Tips For Caring For Your Hands And Feet

Problems with your hands and feet will cause serious daily issues and need to be prevented to ensure your quality of life is as good as it can be. So, what do you need to ensure to keep your hands and feet in top condition? We take a look below.

1. Wash Wisely

Even though washing your hands is essential to prevent the spread of germs, using too many antibacterial soaps can strip out the natural skin oils and make your skin dry and cracked. Most antibacterial soaps contain added ingredients such as fragrances. Fragrances can also dry out the hands. That is why you need to use fragrance-free moisturizing soap to wash your hands. Look for soaps with ingredients such as aloe vera, shea butter, and olive oil. Use lukewarm water to wash your hands since hot water can dry out the skin.

2. Treat Your Feet Nicely

Don’t forget to wear proper-fitting shoes to suit whatever activities you are doing. Visit the Orthotic Shop and browse the full range. Massage the feet whenever possible to ease pain and reduce inflammation.

Infographic provided by Dansko, a provider of Dansko shoes

3. Inspect The Nails Regularly

Leukonychia or small white spots on your nails are usually harmless and develop due to minor injuries such as picking at nails or nail-biting. Brown, black, or purple spots might be a cause for concern and could be a sign of a more severe injury or a sign of melanoma. Melanoma is a serious form of skin cancer. If you wear nail polish on your toenails or fingernails, make sure you inspect the nails in between pedicures and manicures.

4. Soak Your Feet

Soaking the feet in lukewarm water is great for your feet as well as the rest of your body. A good soak will hydrate your skin, soothe sore feet, reduce swelling, promote circulation, and rinse away bacteria before they settle into tiny cracks in the skin. Using Epsom salt in your footbath helps exfoliate the skin, remove splinters, alleviate pain, treat fungal infections, and relax your entire body.

5. Clean Under Your Nails

Dirt and grime can hide under the nails even when you wash your hands and feet well. Make sure to use a nail brush to scrub your fingernails & toenails to remove dirt and debris stuck. Hold the nail brush in a downward direction – perpendicular to your nail. Now move the nail brush through the entire nail and scrub back & forth. 

6. Apply Lotion To The Hands & Feet

Lotion is important to lock in moisture and prevent your hands or feet from drying out. As per Mayo Clinic, you need to apply the moisturizer within three minutes of washing your skin.

7. Trim The Nails

Trimming & filing is important to keep your nails in good condition. Good nails are important to make your hands and feet look and feel their best. Trim the nails to the desired length using nail clippers. Then file the nails with an emery board or nail file. Use a pusher tool and a cuticle remover to maintain healthy cuticles or the skin tissues around the nails. Don’t cut your cuticles since it may lead to skin infections.

8. Treat Hangnails

A hangnail is a different kind of infected or ingrown nail. In fact, it is a torn piece of skin near the root of the nail. Hangnails are common in people with dry skin. It may lead to skin infections when left untreated. Hangnails result in swelling, redness, soreness, warmth, tenderness, or a pus-filled blister in the affected region.

Soak the affected area in warm water for at least 15 minutes 3-4 times a day to treat hangnails. When the hangnail becomes soft from soaking, trim the edges of the nail. Apply a good moisturizer immediately after soaking the region. Use a bit of antifungal or antibacterial cream on the hangnail to speed up its healing. Your healthcare provider may recommend topical steroids for the condition.

9. Use Sunscreen

Don’t forget to apply sunscreen on your hands and feet (if you go barefoot). Choose a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 for short exposures to the sun. But you need to use a higher SPF if you go out in the sun for longer periods. The sun’s rays can dry out your skin and cause sunburn on your hands or feet.

10. Consult With a Healthcare Professional

If you have a chronic hand or foot problem, consult a healthcare provider or specialist to treat the condition. A dermatologist will help diagnose the condition and treat it. In fact, a podiatrist will help treat your feet and make them feel better.