Showing off your feet in the heat

Jul 9 2007 by Jane Picken, Evening Chronicle

Treating tired feet is the perfect way to prepare your toes for summer sandals. Health Reporter JANE PICKEN speaks to podiatrists and pedicure experts to find out more.

FROM enduring a hard day’s work to a night on the town in heels, our feet are constantly on the go – but they rarely receive special attention.

During the summer months, they will be paraded in a variety of stylish shoes. Now podiatrists from Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland are handing out helpful hints to treat tired toes.

If we fail to follow their feet-friendly tips we could be risking a wealth of health hazards, including blisters and fungal infections.

Mary Lund, head podiatrist at Newcastle Primary Care Trust, said: “We’re urging everyone to be more aware of potential problems in the hope that people can be encouraged to look after their feet properly.

“Podiatrists and specialist assistants provide information and advice on footwear and foot care, wound care and pressure relief, nail surgery and some foot surgery.

“They also help with the fitting of orthotics – special devices which alter the way the foot moves.”

Podiatry looks at a wide variety of issues such as problems with the way feet work, nail diseases and skin infections, and it also plays a part in helping people manage the side-effects of diseases such as arthritis and diabetes, which can affect the feet.

Top tips from the experts to keep your feet healthy include:

• Wash your feet every day in warm, soapy water. Finish by rinsing in cool, fresh water.

• Dry thoroughly and gently, especially between the toes.

• Trim toenails regularly, cutting round the shape of the toe but not down the sides, using proper nail clippers.

• Use a simple non-medicated moisturising cream on areas of hard skin, and on your feet in general, except between the toes, to keep your skin healthy and supple.

• Check your feet regularly for corns, cracks or changes in the skin. If you do see any problems, you should arrange to see a State-registered podiatrist.

• Keep your feet warm and dry.

• Wear open sandals in warm weather or around the house to allow more air to your feet.

• Think safety first – there are a number of potential hazards at work which could lead to foot injuries, such as oily or slippery floors, or machines which can crush.

Cold working areas such as frozen food stores, or wet conditions, can bring additional problems like chilblains or athlete’s foot.

If you work in heavy industry and have been given an official pair of safety shoes, wear them. They should bear the “Kitemark” sign which means they meet British standards.

• Always wear hard-top shoes when operating grass-cutting equipment. If you are on your feet a lot, perhaps in professions like the police, nursing, teaching or cooking, you should wear well-fitting, comfortable shoes, with thick but flexible soles.

• If you work in wet conditions, for instance in a fish market, you must wear waterproof footwear and socks which are thick enough to keep your feet warm (wool mixtures are best) but not too tight to affect you circulation. Never wear loose-fitting shoes that may slip on highly-polished surfaces.

• It is really important to wear comfortable shoes that fit properly. If your feet are hurting, it can affect your concentration, efficiency and attitude to work. Ignoring painful feet can also lead to problems in the long term.

• Wearing killer heels to the office may look super stylish, while squeezing feet into uncomfortable or ill-fitting shoes might mean not having to buy new ones, but it neither option is worth the risk.

Wearing the wrong type of shoes for long periods can cause blisters, corns and calluses, as well as serious foot, knee and back pain and damaged joints.

Another way to perk-up weary feet is a professional pedicure and at Jesmond-based spa Serenity in the City, the emphasis is on scrubbing, cleansing and moisturising the skin as well as applying pretty shades to nails.

Their luxury pedicure involves washing and filing the feet, and then applying a rejuvenating mask. The feet are then put into large, heated plastic padded booties, and after a good soak are exfoliated to remove dead skin cells.

“A lot of people who come to see us suffer from dry skin on their feet so that is something we really concentrate on,” said beauty therapist Paula Anderson.

“Using a salt scrub on them can be good and putting a moisture mask on the feet, slipping a pair of socks on and leaving it overnight can help too.”

Paula recommends moisturising your feet daily, just like your face, whether you are planning to wear sandals or not.

“People tend to neglect their feet during the winter months and only think about them when summer comes round and they want to wear sandals.”

“But we would recommend people moisturise during the winter months as well and exfoliate, using a pumice to rub reduce hard skin, around two or three times a week.”

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Bones booster

DAIRY foods are a great source of calcium which is an essential ingredient to boosting bones and protecting against osteoporosis.

But recent diet and nutrition research suggests as many as one in eight boys and one in four girls aged 11 to 14 years, as well as one in ten boys and one in five girls aged 15-18 years, are not getting enough calcium in their diets.

After the age of 35, we begin to lose bone rather than build it and bone loss becomes especially high in women following the onset of the menopause.

Increasing calcium intakes in our diets can help minimise this. Milk, broccoli, spinach, red beans and rhubarb can provide a varied source of calcium.

The Dairy Council recommends having three portions of dairy products each day in order to meet calcium requirements.

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Where to find out more

FOR further information about podiatry advice from experts in Northumberland, Newcastle and North Tyneside visit www.feetforlife.org

Advice on foot problems can be found at www.feetforlife.org or www.foothealthcare.com

A luxury pedicure with heat treatment, £45, at Serenity in the City salon, Osborne Road, Jesmond, Newcastle. For more information and to book an appointment, call them on (0191) 281 9222, e-mail indulge@serenityinthecity.com or call in and see them.