Our feet can often be neglected. We sometimes put our sock and shoes on and just on with our day.  
Kick through fallen leaves in the park, splash through puddles and walk through the icy snow. But what does this really mean for your feet and footwear? What is lurking?

Winter months see an increase in hygiene related foot conditions, which is primarily due to us keeping our feet enclosed in socks, tights, shoes and boots giving rise to warm sweaty feet!  Feet can become soaked through from rain, slush and snow.  The skin becomes soggy and these moist conditions can give rise to fungal and bacterial infections of both the skin and nails.

Footwear can also take forever to dry out and re-wearing of damp footwear can have a knock on effect on the skin as well as ruining the shoes…

Winter Foot Care Tips

Here’s what to do to keep your feet healthy in the winter months, as well as some foot care products to help you do it:

Protect and treat symptoms of Athlete’s Foot with ‘miracle in a jar’,  Foot Hygiene Cream.

Top Tip: simply warm between the hands and use it every night before you go to bed – you’ll wake up with feet that look and feel brand new! 

Make sure your footwear is waterproof to stop your feet becoming waterlogged. If your feet get wet, dry thoroughly and use a silky Foot Powder between the toes and all over the feet.

Top Tip:  use a hair dryer between the toes to ensure feet are completely dry before using Foot Powder!

Have fresh socks, tights and shoes to change into as soon as you can. If your feet get cold don’t be tempted to warm them in front of a fire or radiator – you may remember hearing about chilblains – these are caused by freezing cold feet being placed in front of open fires or radiators.  Quickly reaching for clean, dry socks or tights will work much better.

Damp skin can lead to cracks opening so regularly use a Foot File to reduce the hard skin build up – this will prevent cracks forming.  Known as the Rolls-Royce of foot files, this multi-award winning foot file is the ultimate tool for achieving professional results at home.

Top Tip:  always use the file on dry skin – you’ll see instant results!

Ensure socks are not too tight at your feet or ankles – your feet need a good blood supply to keep them healthy so make sure that the socks are not constricting blood flow to the feet or ankles.  Socks or hosiery pulled tight across the toes can also lead to ingrown toe nails so make sure that you prevent this by pulling them away from your big toes!

Much like with damp socks, wearing damp shoes and boots can cause a whole world of problems. Wet shoes are a breeding ground for bacteria, meaning there’s an increased chance of infection. Allow your shoes to dry out naturally – not on a heater or radiator.

Did you know? Most of us suffer from sweaty feet or foot odour at some point, however, it is more common in gym and fitness enthusiasts, those going through hormonal changes for instance during pregnancy, sufferers of stress and anxiety and certain medications can also exacerbate the issue.

We have 250,000 sweat glands in our feet which can produce up to 250 ml of sweat everyday leaving shoes full of bacteria. The bacteria present in the sweat rapidly multiplies causing wetness and odour.

Aside from being uncomfortable, sweaty feet that aren’t looked after properly can mean an increased risk of developing infections such as Athlete’s Foot and fungal nails. Dampness can also lead to maceration and blistering of the skin which can be painful and take time to heal. Those with health issues such as Diabetes need to take extra special care as the risk of developing more serious infections becomes higher.

Last but not least, clean your boots, shoes and trainers by spraying the insoles with Shoe & Insole Cleansing Spray; This lemon scented spray is clinically proven to eradicate odour, bacteria and fungus.

Winter is one of those seasons where the only thing you want to do is wrap up and hibernate until spring. But on those few occasions where you have to get up and go, make sure you’ve got your foot care in hand. Not only will it make life easier during the colder weather, but it will set you up for the summer months too!

 

DISCLAIMER: The views, opinions and information expressed in this article and on Victoriahealth.com Ltd are those of the author(s) in an editorial context. Victoriahealth.com Ltd cannot be held responsible for any errors or for any consequences arising from the use of the information contained in this editorial or anywhere else on the site. Every effort is made by the editorial and content team to see that no inaccurate or misleading information, opinion or statement appear, nor replace or constitute endorsement from medical bodies or trials unless specified. Victoriahealth.com Ltd accept no liability for the consequences of any inaccurate or misleading data, information, opinion or statement. Information on Victoriahealth.com Ltd and in the editorials is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional. You should not use the information on this website or in the editorials for diagnosing or treating a health concern or disease, or for the replacement of prescription medication or other treatment.