Foot Care

Diabetes foot care involves a daily routine to both nurture these injury-prone extremities and check for any problems that might need your doctor’s attention. Having the right diabetes foot care products makes foot care easier to accomplish. The goal is to protect the skin of your feet and prevent dryness that can lead to cracking —a big welcome sign to harmful bacteria and infections. By the same token, removing dry skin and calluses needs to be gentle to avoid bruising skin or removing too many layers.

Calluses, thick layers of skin caused by too much rubbing or pressure on the same spot, can be gently filed after a bath or shower, when skin has softened. A highly effective solution to help control callus build-up while reducing the chance for infection are Kerasal Callus Removal Cleansing Pads. With an abrasive texture for softening calluses on one side and a built-in cleanser on the other to disinfect, these callus pads exfoliate even the driest feet and toughest calluses. Unlike traditional pumice stones and files that can become unsanitary, these are disposable—use a pad, then throw it away.

If your doctor feels pads are too abrasive, consider Kerasal Exfoliating Moisturizing Foot Ointment for softening feet and controlling callus build-up. The dual action formula of this diabetes foot cream exfoliates and moisturizes in one step and can soften even the driest feet.

To be certain that you are caring for your feet properly, always get instructions from your doctor and follow them carefully. He or she can best advise you on how to use callus removers and other pedicure aids.

Clipping nails is another foot care step that needs to be done carefully. Cut toenails when they are soft after a short soak in lukewarm water—this makes nails less likely to crack when you trim them. To treat feet to a relaxing soak, try the Conair One Touchpad Deep Foot Bath. It comes with three pedicure attachments to specifically massage different areas of your feet. Make sure the water is never too hot by testing the temperature with your elbow. Hint: When you’re ready to clip, cut the nail straight across—curved nails are more likely to become ingrown. Also, ask your podiatrist the best way to trim nails to avoid mishaps.

When you have diabetes, and especially if you have diabetic neuropathy with a loss of feeling in your feet, you want to protect against blisters and other conditions that can break the skin’s protection barrier and go undetected because of a loss in sensitivity. Pedifix Gel Moleskin Protective Padding adheres gently to skin to cushion and protect while absorbing pressure and friction. Perfect when applied over corns, calluses, bunions, blisters, heels and more, the moleskin can be trimmed to any shape for a custom fit, plus it’s washable and reusable.