Summer is right around the corner. As the weather gets warmer, it's time for you to break out those peep toes, sandals and flip flops. But after the past cold months, you can't help but feel self-conscious about your feet. You're nowhere near sandal-ready.
We asked Dr. Adriana Karpati, Summer Soles' resident board-certified podiatrist, for some pretty-feet advice, so you can bare toes with confidence:
Exfoliate dead skin and get rid of the calluses of winter
Cell turnover occurs constantly in the body to produce new skin cells. These new cells are made in the deeper layers of your skin. The process of "pushing" the new skin to the surface causes the older skin to exfoliate.
With the dryness of our feet during the winter, sometimes this shedding process just does not happen quick enough! A salt scrub and a good old-fashioned pumice stone will do the trick! The best place to do this is in the shower.
Dr. Karpati recommends Jericho's Relaxing Salt Scrub for your exfoliating routine.
Clean your toe nails
We tend to ignore the grime that builds up under the nail when toes are cold as we try to keep them bundled up. Fungus can work its way under the nail and onto the nailbed giving you nail fungus! Keeping the nails clean is essential in overall foot health.
When cleaning under the nail, use the clean pointed end of a cuticle stick. Gently work out the debris. Then, scrub under your nails with a sudsy nail brush.
Use the blunt end of the cuticle stick covered with a thin towel to massage the cuticle down. Dry them well, and apply cuticle oil all over your nails.
Beware of fungal infections
Dermatophytes is a general term being used to represent a group of fungi that most commonly cause fungal skin infections. Within that group, "tinea pedis" is responsible for athlete's foot and "trichophyton rubrum" is responsible for most of the nail fungus (a.k.a. onychomycosis). There is also fungus "amongus"—and once that takes hold, it feeds off of the dead skin cells.
In athlete's foot, this leads to irritation of the skin, which means more scratching and more shedding! In fungal nails, the buildup of fungus and debris under the nail causes nail discoloration, thickening and in some cases, loosening of the nail from the underlying nailbed.
Treat athlete's foot with the lamisil cream for one full month and wear protective shoe gear around pools, gyms and locker rooms. Don't forget to dry your feet well after bathing, and spray your shoes and sandals with an anti-fungal spray regularly to avoid a recurrence.
Nail fungus is much more difficult to get rid of. The most effective way to treat nail fungus is with a prescription oral anti-fungal. Most of the topical over-the-counter remedies out there like Clearly Confident's fungus treatments can improve the appearance of the nail, but will not kill the fungus under the nail. Spend your money wisely towards a prescription written by your podiatrist.
Moisturize dry feet
Winter can sap away the moisture from your feet and not just because of the weather. We all tend to take long hot baths and showers during those winter months. Doing so will sap the moisture right out of your skin. Take a warm, short bath instead. Doing so will really help to retain your skin's moisture.
When cleaning your feet, a quick once over with a wash cloth is enough to do the trick. This will keep them nice and soft. Apply a heavy moisturizing cream (like Eucerin)—not a thin lotion—to allow for absorption.
Get a beautiful (and safe) pedicure
You want to put your best foot forward for spring and summer with the most colorful array of nails, but beware of unsterilized equipment and bacteria that can lead to fungal infections, athlete's foot, and in the worst cases, skin diseases. In order to avoid such dangers, Dr. Karpati advises:
- Find a salon that does not have jet tubs as part of the pedicure pampering. Those harbor a bacteria colony deeply rooted in the pipes that cannot be thoroughly cleansed. Stick to places with easy-to-clean basins where bacteria cannot hide.
- Bring your own flip flops to take you from the chair to the drier.
- Make sure the instruments being used on you come out of a sterile pack.
- When in doubt, you can have a pedicure in the comfort and safety of a podiatrist's office. (Some offer the service.)
Keep odor and moisture away with preventative measures
In warm weather, keep foot perspiration from lingering on shoes and causing odor with sandal liners like Fragrant Footings by Summer Soles. These insoles peel and stick for full shoe coverage in all types of shoes. Fragrant Footings offers the product in subtle scents (mint, jasmine and lemon) to keep your feet smelling nice and feeling fresh. They're dermatologist-tested, hypoallergenic and non-sensitizing, too.
source from http://beauty.ivillage.com
