The Best Way to Keep your Feet HealthyPosted by Author Central on August 11th, 2022  You may not think about your feet as often as other body parts, but they are just as important — and can be just as sensitive. Healthy feet are key to staying healthy overall. Foot problems can be painful and lead to even more issues, so taking care of your feet is essential for preventing long-term complications. In this article, we’ll discuss several ways you can keep your feet happy and healthy by focusing on reducing moisture in the skin, keeping calluses soft and smooth, minimizing friction where needed, promoting blood flow with varicose veins, keeping toenails neat and short, and removing excess dead skin regularly. Keep reading to learn more about what you should do to keep your feet happy and healthy. What is the best way to keep feet healthy?First and foremost, you’ll want to make sure that you’re keeping your feet as dry as possible. Excess moisture can lead to a variety of issues, including athlete’s foot, fungus, and bacterial or fungal infections. This moisture can also lead to stinky feet, which no one likes. There are a few ways you can keep your feet dry: · Dry your feet thoroughly after washing them. · Use sandals when possible to allow your feet to “breathe.” · Wear socks made from natural fibers (like cotton). · Wear shoes that allow your feet to “breathe” (such as sandals). · Limit your time in the bath or shower to avoid increasing your risks for infections. · Limit your time in public places, like gyms. Beyond keeping feet dry, you’ll also want to avoid using pumice stones or other abrasive materials on your feet. Overly rough calluses can lead to infections and even broken skin. It’s often better to use a softening agent such as moisturizing lotion or corn removal gel. Dry feet are happy feetIf you want to keep your feet healthy, you’ll need to keep them moisturized. Your toenails, skin, and hair all depend on moisturization — and your feet are no different. While you don’t want to apply too much moisturizer and cause your feet to become oily, you do want to maintain a healthy level of moisture. You can keep your feet moisturized by: - Avoiding dry environments. - Wearing appropriate footwear. - Applying foot cream or lotion after each shower or bath. - Keeping your toenails moisturized. Your toenails are an important part of foot health. If you don’t take care of them, they can become brittle and break off — causing serious pain and infection. To keep your toenails healthy, apply foot cream or lotion to the tops and bottoms of your feet. You can also use a pumice stone to gently remove any rough patches or calluses. Keep toenails neat and shortAs we discussed above, keeping your toenails moisturized and short will help prevent infections and other complications. When trimming your toenails, make sure to keep the blade of your clippers clean and sharp to reduce the risk of infection. Most importantly, never cut your toenails too short. Cutting your toenails too short can cause pain and discomfort, which leads to increased risk of infection. Toenails should be about one-quarter of an inch from the tip of the toe. If you’re unsure about where to cut, visit your doctor or local nail salon to have your toenails trimmed. Keep your shoes clean and dryThis one may seem obvious, but it’s important. Keeping your shoes clean and dry can prevent stinky feet and other infections. Whenever you’re wearing closed-toed shoes, make sure to clean and dry your shoes thoroughly. If you’re not sure how to clean your shoes properly, here are some tips: - Clean your shoes often. - Use a mild soap to clean your shoes. - Allow your shoes to dry completely before wearing them again. - Store your shoes in a dry place when they’re not being worn. Exfoliate your feetExfoliating your skin on a regular basis can help to unclog pores and remove dead skin. This is especially important for your feet, which tend to accumulate dead skin quickly. Exfoliating your feet once every two weeks can help keep your feet healthy. You can do this by: - Using a pumice stone or foot scrub. - Using a loofah sponge to scrub your feet. Exfoliating your feet will help to remove dead skin, which can prevent infections and promote blood flow. Exfoliating your feet can also help with callus removal — as long as you don’t overdo it. ConclusionAs you can see, there are several ways you can keep your feet healthy. However, many of these practices apply to keeping your whole body healthy — which means that you stand to benefit from them in more ways than one. If you want your feet to stay happy and healthy, be sure to follow these tips. From dry environments to regular foot exfoliation, there’s a lot you can do to keep your feet looking and feeling great. Like it? Share it! More by this author |