With summer well and truly upon us, the team at Beauchamp Foot Care have decided to take a closer look at how to keep those feet looking good over the warmer months. Good footcare is important all through the year but summer does present its own challenges, particularly during really hot spells.

1. Pay Attention to Your Feet

This is something many of us neglect to do properly. Regular inspection is important if you want to catch problems early and maintain good foot health. The best time to do this is just after you’ve had a bath or shower. Take a few seconds to look for issues such as fungal nail, verrucae or athlete’s foot.

During the day try not to let your feet get too sweaty for too long. We have about a quarter of a million sweat glands in our feet and when everything’s locked away in shoes and socks this can be the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Stick to natural fibre socks, especially during the summer and give your feet a regular airing.

2. Wearing Shoes Without Socks

Once the warmer weather comes in we find a lot of patients start wearing trainers without any socks at all. Unfortunately, this is something that can make your feet and footwear smell if you either do it too often or don’t wash the trainers.

The good news is you can pop most trainers into the washing machine and many new models now come with a sports shoe cycle. We advise that you also use an anti-fungal spray such as Daktarin Aktiv to help keep your shoes clean.

3. Get Insoles for Your Ballet Shoes

A popular footwear style among our patients is ballet-style shoes, something which may also be worn without socks. While these look great, our advice is to wear these with a decent liner such as the Scholl Fresh Step Insole as it will help keep problems like fungal nail infection at bay. The insoles also provide a little extra cushioning for your feet which is important.

4. Cut Your Toenails Properly

If you want to avoid painful problems such as ingrown toenails, cut your nails regularly. It’s important to do this properly and invest in a decent pair of nail clippers. Cut your toenails straight across about once a month and file away any rough edges.

5. Avoid Going Barefoot in Public Areas

Public areas where everyone is running around barefoot are the perfect breeding ground for all sorts of foot infections. If you want to avoid getting something like a verruca, make sure you wear some protection such as flip-flops on your feet, particularly if you’re at the poolside on holiday.

6. Treat Problems Promptly

It’s important that you do something about any problem with your feet and consult a qualified podiatrist as soon as possible. Maybe because we keep them covered up so much, we ignore issues like callouses and bunions or fungal nail infections until we absolutely have to do something about them. The quicker you get something treated, the better for your feet and your personal health.

7. Give Your Feet a Treat

Finally, over the summer months, it’s important to give your feet bit of love and attention. While a trip to the local nail bar may seem a good idea, it’s no substitute for a proper medical pedicure that is carried out by a professional podiatrist.

At Beauchamp Foot Care this treatment includes a footbath, cutting and filing your nails, moisturising your feet and applying a good quality nail polish like the chemical-free products from the Zoya Range. It’s the perfect way to make sure your feet are in tip-top condition for those summer events.

Book an appointment today at our Knightsbridge clinic.