As the temperatures begin to plummet and we get closer to Christmastime, it’s the time of year where people start to wrap up warm. Whether it’s jumpers and hoodies or blankets to keep the body warm, thick, and fluffy socks are the go-to for ensuring that your feet stay nice and toasty and making sure that you look after your feet correctly is incredibly important.
Wintertime brings around several different challenges when it comes to taking care of your feet, so to give you a helping hand in keeping your toes in tip top shape, we’ve comprised our list of essential winter foot care tips.
Moisturising your feet should be part of your daily foot care routine
The cold weather and air acts to dry out the skin and while other parts of the body, like the face or the hands, that must face off against the elements directly may get proper attention and moisturisation to protect them, most people forget about the need to take care of their feet.
Having dry skin can lead to cracks and fissures which are both painful and uncomfortable to deal with, but they can lead to further problems such as verrucae or fungal infections (which can be much more difficult to deal with). A good foot care routine can help to prevent all of these from the outset, and moisturising daily is key to protecting your feet.
Using a foot cream rich in Urea is the best thing to help keep your feet free from cracks and callous – we use and sell Footmender here at the clinic.
Make sure you choose the right footwear
This one should be obvious, but choosing the right footwear really helps in making sure your feet are well looked after. In the same way you wouldn’t wear a pair of winter boots to the beach, you also shouldn’t be wearing a pair of sandals whilst out and about in the winter. For winter, a thick soled shoe with good grip is important for the sole of your feet, with a breathable material exterior that will ensure that your feet don’t end up getting too hot and sweaty.
You will also want to make sure that your footwear choice is waterproof where possible, there’s nothing worse than getting cold, wet feet because your shoes have allowed water to get into your socks. This will make sure that your feet are warm and protected, and more importantly you’re less likely to end up slipping whilst doing your weekly shop.
If you do have wet socks and shoes, try to get out of them quickly
This follows directly on from our last tip but if you want to take good care of your feet, making sure they aren’t cooped up in swampy and damp footwear is really important. While the snow, slush, sleet, ice and rainy weather can be totally unavoidable at times, the dampness can bring bacteria and fungal infections (as well as a bit of a smell).
As soon as you’re able to, get out of the damp footwear and ensure that your feet are dried thoroughly before putting on clean and dry socks. It’s important to make sure that you let your shoes dry out completely before you wear them again, you can do this by turning them upside down and removing any liners to allow them to breathe and dry out properly, reducing the chance of any bacteria developing and multiplying within the shoe.
A good foot care routine includes having clean feet
As with the above this should be super obvious, especially if you want to avoid having smelly feet. With the urge to wrap your feet up warm in thick woolly socks and weatherproof shoes, you’ll find that your feet can sweat a lot more than usual. As part of your daily routine (not just a foot care routine) you should be making sure to wash your feet thoroughly on a daily basis with a good soap and warm, clean water. You should also make sure that they are dried properly before you put on any socks or slippers to avoid creating a warm and moist environment for bacteria to thrive.
To truly indulge yourself with your foot care routine, you can even look at foot soaks which give your feet a soothing and relaxing treat. For a cheaper foot soak option, you can simply just use Epsom salts and warm water.
To sum it up, taking care of your feet during the winter is really important, especially if you want to make sure that your feet are ready when summer rolls around again for getting yourself beach ready. A good foot care routine starts with keeping your feet clean and moisturised, and ends with keeping them warm, dry, and protected from the weather. If you do experience any issues such as athlete’s foot, fungal nail infections or even chilblains due to the cold and damp winter weather, The Nantwich Clinic are able to help. Get in touch with us by calling 01270 627118, emailing us on [email protected] or by booking a consultation with us by clicking here.
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