Clients always want to know what is the best hard skin remover for feet? But it is useful to understand that in some ways it is not a problem but a solution. Hard skin forms on the feet in response to friction, often caused by our footwear.
The pressure and friction from shoes that are too tight causes the body to produce extra layers of skin to protect itself. In this way hard skin on the feet serves a protective function, and indicates where the feet are coming under the greatest stress. This in itself can give us a clue about the best ways to get rid of it.
Wearing very pointed shoes can cause patches of hard skin and callus on the side of the big toe. High heels cause large patches of callus on the sole of the feet. Flip flops tend to generate hard rough skin on the heel in the summer months. So the first and most effective way to get rid of hard skin is often to change your footwar.
While it serves a very useful function, hard thick calluses can be extremely painful, and also unsightly. The ideal way to treat this is prevention, by looking at your footwear and making sure your shoes fit well.
This is an example of an extreme build up of hard skin on the heel.
Using cream on the feet will also do a lot of good. Using a general moisturising cream two or three times a day, will help limit dryness and cracking, especially around the heels. In the summer, if you wear flip flops or sandals that move, it is very important to take care that fissures do not develop in the heel. These can not only be very sore, but are also extremely difficult to treat.
Many people use files and gadgets like mini cheese graters to remove excess hard skin. I would really recommend thinking twice about using such equipment. People tend to go too far when using these gadgets, and you can end up cutting your feet to ribbons. The chances are, that you haven’t sterilised the device before using it, so if you do cut yourself you will be introducing bacteria into the area, and you could end up with a nasty infection.
Instead of using these kind of home care gadgets, one of the best long term solutions to hard skin is to consider setting up a daily footcare routine, as you would for your face. In the bath or shower, use a pumice stone, or a gentle exfoliating scrub ( without microbeads), and then after drying the skin thoroughly use a nice moisturiser. If you find it hard to remember to use a cream on your feet, put the pot next to where you would sit and have a cup of tea in the evening. That way you are guaranteed a reminder, just at the time when you are sitting down for 5 minutes.
Setting up this kind of daily routine will be a huge benefit if you like to wear flip flops in the summer. Flip flops are actually great for the feet (except if you are diabetic), but the heels do pay the price of all that extra rubbing.
If you live in Bristol and have a problem with persistent hard skin and callus, and want to get rid of it, then why not book a full Foot Health treatment? I can remove all the hard skin and sort out any other problems you have at the same time. For more details visit my website: www.lotusreflexology.co.uk or call me on : 07811619860 or 0117 950 6629
