Healthy Skin and Toenails = Healthy Feet

It’s relatively easy to tell how healthy someone’s feet are—for me anyway. I just run my hands up and down their feet, and over and between their toes. That’s as up close and personal as you can get. The skin on healthy feet will feel soft and supple. The skin feels somewhat smooth and moist as opposed to feeling dry and flaky. I’ll allow only one or two patches of small calluses per foot—if any at all. Many people treasure their calluses and do everything to keep them while others can’t get rid of the rough skin. No corns, plantar warts, or Athlete’s foot will be seen or felt. Just nice soft and supple skin. Notice how I come back to that again?
     Toenails are a great indicator of the health of your feet. Do you take the time to trim and file your toenails properly? Do you pick at your nails, leading to ingrown toenails? Are your nails soft, flaky, thickened and discolored? Do you have nail fungus? Nice healthy nails are firm and strong, and trimmed well.
     I’ll never say healthy feet can’t have bunions, hammertoes, claw toes, mallet toes, Morton’s toe, or even irritations like Morton’s Neuroma and metatarsalgia (more on all these in the future) since these are generally beyond our control. In general though, the skin and toenails tell a story.
     So what can help your skin and nails? The use of a good moisturizer is important since the skin needs it’s natural oils restored and this in turn helps keep calluses under control. This will help the skin’s texture and tone by exfoliating dry and dead skin and allow newly rejuvenated skin to emerge. The use of a deep-penetrating hydrating cream twice a day will help keep skin soft and supple (there’s that soft and supple again). Need product ideas? Try any of the following: Aquaphor Healing Ointment, Burt’s Bees Coconut Foot Cream, Dr. Scholl’s Creams, Neutrogena Foot Cream, Johnson & Johnson’s Pretty Feet & Hands Ultra Moisturizing Cream, and All Terrain’s Therapeutic Foot Rub. FootSmart and Global Drugs have a complete line of foot care products including toenail files and trimmers.
     Remember, think soft and supple for healthy feet.