healthy foot

Wear sunscreen on the tops of your feet. Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 to your feet when youre going barefoot or wearing open sandals.

Standing for a long time can make your feet sore. Wearing insoles can help make shoes more comfortable.Look for insoles that have a plastic shell at the bottom. Podiatrists say the shell makes them strong enough to provide real support.

Love getting pedicures? The technique matters. Clumsy trimming can lead to hangnails and ingrown toenails.Also, make sure the nail technician gently pushes back the cuticle rather than cuts it, which can lead to an infection.If you do your own nails, look for nail nippers that have a curved handle and a cutting jaw shaped to follow the natural curve of nails.Your nails naturally become more brittle with age. Ingredients in some nail polish and polish remover can speed the process, drying out your nails. Elle, a celebrity manicurist who writes a blog for Barielle Cosmetics, suggests her clients use polish that is free of formaldehyde, toluene, and dibutyl phthalate. She also recommends using a nail polish remover free of alcohol.To moisturize your toenails, Elle suggests using a cuticle cream, petroleum jelly, or vitamin E oil. Put it over the entire nail, including the cuticle, and gently rub it in.

Have your doctor check your bare feet and find out whether you are likely to have serious foot problems. Remember that you may not feel the pain of an injury.Call your doctor right away if a cut, sore, blister, or bruise on your foot does not begin to heal after one day. Follow your doctors advice about foot care.

Wash and dry your feet with mild soap and warm water. Dry your feet thoroughly, especially between the toes, an area more prone to fungal infections. Use lotion on your feet to prevent cracking, but dont put the lotion between your toes.Do not soak feet, or youll risk infection if the skin begins to break down. And if you have nerve damage, take care with water temperature. You risk burning your skin if you cant feel that the water is too hot.

Trim toenails straight across with a nail clipper. You can prevent ingrown toenails if you dont round the corners of the nails or cut down the sides. Smooth the nails with an emery board.

Nerve damage is a complication of diabetes that makes it hard to feel when you have sores or cracks in your feet. Patients with diabetes are looking for any changes in color, sores, or dry, cracked skin, says podiatrist Steven Tillet, DPM, of Portland, Ore. Place a mirror on the floor to see under your feet or ask a friend or relative for help if you cant see all parts of your feet clearly.

When people with diabetes develop nerve damage or neuropathy, its hard to tell if the bath water is too hot. They wont realize they are actually scalding their skin, explains Dr. Tillet. Stepping into a bath before checking the temperature can cause serious damage to your feet, and burns and blisters are open doors to infection. Use your elbow to check the water temperature before getting into the tub or shower.

Shoe shopping for people with diabetes requires a little more attention to detail than you may be used to. Tillet advises looking for shoes with more depth in the toe box, good coverage of both top and bottom, and without seams inside the shoe that can rub on your foot. Likewise, seek socks without seams, preferably socks that are padded and made from cotton or another material that controls moisture.

Wearing shoes with good coverage outside to protect your feet makes sense to most people, but even inside your house, puttering around without shoes puts your feet at risk for small cuts, scrapes, and penetration by splinters, glass shards, and the misplaced sewing needle or thumbtack. If you have neuropathy, you might not notice these dangerous damages until they become infected. Its best to wear shoes at all times, even in the house.