As I write this, I’m looking out into my sunshine-filled garden this unusually mild Monday afternoon.
Sunshine, warmth, spring, summer, cocktails, barbeques are filling my head with joy. And all the lovely ladies in summer dresses, hats, flip flops and strappy sandals with pretty toes and feet on wonderful display. Or is the thought of your uncovered feet filling you with dread? When all your friends are sporting the new Havianas, are you just going sporty?
Your feet see a lot of action and are probably the hardest working part of your body, transporting you around, walking the dog, carrying the shopping and getting trod on by clumsy Kenneth from accounts. They need to be looked after and here is a little guide to common feet problems and how to make them perfect for your new 2017 Balmain or Erdem additions (or a gorgeous pair of Elie Saabs’ for the wifey, shhh… she doesn’t know yet!)
Hard Skin and Rough Heels
There should be no excuses here, this one’s easy. Any good foot file, PediPro, pumice stone, most Scholl products….the list is endless and of course a really good moisturiser. Shea butter foot cream from L’Occitane and Palmer’s Cocoa Butter foot Magic both have great nourishing ingredients to leave your feet feeling baby soft in no time.
Itchy Feet and Between the Toes
A winter of warm socks and snugly boots may leave you with the common fungal complaint – athletes foot. Any moist warm area is a haven for fungal infections. Again, very easily treated with some readily available products from your local neighbourhood pharmacy. Check with your pharmacist which product is most suitable for you, especially if you are diabetic or have circulatory disorders. Treatments can be effective within 7 days. Always make sure you dry your feet thoroughly between your toes after bathing and do not share towels. Use an anti-fungal dusting powder or spray in your shoes to stop you re-infecting your feet.
Corns and Calluses
No introduction needed here. Tight fitting pointy (but usually ruddy good looking) shoes are the criminals. They are thickened skin at the point of pressure or friction. They are not harmful but can become painful when touched. There are many easy and quick treatments available from Scholl or Compeed that can be used at home and available from your pharmacy. They will soften the skin and as long as you don’t continue wearing the offending footwear, they will disappear quite quickly.
Unsightly Yellow Brittle Toenails
Fungal nail infections are usually caused by the feet being in a warm moist environment or going barefoot in damp public places such as shower rooms, gyms and swimming pools and picking up the infection. They can also be caused by tight fitting shoes, trauma to the nail or unhygienic nail bars. Fungal nail infections are very difficult to treat as they are well within the nail bed and not on the surface of the skin or nails. A visit to the GP will have you using a nail paint that is quite labour intensive every day to use and can take well over a year to see any improvement. You may also be prescribed a course of tablets to take daily for a similar time frame. You certainly won’t have your toes out by summer with that combination. A better option is to have a laser treatment done using a Nd:YAG laser which kills the fungus under the nail. A course of treatments is required and you could have pretty nails again by summer if you start now. There are a few clinics offering this and we have seen great results at my clinic.
Veruccas
Another common foot nasty usually picked up from swimming pools and communal showers. This is a virus that lives deep within the skin. There are some treatments that are easy to use like Bazuka, but can be quite a bore with daily applications or you can freeze them off with the many versions available from your pharmacy. These follow on from the liquid nitrogen treatments that your GP used to do or by a podiatrist. A one-off slightly stinging application is all that’s needed in most cases.
Looking after your feet is simple and treating most problems is easy too. Check with your pharmacist or GP if you have diabetes or circulatory problems first.
If you’ve read this far, there are no excuses for hobbit feet this summer.
Our Health Blogger, Bhavash Padhiar is the founder of Amara Spa, a day spa and leading skincare centre in Fulham, London.
Visit: amaraspa.co.uk
Follow: @AmaraSpa
