Nails Your Way

How To Keep Healthy Feet

Good hygiene is of primary importance in proper foot care. Foot hygiene focuses on cleaning the feet thoroughly to remove dead skin and eliminate bacteria. Women (and men) are making it a priority to get their feet in tip-top shape for sandal season. For feet to look and feel their absolute best, they should also be smooth and free of calluses.

The average foot gives off about half a cup of moisture a day. The skin becomes soft and soggy as a result of the moisture, making it easier for friction to cause blisters, athlete’s foot and other forms of fungal infection. The most common problem from all that moisture is bromhidrosis—a scientific term for smelly feet. This occurs because the foot’s warmth and sweat provides growing conditions for bacteria. Good foot hygiene through regular Therapeutic Spa Pedicures will help combat this by reducing perspiration. Alternating the type of shoes you wear can also help reduce perspiration.

In the average 70-year lifespan, our feet cover about 70,000 miles. This is the equivalent of 2.5 times around the world and averages 1,000 miles a year. Considering how much our feet do for us, how much do we actually do in return for our hard working feet?

Calluses are caused by repeated friction and pressure from skin rubbing against bony areas or against irregularity inside a shoe. A callus is the body’s way of protecting that area. Callus’s can develop when ill-fitting shoes rub on sensitive skin. Improperly trimmed toenails can cause painful ingrown toenails. Wearing shoes that are too tight or too high commonly causes calluses. Calluses tend to form around the edges of the heels, the joints of the big toes, and on the small toes. They can also develop on the balls of the feet. Calluses that develop on the heels tend to crack and become drier. Calluses that develop on the balls of the feet aren’t as dry, but they tend to be harder. Not all callusing is bad, however. Some callus or thickening skin around the heels is normal and protects the living tissue. It is important to recognize and remove only the correct amount necessary. Removing too much of the callus may cause unneeded pain and discomfort. People with callused feet should use a softening agent at night and a foot file in the shower regularly. Home care and regular callus control pedicures are important in order to keep feet callus-free. Foot disorders disrupt our center of gravity and can cause knee, leg, and calf pain as well as severe backache and knee instability.

Diabetics suffer from poor circulation, which means it takes the body longer to heal itself and heightens the risk of infection. In diabetics with poor circulation, even a small nick can become serious. The skin on the feet has a tendency to become thin and dry. Special care through waterless pedicures using cleansing creams and oxygenated lotions designed specifically for diabetics will safely cleanse, hydrate and renew the thin, dry skin.

Most foot disorders can be avoided and corrected with regular foot health care. Therapeutic Treatment pedicures every three or four weeks can dramatically soften and heal callus-prone feet and will help prevent fungal infections. A little time and attention through Therapeutic Treatment Pedicures and Reflexology foot massage will not only keep your feet looking and feeling good but will also provide further health benefits. The benefits are improved circulation, reduced stress and skin renewal.

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Nails Your Way
Jeanne Grace Curtis
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Douglasville GA 30135-4726

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