Personal Care - Foot Care

Foot care

We spend a lot of time on our feet and rely on them to keep us moving. Yet, many of us forget regular foot care. Neglecting your feet can result in a number of issues, ranging from infections to painful blisters and cracked heels.

Fungal infections

Fungal infections, such as athlete’s foot, are skin conditions which can affect any part of the foot – and especially the areas between the toes. They can cause discomfort and are, generally, pretty unpleasant. If left untreated, athlete’s foot can also spread to toenails and cause a secondary, fungal nail infection.

The good news is that you can usually treat athlete’s foot and other fungal infections with creams, sprays or powders. Athlete’s foot can return, so in some cases more than one course of treatment will be required.

Scholl Advance Athlete’s Foot Cream contains an antifungal ingredient called terbinafine hydrochloride and has been designed to provide long lasting protection from athlete’s foot.

Other treatments include Daktarin and Canesten. Daktarin has been developed to treat fungal and associated bacterial infections and contains an antifungal ingredient called miconazole nitrate, while Canesten uses an active ingredient called clotrimazole.

Warts and verrucas

Alongside fungal infections, warts and verrucas are among the most common foot complaints. Both show up as small lumps on the skin and can be itchy and painful. Most people suffer from them at some point and they usually go away on their own. While warts can appear pretty much anywhere on your body – from feet and palms to fingers and even on your face – verrucas (a particular type of wart) can only appear on your feet.

There is a wide selection of creams, plasters and sprays which can get rid of warts and verrucas. These include Megaplast Wart & Verruca Patches and Bazuka treatment gel – both which contain salicylic acid.

To limit the spread of warts and verrucas, always wash your hands after touching them, do not walk barefoot in public places and try to change your socks daily.

Corns, calluses and blisters

Thick, tender (or even painful) areas of skin that form on feet are called corns and calluses. They are usually caused by pressure (or rubbing) of the skin on feet – such as when wearing high heels, uncomfortable shoes or shoes that are the wrong size.

While you can have them removed by a foot specialist, there are also treatments you can administer yourself. We have a range of corn plasters of all shapes and sizes – some of which include a central disc containing salicylic acid.

We also provide blister plasters designed to treat blisters, which, rather than hard areas of skin, are small pockets of clear fluid under a layer of skin. Blisters aren’t skin conditions, such as verrucas or warts, but rather develop to protect damaged skin and help it heal. Similar to corns and calluses, they are mostly caused by friction.

Cracked heels

Cracked heels, also called fissures, can look unsightly and cause discomfort. You should never ignore a cracked heel because, if left untreated, it can result in more serious problems, such as an infection.

Fissures can occur for a number of reasons, from wearing uncushioned shoes to underlying health conditions such as diabetes or obesity. Wearing soft shoes with shock-absorbing properties – or soft insoles or heel pads – can help prevent cracked heels, as can wearing arch supports if you have “flat” arches.

To treat cracked heels, you can use our Cracked Heel Patches, which provide instant pain and pressure relief.