Bare your SOLE
IT’S SANDAL SEASON, SO IT’S TIME TO GET YOUR FEET BACK IN ACTION. BY PRUDENCE WADE
CHANCES are, you haven’t given your feet much thought over the winter months – most of us tend to stuff them into slippers or socks as soon as we’re out of the shower, and continue on with our lives.
But it means that when sandal season looms, we’re hit with the familiar panic. What kind of state are our feet in?
What will we have to do to get them looking presentable?
“There’s an element of ‘out of sight, out of mind’,” says Emma Price, podiatrist and co-founder of PodiPedia.co.uk.
“If you don’t have any foot pain, you don’t necessarily think of your feet. It’s not until you get some nice weather and put sandals or flip-flops on, and then go: ‘Oh, what’s that?!”’
It’s time to start showing some love to get our soles ready for summer...
What might happen to your feet during winter?
If you haven’t been regularly buffing and moisturising your feet during the colder months, they’re probably looking a bit rough – but deeper problems could have developed as well.
“There’s the potential for fungal infections if they’re not dried properly before you put your socks on,” explains Emma. “If your footwear is quite tight, you can get some rubbing – sometimes you can get calluses or corns developing on the sides of your feet, but normally they’re painful.”
Fungal nail infections could be another issue. Emma says: “You might not notice them if you’ve got old nail varnish on and you don’t realise there’s something growing under there.”
Your feet might also be in desperate need of moisturising, as they can “dry out with central heating”, says Emma.. If you develop any serious issues, you should see a podiatrist, but if you’re suffering from sad and dry feet, there are things you can do at home.
How can you start prepping now?
For Emma, the first job is to remove any nail polish you might be wearing using “a really good low acetone or no acetone nail varnish remover,” she says.
Next, invest in Price’s favourite tool: a foot file. “You need to file your feet if you have any hard skin or dryness –file before you go into the shower,” she says.
Once you’ve had your shower or bath, “Dry your feet thoroughly and put on a really good, ureabased emollient. Urea is a chemical in good foot creams that basically softens the skin.”
It’s also important keep your toenails trimmed, preferably with a really good nail file. This will help keep your nails shaped and short, she says, “and if you do it regularly – once or twice a week – you can keep those looking really great”.
Emma prefers a file to nippers or clippers, because it stops you creating edges. “Often an ingrown nail will happen because you have poor cutting technique: you’ve left a 90 degree angle or a spike, or you’ve cut down the side. With a file, you can’t really create problems.”
The podiatrist describes foot files and nail files as her “weapons of choice for public consumption. It keeps you out of hot water and it’s much safer for the general public.” She recommends a quick once over at least twice a week.
What if this doesn’t work?
Emma suggests many are reluctant to visit a podiatrist, saying: “People are embarrassed by their feet, but if you had a dodgy looking tooth or your tooth was going a bit brown or yellow, you’d get yourself straight to the dentist. You wouldn’t paint your tooth and carry on – that’s obviously a bit of a silly example, but it’s true – that’s effectively what you’re doing.”
She recommends annual or biannual check-ups with a podiatrist, like you do with a dentist. “I’m very much about prevention being better than a cure,” Emma adds, emphasising that podiatrists can also spot the early signs of serious medical conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis.