Winter Feet – How do you take care of your feet when it gets cold?

Autumn and winter are upon us!  So, anyone who hasn’t enjoyed exposing your feet through summer can get super excited in the knowledge that you can hide your feet back in your boots and wellies!  With the weather change and temperature drop, it’s so important to look after your feet and maintain good foot care over the damp, cold months.

Dry Skin

Dry skin on your feet is especially common in the autumn and winter months when the humidity level outside drops. When the air outside is cold and dry, the water in your skin evaporates more quickly. This makes your skin feel dry and tight and makes it look flaky. In fact, your skin loses more than 25 per cent of its ability to hold moisture in the autumn and winter months. Now you know why you get dry, chapped lips and your poor feet suffer, even though they are not naked to the weather.

Tights & Socks

So when winter comes we all do the same in that we ladies get the 100 denier tights out. We all need to layer up our thick, comfy warm socks which we then force into shoes that will no longer be the right size. This can cause discomfort to our feet. More than likely, with poor circulation which does no wonders for our feet if we are doing this day in and day out.

Our Top Tips for Maintaining Healthy Winter Feet

Well lucky for you we have some good old tips so you can take care of your feet during the winter months. So when spring comes you will have wonderful tootsies and feel happy enough to flaunt your feet.

Rough Dry skin

Fact – Tights and socks actually wick the oils from feet, so that it’s really easy to end up with rough, dry skin on heels.  If you suffer from dry feet then a simple mixture of olive oil and sea salt will replenish the skin of lost moisture and gently remove layers of superficial dead skin. Moving forward, just pop to your local Foot Health Professional for a general foot healthcare appointment.

Winter Feet – Footwear

Wear footwear that has plenty of room in the front section (Deep toe box).  If you’re not sure what size you are, then go to a proper shoe shop that measures feet.  If you are looking at shoe fitting for your child or children, we recommend The Little Shoe Company who are situated near our Beeston clinic. The width and height of the front of the shoe are important to extreme foot comfort.

Sock Fluff and Soap

Now, this might not sound best but cleaning beneath your nails is easy and an important part of foot hygiene. The remains of soap, dead skin, sock fluff and other everyday things get in there.  A way to combat and clean this at home is to use a soft, clean toothbrush to brush your nails after a bath or shower.

Antifungal Powder

If you do get the dreaded athlete’s foot or are prone to it, invest in a good anti-fungal powder. Apply it to your socks and apply antifungal cream for your toes.  At We Fix Feet, we recommend Mycota powder and cream.  Ensure you let your feet breathe and dry them properly after washing.

Chilblains

Don’t be tempted to warm cold feet on a radiator.  It’s a fast track to chilblains!  Which can be unbelievably painful. If you’re like me and get cold feet, a great way to keep them warm is to use a foot cream. Massage it in circular motions from the heel down to the toes.   By doing this you will not only warm your feet but also moisturise them all in one.   If you have major concerns about your cold feet and circulation then book an appointment to see a Foot Health Professional at our Beeston or Ilkeston clinics.

Nail Care

To restore damaged nails we advise using a product called LCN Mykosept which you apply directly to the nail. It can help promote and restore a healthy nails.

Let Your Nails “Breathe”

Let your toenails breathe.  By removing nail polish and leaving nails bare for a week or so before applying a fresh coat of polish. It can help reduce the amount of fungal nail and bacteria hiding underneath. Always use a good base coat, such as Dr.’s Remedy Hydration.

Professional Footcare

If you struggle to take care of your feet or have been diagnosed with diabetes, please make sure you have regular appointments with your Foot Health Professional.

File and Moisturise

Gently file them with a fine pumice stone or emery foot file at least once per week.  Take care not to remove too much skin – it’s there to protect your feet too!

Apply a good general moisturising foot cream, containing 10% urea (skin naturally contains around 7% urea), such as Flexitol® Intensely Nourishing Foot Cream.

Now dance into this wonderful season with well-looked-after feet.

LCN Mykosept, Flexitol products, Mycota Cream, Mycota Powder and Foot Files are all available from our We Fix Feet clinics in Beeston, Nottingham and Ilkeston, Derby.