How to look after your feet at home

While you're unable to attend appointments or you struggle to leave home, it’s important you know some basics on how to look after your feet from home.

Knowing how to look after your feet may seem simple, but it’s often the simple, little things that you forget that can lead to you having issues.

Toenails

It is important that you maintain the length of our toe nails, keeping them moderately short.

For those of you that have increased difficulty cutting your toenails short, it is much easier once your feet and nails have been soaked in the bath or the shower as your nails become softer.

You must be careful that you do not cut your nail too short. It’s better to be safe than sorry and leave some nail. You can always cut more if you need to. Following the shape of the nail rather cutting straight across is also beneficial. Most nail clippers have a slight arched blade – try to keep to this curve across your nail.

For those of you with thick nails, it is best to work on dry feet. Give your nails a good file down before cutting and take small cuts if you need to.

For any possible in-growing toenails, it is best advice NOT to try to ‘dig’ down the sides of the nail which can likely lead to Paronychia. To help, again, soak your feet to allow the nail to become softer and only cut the nail you can see. Don’t dig!

Try to wear open toe footwear during these times at home to prevent any pressure to the nail. Any signs of pain, redness, inflammation or yellow pus exudation from the nail area, could mean there is an infection and you may well require a medical examination and a course of antibiotics. Don’t delay, just call 111.

Verrucas

If you have verrucas it’s always important to wash your hands when you have touched your feet. Apply a plaster to the verruca(s) when showering/bathing to prevent any possible cross infection in the household. Depending on the type and size of the verruca, it is difficult to provide general advice for treating at home. If you are unsure, you can always ask one of our experts for some advice first. Also, it is best to have good habits in not sharing towels, footwear and socks.

Hard skin

We would describe hard skin to be thick in nature and a protective layer of skin. It is best to lightly use a pumice stone or an abrasive foot file once a week on feet that are dry. Try not to overdo the filing as you may go too far and file raw skin. Moisturising them regularly will help, but once you have dry skin, it is usually a sign that the skin is dead and therefore needs removing.

Corns

A corn can often be covered with a layer of thick hard skin. It can be near to impossible at home to treat. However, if you want to reduce the effects of the corn, we advise that you lightly use a file to reduce the thickness of the skin and moisturise regularly to keep the skin supple. Again, you can seek professional advice for any issues you are unsure of. DO NOT try to scoop, cut or dig at the corn!

A good routine for your feet:

Wash your feet at least once a day. Dry your feet properly (try not to put socks on when still wet). Moisturise daily. Keep your nails short so they don’t rub the end of your shoes. Use a pumice stone or an abrasive foot file once a week or fortnightly but don’t overdo the filing. Choose footwear that is going to be comfortable and fit correctly. (Our feet tend to swell during the day). Wear socks that fit and change them daily.

If you have any more questions on how to look after your feet from home, please get in touch using our FREE online service and we would be more than happy to help you.