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SINGAPORE: Our feet are made for walking, standing and carrying us around. We often take them for granted and expect them to function well at all times. Many of us are guilty of treating our feet with little or no tender, loving care.
Take the weight off your feet and let’s start giving them some attention.
Wear them right
Ask yourself this – would you buy an outfit that doesn’t fit well or is uncomfortable? If the answer is “No”, think about what you’ve been doing with your feet.
The first step in foot care is basic - selecting shoes that fit your feet well.
According to Pauline Ang of the Singapore Footcare Centre, it’s always good to make sure the widest part of the shoe fits the width of the front of your feet or the forefoot. You should also be able to wriggle your toes easily in the shoe and space of a thumb’s width from your longest toe to the tip of the shoe.
If you must have that sharp-finished designer pair, just be sure that your toes can still bend a little when walking and your toes are not squeezed. “If the shoe has a narrow toe box area, the foot is squeezed in and this can result in corns, calluses, blisters forming at areas of high pressure” said the senior podiatrist.
To walk and stand comfortably, she also recommends a check on the heel cup to make sure it is firm and springs back when depressed. As for the height of the heels, well, there’s good reason why the 5-inch killers earned their label.
“High heels will result in more pressure going to the forefoot area, which can cause foot pain” Pauline explains.
“The foot is being forced into an unnatural position...the calf muscles may feel tired and aching as high heels can cause the calf muscles to be contracted.”
It’s not hard to conclude that women are more likely to develop problem feet.
But even before subjecting your metatarsals to heels and modern foot-binding, problems could set in even from your first steps.
“Hand-me-down shoes are not good,” says Pauline in reference to footwear for children.
Shoes serve only to protect children's feet from injury, she pointed out and none are needed before a child learns how to walk.
"Assuming that the first wearer (child) has worn the shoe for some time and outgrown the pair, the shoe would have shown signs of wear marks of the first wearer. In such instances, giving the worn out pair of shoes to the next wearer is generally discouraged as the shoe will have shaped itself somewhat to the feet shape of the first wearer and may not be comfortable for the next user."
Happy healthy feet
Besides proper footwear, good hygiene should form part of an important daily routine for the feet. But a quick splash of water isn’t enough if you want to prevent bacteria and micro-organisms from accumulating on the feet.
“Mild soap should be used to avoid drying out the skin. Should there be a wound on the foot present, this also aids in minimising infection” said podiatrist Tan Liang Sheng.
Apart from a daily wash, more if your feet tend to suffer from foot odour, the podiatrist from the Singapore Footcare Centre also recommends a scrub to remove the layer of dead skin cells.
Besides having the aesthetic effects of smoother and healthier-looking feet, scrubbing could help feet with calluses (hardened outermost layer of skin).
According to Tan, to reduce thick calluses it is recommended self-care to use a pumice stone or a nail file as part of the scrub.
“The frequency of this self-care varies from people to people. However, overdoing this may cause the skin to become raw and tender” he added.
If your feet are too tender for a pumice stone to slough away dead skin, Milky Foot offers a new and innovative solution.
This is an intense exfoliating foot pad which contains ExMilac, a natural milk ferment filtrate which peels away dry and dead skin naturally.
As it doesn’t use tartaric acid commonly found in other exfoliation products, it suits people who suffer from cracked foot, calluses and athlete’s foot.
Testing out Milky Foot was 60-year-old businessman Peter, whose feet were filled with very thick calluses.
“The dead skin actually peels only little by little, slowly and with a slight itch,” said the first-time user.
“My feet no longer stink, but the tough, thick calluses still remain after a couple of weeks.”
If you often wear or stockings, make sure they are changed frequently and if you can, choose those with a mixture of natural fibres (cotton, wool) to absorb moisture and sweat, and synthetics (nylon, acrylic) that keep the foot dry and warm while the natural fibres.
However, if you prefer going about bare-foot even in public areas, be careful.
“People who frequent swimming pools or communal bathrooms are more prone to getting plantar warts or fungal infections” explains the senior podiatrist.
“Wearing slippers can act as a protective barrier in preventing the fungus or virus from getting in contact with the skin” said Tan who advises that it is always best to dry feet thoroughly, especially in between the toes, to prevent fungal infection.
The first sign of a fungal infection, if it’s at the nail, is discolouration. It usually affects the big toe with the creamy-white or yellow discolouration spreading towards the nail base as the nail becomes brittle.
“Do see a doctor immediately to ascertain if it is really a fungal infection. The doctor can then prescribe appropriate medication to treat this condition early,” is the advice of the experts at Singapore Footcare Centre.
Another common but painful problem is ingrown nails.
It’s commonly seen in the big toe where the sharp edge of a badly cut nail digs into the flesh.
“The first signs of ingrown toenail include pain, redness and swelling. If left untreated, hypergranulation and/or infection usually follows,” said Tan.
Much as you might want to, resist the urge to cut the in-growing toenail by yourself.
“The toenails should be cut straight and filed to prevent ingrown toenails. When an ingrown toenail is present, further self-cutting may alleviate the pain temporarily even if the nail spike is not removed completely. This could aggravate the condition as the sides of the nail are further reduced.”
Foot Nourishment
Foot moisturising is also an important part of your foot care regimen as the ingredients in the moisturisers help in preventing cracked heels and dry skin.
Among the many pleasantly-scented products that are easily available off the shelf is Freeman’s Softening Foot Lotion.
Testing out the Peppermint & Plum range, we found the fruity scent pleasant while the peppermint left feet with a tingling, fresh sensation.
At the end of a long day, it proved a soothing and relaxing rub for one of our testers while the other found it great to use before slipping on her sexy sling-backs with added mood boost from the scent.
If time is not an issue, try Skinfood's Jojoba Heel Pack.
This is a one-time application heel pack which is enriched with jojoba oil and shea butter formula. The non-greasy application is useful in removing dead skin cells and prevents calluses.
“All you need to do is to stick this heel pack (which comes with an oil gel patch) on your heels before bedtime and leave it on overnight. It will give you results that can last for a few days” said Constance Goh, Skinfood's Retail Marketing Executive.
This won’t work if your heels are particularly hard, rough and cracked. But if used on a long term basis the assurance is, hardened skin will begin to soften.
Taking the first step to happy, healthy feet all on your own isn’t too difficult. This is especially if you don’t suffer from conditions such as athlete’s foot, corns or calluses.
If you’re unsure, it’s always best to seek professional help.
“Corns plasters contain salicylic acid and are contraindicated in people with diabetes, vascular problems or with very thin skin” cautions Pauline Ang of the Singapore Footcare Centre.
It’s also important to seek help from a qualified podiatrist or a doctor to know how a foot problem started, before treating it.
The sooner you start caring for your feet, the sooner they will care for you. – CNA/sh
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