Foot Care Tips
for avoiding skin and nail disorders of the feet

1. Toenails should be trimmed straight across so they are no longer than the tip of the toes. Do not round off the corners, which could allow nails to grow into the skin.

2. A podiatrist should evaluate any discoloration or redness around or under a toenail.

3. Washing the feet with mild soap and water and remembering to dry well, especially between the toes, will help prevent fungal or yeast infections.

4. Shoes, socks or hosiery should be worn and changed daily.

5. Make sure pedicure instruments at a beauty salon are sterilized properly, or bring your own.

6. Don't apply polish to toenails that are discolored or swollen.

7. Shower shoes or flip-flops should be worn in public areas such as gym locker rooms and showers to prevent fungal infections.

8. Soaking your feet in warm water with Epson salts (unless you have diabetes) or applying a spray or roll-on antiperspirant on the bottom of the feet can decrease perspiration.

9. Wear properly fitted and supportive shoes on a daily basis. It's best to shop for shoes in the afternoon when feet tend to swell. If your feet are two different sizes, buy the shoe that fits the larger foot to limit or reduce corns and calluses.

10. Rinse the shower with a mixture of bleach and hot water once a week to reduce the transfer of fungal infections between family members.

1. Ingrown toenails can lead to serious bone infection. (True)
If an infection is left untreated or undetected it can infect the underlying bone and turn into a serious complication if not treated by a podiatrist.

2. A podiatrist cannot permanently cure an ingrown toenail. (False)
Podiatrists are specialists of the foot and ankle who can perform procedures to permanently cure ingrown toenails. If you experience any redness, pain or swelling around a toenail see a podiatrist.

3. Skin cancer cannot appear on the feet. (False)
Skin cancer can appear from the top of your head to the soles of your feet. Moles or spots with an irregular shape, border, or color across their surface, or that are larger in diameter than a pencil eraser should be reported to your podiatrist immediately for further inspection.

4. Cutting a "V" in your toenails will prevent ingrown toenails. (False)
Toenails should be trimmed straight across so they are no longer than the tip of the toes. Do not round off the corners, which could allow nails to grow into the skin.

5. Warts are contagious. (True)
Warts are caused by a virus, which generally invades the skin through small or invisible cuts, abrasions, or cracks in the skin. They can appear anywhere on the skin, but technically; only those on the sole are properly called plantar warts. Like any other infected lesion, plantar warts can spread by touching, scratching, or even by contact with skin shed from another wart. The wart may also bleed, another route for spreading.

6. Dry, cracked heels can lead to a skin infection if not treated by a podiatrist. (True)
Dry, cracked skin most commonly occurs on the soles of the feet, especially the heels and big toes. The cracks are open wounds that are prone to fungal, bacterial or viral infections if not treated by a podiatrist.

7. Discoloration of your toenails may be a fungal infection. (True)
A toenail's change in color may be an indication of a fungal disease. If not treated, the infection could eventually penetrate the entire nail and impair one's ability to work or even walk.

8. Ingrown toenails are hereditary. (True)
Heredity, improper nail trimming, trauma, shoe pressure, and poor foot structure are all causes of ingrown toenails. The best way to prevent ingrown toenails is to protect the feet from trauma and wear shoes with adequate room for the toes. Also, nails should be trimmed straight across to a comfortable length no longer than the tip of the toe.

9. There is nothing you can do to keep feet from smelling. (False)
Alternating your shoes, socks and/or hosiery daily, applying talcum powder or roll-on antiperspirant or spray to the soles of the feet, and soaking your feet in warm water with Epsom salts are all ways to cut down on perspiration for feet that sweat a lot and have a tendency to smell. Also, if you have a fungal infection such as athlete's foot, this could cause the feet to smell and a podiatrist should be consulted.

10. A skin rash on the foot will go away by itself in due time. (False)
A skin rash on the foot could indicate the start of a skin disease such as athlete's foot, other skin disorder, or systemic diseases like diabetes, lupus, arthritis or psoriasis. See a podiatrist if the condition persists.