Diabetes comes with various foot problems because of poor circulation to the extremities. When you have diabetes, you should always be careful with your feet and follow proper diabetic foot care to avoid serious problems. Below are steps that you should include in your foot care plan.
It is important to check your feet everyday. You may not feel the pain but there might already be a foot problem afoot. Checking your feet regularly will help you locate problems immediately. Catching the problem early allows you to seek treatment early before a more serious complication. To do this, remember to check your feet everyday when you take your shoes off. Don’t forget to check between your toes too. If you have difficulty bending over to reach your feet, you can use a mirror or have someone else check for you.
Foot problems to look out for are cuts, sores, or red spots, swelling or fluid-filled blisters, ingrown toenails, corns or calluses, plantar warts, athlete’s foot, and warm spots. Certain foot problems can make you more likely to develop a sore. In this case, a podiatrist may recommend taking the temperature of different parts of your feet. There may be hotspots that can turn to a blister or an ulcer. If you have blisters, cut or sore, cover them with a bandage.
You should wash your feet every day with soap and warm water. If you have corn and calluses, a doctor may advise you to use a pumice stone to smooth them out. Rub gently in one direction to avoid tearing the skin. Do not cut corn or calluses, instead, use corn plasters or liquid corn and callus remover.
If you have an ingrown toenail, it is important to go to a podiatrist. Do not try to remove the ingrown toenail yourself or go to a salon. You must prevent it getting worse with an infection. Contact us to schedule a consultation with one of our over 80 podiatrists.