At Foot Body Sole, we know that your feet don't take any breaks, especially over the summer holidays. However, the type of foot problems we tend to see in Summer do tend to change when compared to Winter or the colder months.
During Summer, as most people stay active, the hot weather in Melbourne creates a slightly different environment for our feet. This means more heat, more sweat, and often, more fungal infections! Below, we'll outline our top 3 most common summer-related foot issues, most of them to do with sweat and moisture, wearing thongs, and being barefoot a bit more than usual!
1. Tinea Pedis (Athletes Foot)
Although Tinea Pedis isn't just a summer issue, it certainly becomes more common. This is mostly because as the weather warms up, we get more sweaty (especially our feet).
Sweat means moisture, and as we all know, fungus loves moisture. Combining moisture, warmth, and darkness creates a perfect environment for fungus to grow, so make sure throughout summer if your feet are sweaty, change your socks frequently or give your feet some air time to dry out!
2. Blisters
Throughout summer, as mentioned above, our feet tend to get a bit more sweaty. Sweat in shoes increases shearing forces and friction, resulting in blisters forming far quicker than they usually would.
This means, you need to ensure your shoes and socks fit correctly, as well as making sure your feet stay as dry as possible, especially when you go for a run or exercise.
3. Cracked Heels
Obviously Summer in Melbourne = Thongs (or flip flops, whatever you would like to call them). Throughout Summer, our feet often get a bit dry, weather its because of the sandy beaches, hot weather, or a lack of moisturiser.
Dry feet and skin combined with thongs and barefoot walking is a great way to get cracked heels. The best way to avoid cracked heels, is to stop your feet from getting too dry in the first place by consistently using a Urea based moisturiser. Urea is the active agent in some moisturiser that helps break down dead skin cells, helping keep your feet soft and smooth! We offer a number of brands of heel balms in clinic which can help you with this.
For the above three issues, the key preventative medicine is good general foot care! This means not staying in sweaty socks too long, moisturising your feet consistently, and keeping dry between your toes as best you can!
Can a Podiatrist Help? At Foot Body Sole, we provide you with education about the feet, various treatment options for the previously discussed foot health issues and offer products that can help prepare your feet for the Summer.
Below are some ways we can help you out in the clinic:
Clearing, cutting and filing your nails
Anti-fungal treatment options
Australian made creams and sprays we stock in the clinic chosen by our podiatrists such as Walker's Urea 25 cream, Luxe 30 cream and Walker's Foot Spray, Thursday Plantations Tea Tree Foot sprays are all good options to help.
Footwear education and assessments
If you believe you may have any of the above, please contact us by calling 03 8648 7678 or click the button below to book online.
If you need help or know someone who may benefit from our advice to prevent common Summer feet issues, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Contact our lovely team on (03) 8648 7678 or click below to make an appointment.
Foot Body Sole