In summer, you wear nasty crevices and cracks on your feet? To repair them gently, offer them a suitable routine, without corticosteroids, and based on nourishing ingredients.
Sweet cleaning
Start with a warm foot bath (never too hot), to soften the skin gently.
“You can add a tablespoon of soda bicarbonate, recognized for its softening properties or two soup tables of ground oat, ideal for soothing irritated skin. Avoid aggressive soaps that dry out the skin. Prefer mild cleaning with neutral pH”, Specifies Dr Gérald Kierzek.
A regular scrub (2 to 3 times a week)
Then comes the stage of exfoliation: it eliminates dead cells and improve the penetration of care. You can opt for:
“A homemade scrub based on brown sugar mixed with coconut or olive oil (combining mechanical exfoliation and hydration) or specific products containing urea (10 to 20 %), such as Dexeryl or Ureaderm, which act as gentle keratolytic. If in doubt, ask advice from a pharmacist or a podiatrist”, underlines the medical director of True Medical.
Repair crevices
To repair damaged skin, “Apply a fatty ointment such as biafine (ideal for very dry skin) or a calendula balm, recognized for its natural healing properties. In case of deep crevices, use hydrocolloid dressings (like Compeed) at night, to promote healing “, says the doctor.
Daily hydrate
Hydration is essential to strengthen the skin barrier. “A mixture of castor oil (which thickens the skin) and beeswax (barrier effect) constitutes an excellent nourishing treatment. You can also use rich creams like the Cold Cream (” oil in oil “formula) or Xerial 30, which associates urea and glycerin for deep hydration”, recommends Dr Gérald Kierzek.
Reinforced prevention
To avoid the reappearance of cracks or crevices, different good habits must be adopted:
- “On a daily basis, wear comfortable closed shoes: avoid flip flops that cause friction”, warns the practitioner.
- “Apply sun protection on top of the feet”, advocates the medical expert.
- “In the evening, after applying a fatty treatment, put on cotton socks to promote penetration and maintain hydration”, underlines Dr Gérald Kierzek.
To be avoided
- Regular use of corticosteroids: “In the long term, they can cause skin atrophy.”
- Metal files or aggressive ramps: “Prefer a soft pumice stone to be used after the bath.”
In the event of a sign of infection (redness, pain, swelling)
Do not hesitate to consult a podiatrist or a doctor. “”Antifungal or antibiotic treatment may be prescribed if necessary“Concludes the medical director.