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How do I treat some common foot conditions at home?

Calluses & Hard Skin

Corns and Calluses are thick, hardened layers of skin. They usually develop on bony areas of the feet caused by ill-fitting shoes that rub and can be painful. Avoid shoes that are too tight or have very high heels, which compress areas or those that are too loose, as your foot will slide and rub. Some simple DIY foot care involves removing hardened skin with a pumice stone or foot file. Never use anything that resembles a metal “cheese grater”! Moisturising your feet with a quality foot cream such as Flexitol can help prevent corns and calluses.
 

Painful Corns

Have you developed a painful corn during lockdown? Here’s what you can do about this yourself until your next visit to our clinic. File over the overlying hard skin to remove some of the raised skin. Use a urea-based cream such as Flexitol Intensely Nourishing Foot Cream Footlogix Foam or Gehwol Lotion Foot Products to moisturise your skin. Try and identify the cause of your corn – is it a tight pair of shoes? If your corn has gone bloodshot or there is pus please contact us for more detailed advice.

Fungal Skin & Nails

A fungal infection that causes sore, itchy patches of skin between the toes or on the bottom surface of the foot. This can crack and flake. It may have an unpleasant smell and toenails can become infected, thick and brown from the same fungus. Change your socks or hosiery daily, and don’t wear the same shoes two days in a row, so they can dry out. Wash all socks and hosiery at 50 degrees centigrade or above to kill fungal spores. Sandals also help as they allow air to circulate between the toes and allow sunlight to your skin and nails.

Ingrown Toenails

Toenails can become painfully embedded in the skin at the sides. This can be prevented by not cutting your toenails too short. Follow the outline of your toe and file away any sharp edges. Soaking feet in saltwater can prevent infection and reduce swelling. Wearing shoes with a wide toe-box will help prevent the toes from being pinched and any ingrowing nail spike from being pushed further into the skin. If your toe becomes severely infected, then a course of antibiotics may be required from your GP, but this will only treat the infection, not the cause – the nail spike should be removed to prevent this recurring

A simple foot routine will help keep your feet in good condition, including:

wearing suitable footwear

keeping your toenails short

regularly moisturising your feet

checking for cracked skin, blisters and signs of infection.

 

We are always here for you. Feel free to call and book in for a office or home appointment with one of our professional Footcare Nurses! —

Janis Boudreau

CEO,

Advanced Foot Care Nurse and Wellness Centre Inc.