How-to: protect your feet from infection

If you’ve ever had a foot infection, you know the pain and frustration that comes with sore, itchy feet that are too irritated to parade around in your fave pair of heels. The foot pain and inflammation that comes with most foot infections can often take weeks if not months to go away, even with an effective treatment plan – so the best method when dealing with foot infection is prevention.
Maintaining a regular foot care routine is an easy way to keep bacteria and infection at bay – and it’s a lot less involved than you may think. For infection-free feet, just follow these simple tips:

Everyday foot care

Always allow your feet to air: keeping them covered up in moist, sweaty environments is the perfect way to develop a nasty bacterial infection. Cramped shoes can also lead to toenail fungus, so avoid them wherever possible.

Avoid wearing ill-fitting or tight shoes: tight, restrictive footwear restricts the way the foot can move, which can lead to foot problems including ingrown toenails and heel and arch pain.

Use a regular foot bath: a foot bath is an easy way to keep your feet free of nasty bugs that can lead to infections and can be as simple as giving your feet a weekly soak in warm water and cleansing lemon juice. A daily antibacterial soap wash is a must too.

Moisturise: Extremely dry and cracked feet are a no-no if you want to keep the nasties at bay. Open cracks in your skin allow germs to worm their way into your body and breed. Avoid giving them entry by employing a nourishing moisturiser like sorbolene cream every night before bed.

For an antibacterial soap try Dettol Moisture Antibacterial Shower Gel.

To keep feet moisturisd try Burt’s Bees Coconut Foot Créme.