Now, those of you that are already diabetic should know that you need to take extra special care of yourselves. But for those that aren't aware or need reminding: Feet When a person has diabetes, it is more likely that they will have problems with their feet, this is a cause of poor blood circulation in the capillaries and damage to nerve endings. This mostly causes you to be unaware of any pain in your foot that can lead to further problems. So make sure that you follow the following "rules". To look after your feet properly the first thing to remember is to buy shoes that will not hurt your feet. This will cause you a great deal of pain and can also lead to permanent reshaping of your feet. Also, it is important to make sure that the shoes fit well so that there is no problem with air getting to your feet, so that your feet will stay at a perfect temperature. This is also why it is important to wear socks or tights with your shoes also. Another important thing is to go to your doctors surgery frequently to get your feet checked for reflexes and movement and they can also then be checked for condition and you can be advised for further treatment if there is a problem. But one of the simplest things that you can do is just to have a look at the bottom of your feet every day to check for infections and also to never walk anywhere barefoot. I would also recommend regular pedicures to keep your feet in tip-top condition. This needn't be professional although that would be great. In fact, you can create your own at home pedicure very simply. Firstly, I would buy a foot scrub/file which will remove any excess skin that has built up on the bottoms of your feet. After using this to remove most of the dead skin, put your feet in a tub of warm water (or have a nice relaxing bath) to soften your feet. Then after relaxing for 10-20 mins, pat your feet dry with a towel and find a moisturiser. Be sure to use an intense moisturiser and apply lots. After rubbing moisturiser into your feet for 5 mins minimum put on some clean socks or buy some moisturising socks from Body Shop or your local beauty salon. I would recommend going to sleep with these on so that your feet can absorb as much moisture as they need. When you wake up in the morning change your socks and then you are good to go. I would recommend doing this as frequently as you can as this is great for your feet. |
