It is summer and our feet our out there running around barefoot or in sandals, so are your feet in good shape? Are you dealing with calluses, corns or warts? Let’s review the basics of good foot care and take care of your feet this summer.
What is a callus? Calluses are a thickening of the skin caused from repeated friction. Calluses can develop anywhere but are usually found on the hands and feet.
What causes calluses?
Shoes or socks that don’t fit properly.
Sock seams bunching around the toes.
You are on your feet a lot, you perform manual labor, or you are an athlete.
Not wearing shoes, going barefoot can be hard on your feet.
What is a corn? A corn is a mass of dead cells in the center of a callus. Corns are usually on your feet and are painful.
How can you treat corns and calluses?
Soak your feet.
Wear cushioning band aids on areas where you are experiencing rubbing.
Keep your feet moisturized to soften the skin.
Wear shoes and socks that fit.
Use a pumice stone on calluses to remove skin buildup.
What is a foot wart? There are three main types of foot warts. Verrucaes is a wart which grows on the underside of your foot. A plantar’s wart grown on the ball or heel of your foot. And a mosaic wart is a collection of several small warts clumped together. Warts look similar to corns but are covered with small black dots. If you have a wart you will feel like you are walking on a pebble. Warts are painful when squeezed.
How do you get warts? Warts are a virus that is spread by contact. You can catch the virus from shower floors, swimming pools, bathrooms, or directly touching someone with the virus. Warts can spread through water so contact does not need to be skin to skin.
How do you treat warts? First off, try to prevent catching warts by wearing flip flops in communal wet areas. Warts will often go away on their own as the virus runs its course. There are several over the counter products you can try to lessen the pain, reduce the risk of transmission and make the warts disappear. You can also seek prescription medication from your doctor or have your warts frozen off. Freezing a wart will remove the wart but not necessarily rid your body of the virus and a new wart may appear. You can also use wart remover cream.
No matter what foot problem you may have, seek a doctor’s care if you can’t manage the pain, if your feet are oozing or if the color of your toes has changed.
If you take good care of your feet they will look fabulous all summer long.
