Dear Samsara,
My feet seemed to have suffered over the years from continuous hard skin and I just can’t keep up with it; it actually hurts on the ball of my foot or it gets itchy. Now I think I may have a bunion on one foot which is making me suffer sometimes when walking for long periods of time in certain shoes or boots. I don’t really want surgery and have been putting up with it.
I want pretty feet without suffering. What can I do?
It sounds like your feet really need some attention. Have you neglected them over the years I wonder? Some feet need regular hard skin removal – especially people who are on their feet all day or may be quite active in sport or dance. These would require extra attention as the continuous twisting or friction movement like the movements used in gymnastics, martial arts or dance for example would build up an extreme amount of hard skin. It is nature’s way of protecting the feet in order to walk freely if you were to be without any footwear of shoes, boots or sandals.
It sounds like a regular pedicure is needed. You can go and get this done professionally. Many salons offer this treatment. It can take 45 minutes to an hour. Alternatively you can do it yourself. If you are not sure what to do, why not book the first one with a beauty therapist to see how it is actually done and then do it yourself regularly.
Do it yourself Pedicure Guide:
1. Soak feet in a large square bowl of warm water. To the water add some foot soak gel wash and a cap full of dettol. Leave feet to relax for 10 minutes or so to allow the skin to soften.
2. Next take one foot out and using a hard skin foot scrub lotion and a foot rasp (this is a tool that resembles a cheese grater), go over the hard skin areas to remove all the dead hard skin. You will need to do this regularly over a few days if you have an excessive build up of hard skin.
3. Using a foot file, go over the same areas you have just been with the foot rasp. This will then smooth out those areas rather than leaving them rough after the rasp.
4. Remove and wash off all the dead skin in the water.
5. Cut toenails straight across and make sure they do not go over the edge of your toes as the pressure from this can lead to distortion of the toenail on the nail bed, forcing the nail near the half moon shape area at base of nail, upwards when in closed footwear and can cause pain.
6. Using a nail file, file from side to centre in one direction only. Get into the corner of where you cut straight across and just gently round of the corners so they are not sharp to grow into the skin, causing ingrown toenails which can be painful.
7. Gently push back the cuticle area on the toe nail using a cuticle pusher.
8. Apply a ridge filling base coat, nail colour polish of your choice and a top coat to prevent colour from chipping.
9. Keep feet moisturised by applying a nourishing foot cream like Vaseline intensive care at night time before bed.
Lastly you may be able to avoid surgery for a bunion. You could try wearing a gel toe separator to realign the toe and reduce pain. You may have to wear it for up to a year everyday but it has been known to be effective for some. You can wear this in your trainers or shoes or boots providing they are not tight. They can be purchased from www.careco.uk, Scholl, Boots, or physioroom.com
www.samsarabellydancer.co.uk
