Our feet are exposed to a lot over the summer months, including the sun, extra sweat and shoes that offer inadequate support. To ensure your feet and ankles are kept healthy all year-round, check out our top tips for looking after your feet in summer.
Thongs are a popular footwear choice in Australia when the weather warms up, however, they’re not the best for your feet. Traditional thongs don’t provide adequate support for your feet, especially if you’re standing up for long periods or doing a lot of walking. As such, try to limit wearing thongs to when you’re going to the beach or the pool, but wear something with a little more support on a daily basis.
Although, if thongs are your preferred choice, then opt for brands like “Archies” (available at Cannington Podiatry) that have an inbuilt arch support and a normal heel thickness, instead of being completely flat.
Hard and cracked skin around the heels is very common in summer. Open-backed sandals and thongs rubbing around the edge of your heel often cause this. If your heels do become cracked and calloused, consult your podiatrist for treatment methods.
During summer, try to alternate your shoes so you’re not wearing the same ones every day. Also, air them out overnight to prevent fungal infections.
Public pools and change rooms are hot spots for infections like warts and tinea. To protect your feet against any nasty infections, wear thongs in public toilets and showers at pools and beaches, and try to wear shoes when walking around the edge of swimming pools as well.
In summer, your feet will most likely sweat more than they do during the cooler months. This means that extra care needs to be taken to ensure your feet are kept healthy and aren’t exposed to any fungal infections.
If you need to wear socks, make sure you change them daily, and wash your feet with warm, soapy water each morning and night. The same goes for if you’re wearing sandals. As your feet get sweaty, especially the bottom of your foot as it rubs against your sandals, wipe them clean to avoid excessive build up or any infections.
Australia has particularly harsh UV rays in the summer, so if you’re outside during the day and your feet are exposed to the sun, make sure you regularly apply sunscreen to your feet.
Your feet are just as much of a risk area for skin cancer as the rest of your body, so always rub sunscreen onto the top of your feet, toes, around your ankles and any other areas that will be exposed to the sun.
Over the warmer months, and at any time during the year for that matter, if you notice anything unusual about your feet make sure you consult your podiatrist. You can call the team at Cannington Podiatry to arrange an appointment on (08) 9351 8334.