but don't soak them, as this might destroy your skin's natural oils.

Dry your feet well

Dry your feet thoroughly after washing them, especially between the toes which is where fungal infections such as athlete's foot can develop.

Moisturise and file

If your skin is dry, apply moisturising cream all over the foot, except for between the toes. Gently remove hard skin and calluses with a pumice stone or foot file – don't overdo it though or skin will grow back harder than ever.

Cut toenails carefully

Trim your toenails regularly using proper nail clippers. Cut straight across, never at an angle or down the edges. This can cause ingrown toenails.

Shoe shop in the afternoon

SHOP FOR SHOESin the afternoon. Your feet swell as the day goes on and if shoes fit in the afternoon when your feet are at their largest, you can be assured they will always be comfortable.

Footwear tips for work

If you have to wear heels at work, wear comfortable shoes to and from the office and only wear your smart shoes once you're in the office. Also, try to vary the heel height, between low, medium and high. Read how to choose the right footwear for work.

Limit time wearing high heels

Be shoe savvy. Wear high heels and pointed shoes for special occasions only, and always wear the right shoes for the job (so no sandals for mountain climbing). Read this survival guide to high heels.

Change your socks often to avoid foot odour

Change your socks daily to keep your feet fresh. Read advice from the Institute of Chiropodists and Podiatrists on buying socks.

Take care with flip flops

You can't wear flip-flops all the time. They don't provide support for your feet and can give you arch and heel pain if you wear them too much.

Foot pain advice for over-60s

If you're over 60, foot care becomes even more important. Age takes its toll: your skin thins, your joints begin to stiffen and your feet become more vulnerable to the cold.

Not only that, but as podiatrist Emma Supple says: "Physically, it gets more difficult for us to get to our feet, and failing eyesight doesn't help."

Emma says: "Go to see a professional for a foot MOT every six months and never put up with foot pain as if it is normal. Your feet shouldn't hurt

Source

Dr . Tarik Torki

Diabetic Foot Specialist & Foot Care Specialist
Saudi Arabia – Riyadh
0562154241
Khuris Street – In Front of Pakistanian Airline
Info@diabeticfootarabia.com

http://diabeticfootcareonline.blogspot.com

6 Tips for Foot and Nail Care

Your feet move you through the world, help you stand up to your day, and ground you. They also need TLC to keep them soft, strong, and free of problems.

These 6 steps will help your feet stay fabulous.

1. Smooth It Out.

Make it a habit to use a pumice stone or foot file on damp heels and calluses.

 Doing so will keep your feet looking good in open-back shoes.

First, soak your feet in water or a foot bath for 10 to 15 minutes to help soften the skin. Then gently remove the thickened skin with a pumice stone. New York podiatrist Isaac Tabari, DPM, recommends a warm foot bath made of black tea (tannic acid). Tannic acid, he says, is a natural antibacterial agent that may reduce the chance of getting athlete’s foot.

Moisturizing foot scrubs made from botanicals such as crushed fruit pits, sugar, or chemical exfoliators also help remove dead skin. After you scrub, apply a rich foot cream or balm containing shea butter or cocoa butter.

Look for balms or heel creams containing salicylic acid or urea to soften tough calluses

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2. Moisturize.

If your heels are very dry and cracked, see a podiatrist or dermatologist for a prescription treatment. If they’re not that bad, there are plenty of moisturizing products from which to choose.

First, you might try some medicated heel pads, which don't need a prescription, to soften calluses while you walk. After you’ve exfoliated the calluses, use a heavy cream to moisturize tough skin on your heel.

Look for creams containing petrolatum, an emollient, or a humectant such as lactic acid, which draws moisture into the skin

3. Fight Fungus.

OVER-THE-COUNTER antifungal treatments come in many forms -- lacquers, creams, lotions, liquids, spray powders, and spray liquids. These products work best on mild cases of athlete’s foot, and probably not at all with toenail fungus, which is difficult to treat.

No matter the form, they have one of the following active ingredients, which are all equally effective: terbinafine, tolnaftate, miconazole, ciclopirox, or clotrimazole. Tabari says tea tree oil, sometimes called melaleuca oil, also works well on mild cases of athlete’s foot.

Look for a medicated powder or spray if you have sweaty feet. Powders usually contain aluminum chloride hexahydrate to help keep feet dry.

If you have dry feet, look for an antifungal lotion.

Dry your feet thoroughly before you apply antifungal powder or lotion.

Dark and damp conditions let the funguses that cause athlete’s foot flourish. Basic good foot hygiene is the best way to prevent fungal infections. Wash your feet frequently and dry them thoroughly, especially between your toes. Wear fresh socks or other hosiery daily.

4. Wear Sunscreen.

Wear sunscreen on the tops of your feet. Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 to your feet when you're going barefoot or wearing open sandals.

5. Get Support.

Standing for a long time can make your feet sore. Wearing insoles can help make shoes more comfortable.

Look for insoles that have a plastic shell at the bottom. Podiatrists say the shell makes them strong enough to provide real support

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6. Don’t Forget Your Toenails!

Love getting pedicures? The technique matters. Clumsy trimming can lead to hangnails and ingrown toenails.

Also, make sure the nail technician gently pushes back the cuticle rather than cuts it, which can lead to an infection.

If you do your own nails, look for nail “nippers” that have a curved handle and a cutting jaw shaped to follow the natural curve of nails.

Your nails naturally become more brittle with age. Ingredients in some nail polish and polish remover can speed the process, drying out your nails. Elle, a celebrity manicurist who writes a blog for Barielle Cosmetics, suggests her clients use polish that is free of formaldehyde, toluene, and dibutyl phthalate. She also recommends using a nail polish remover free of alcohol.

To moisturize your toenails, Elle suggests using a cuticle cream, petroleum jelly, or vitamin E oil. Put it over the entire nail, including the cuticle, and gently rub it in.

Dr . Tarik Torki

Diabetic Foot Specialist & Foot Care Specialist
Saudi Arabia – Riyadh
00966562154241
Khuris Street – In Front of Pakistanian Airline
Info@diabeticfootarabia.com