Hard skin

susiesue_2

hi, iam a podiatrist and have read all the posts. it sounds like your footwear is causing the problem, and should be addressed. mule type shoes as well as slip ons causes the toes to claw which puts pressure on the ball of the foot.

go and see a podiatrist/chiropodists and they will remove safely the hard skin and look at whats causing it. all these gadgets can cause MORE hard skin to develop-trust me on this i see it regularly.
CCS cream is great as well as heel balm as both these contain urea-a product found naturally in skin. this makes the skin supple and able to withstand pressure from walking.

one last thing-make sure any chiropodist you visit is a member of the HPC. if not don't go as the are not regulated or properly qualified. look for BSc (hons), as there as a LOT of people with made up qualifications calling themselves foot health. practioners i went to uni for 3 years to train, it cannot be done on a weekend course.

mogwai

anniehanlon wrote: »

The hard skin is naure's protection for joints etc inside the foot itself.
If you take it off, it will naturally come back again in time to protect itself again so its on ongoing process i'm afraid. Dont walk about barefoot,
and wear sponge/microsponge insoles.

Its true, I have a hard spot on the ball of my left foot, and even though a visit to the chiropodist gets rid of it all, it starts to develop again within a week.

My best (and moneysaving) tip would be to get one of those scalpels from boots (only cost £3 or so) for hard skin on the feet. It takes a bit of practice, but if you stop short of the soft skin underneath, it really makes a difference - it keeps the problem under control, and no need to remember to slather your feet in vaseline etc, which I'm terrible at!

I do this about once a month, takes me literally 5 min, and saves £20 a pop at the chiropodist

libra10

Thanks everyone, lots of invaluable advice.

I think the sandals could be increasing the problem, making the hard skin worse.

Am going to order some of the products advised, and hopefully, get rid of the problem.

Best wishes

linni

My chiropodist advised me to use Flexitol, or something with Urea in it.

poppysocks1

I use a footfile and moisturise my feet morning and night with a high intensity moisturiser (sleeping in bedsocks with moisturiser on feet helps!). My feet are noticably softer, but its a routine i have to keep upwith otherwise the heels become hard again....

panpipe

I use the Scholl Heel Repair Cream (or it could be called Heel Protector...but there's only one so it shouldn't be too difficult to find). That has a high urea content and if used morning and night (with cotton socks in bed!) it starts to work after about 3 days then the hard skin is more or less gone in a week.

sillyvixen

i have had this problem for a while - started when we moved to refitted premisis at work, gone were the carpets and a hard floor covering was insitu - as i am on my feet in heels all day i got prolems with hard skin on my feet. i have tried all sorts of creams and a foot file (even a chemical based callus remover !!! dont go there!!) i have recently invested in a Ped Egg and it is slowly improving - i am using it a couple of times a week for only a short time (dont want to do too much at once) and moisturising in between treatments, after about 2 weeks i am begining to see an inprovement.

Horace

I use a double-sided ceramic file on my dry skin, I use it in the bath and it works a treat because then I put some lovely moisturiser on my feet afterwards. I can't use the file at the mo because I have huge blisters on my feet after spending a week in walking boots etc walking around Alicante:rolleyes:

I need some new shoes so may have to have some made because shops seem to have stopped selling half sizes (I am a 4.5 shoe not 5).

libra10

Thanks everyone - it seems a ped egg is a definite must.

I think that I need to have shoes made specially to fit, I only take size 2 and sometimes they can be too large! That's the reason I usually choose comfy sandals such as Flyflot. High heeled shoes don't feel comfortable if on my feet all day.

Dealwithit

panpipe wrote: »

I use the Scholl Heel Repair Cream (or it could be called Heel Protector...but there's only one so it shouldn't be too difficult to find). That has a high urea content and if used morning and night (with cotton socks in bed!) it starts to work after about 3 days then the hard skin is more or less gone in a week.

Scholl also have a foot place (chiropodist) in the shop. I have mine done there and its good,