Anyone else have yukky feet?

[FlatsInDagenham]

I have horrid feet.

One foot has at least 3 toes affected by a fungal infection which I haven't treated because I've been either pregnant or breastfeeding for the past 6 years. I had taken medication for the first one years ago and it had almost completely healed, then I fell pregnant and could no longer take the medicine. It came back and has now spread to two more toes. I cannot medicate so I cover them up with nail polish.

Both feet suffer from disgusting thickened yellow skin on areas of the soles that bear most weight, which I have to scrape off every few weeks. And both feet have extremely dry flaky skin all over the soles, sides and heels, so I have to use heavy duty moisturiser on them daily.

I'm 39 and I have the feet of a 79 year old.

Is it just me? Any tips?

[nomorecrumbs]

Nice!! Have you tried apple cider vinegar soaking? Vinegar solves everything.

[mrspaddy]

Soak feet in tea tree oil.

Also get into the habit of removing skin every evening for just a minute or so and it will keep it at bay.

Paint your toes a nice bright pink and you will be proud of them ..

[FlatsInDagenham]

Cider vinegar? Interesting ... would I use fresh every day or could I use the same batch for a week? Doesn't it stink?

[SundaySimmons]

Use any good foot cream at night and wear cotton trainer or ankle socks.

In the summer I spray my usual antiperspirant/deodorant (Sanex 24hours) on the soles of my feet. It means my feet stay silky smooth in sandals and flip flops.

Maybe you could do this all year round?

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

WRT the nails, you most likely had Lamasil tablets?
There's Lamasil (orally , you take for 3 months)
Loceryl (a laquer that you paint on weekly) bit like nail varnish. You need to put in on your naked nail.
Or you can try TeaTreOil neat on the nail (and under the nail) but it needs to go on daily , so no nail varnish.

Lamasil and Loceryl are from your Dr.
For your feet - the Soap and Glory file gets rave reviews. Use it dry, couple of times a week (at night) then soak your feet for 10 minutes and put on a Urea Cream. There are loads.
Flexitol Heel Balm has a high % but it's £8 a tube.
Aldo do a Urea Foot Cream that has a lower % Urea but it's cheaper.
Urea helps your skin retain moisture , that's why you need your feet to be a bit damp.. Melt it in your hands and really rub it in.
Make sure it doesn't go between the toes though, the skin there needs to be dry.
Then - socks or clingfilm and socks to help it absorb overnight.
Be careful next day in the shower.
I use Vaseline and socks on mine - lovely.
I used Liz Earle Superbalm once. Got in the shower and my heels got slippery and I fell on my bum .

Be prepared to persevere.
A nail fungal infection can take up to a year to shift, depends on how quick they grow. (Lamasil tablets work directly on the new nail matrix) Topical works on the nail as it grows out from the base.

Skin has a 28 day turnaround. So you need to use the cream a while before you see the difference. Use your cream every day.

HTH

[Clure]

ah bless you. I have runners feet (hard skin, lost toe-nail due to marathon training, recurring athletes foot- attractive!!) I invested in one of those industrial foot sander type things to keep hard skin at bay. Foot cream - I have used flexitol. keeping toe nails clipped and painted beautifully

[dimsum123]

My feet are vile. Ive had tiny blisters on the toes all summer due to the heat. The other day a blister got infected and my little toe had a huge swelling on it full of pus!. It was and still is disgusting and sooo painful. I am on antibiotics to clear the infection and my toe is bandaged up. I still have loads of blisters on my other toes, my heels are hard and dry, chipped nail varnish. I just want it to get cold so I can hide my feet in my boots!

[CPtart]

I have 5 fungal toenails in total, tried two 6 month courses of terbinafine but they still persist. I also struggle on and off with athletes foot.
Nice.

[PrivateBenjamin]

I am the owner of two minging feet too. I have been applying Loceryl since March and my disgusting fungus toenails are now almost fully grown out. I had actually forgotten what having pink healthy nails was like, i've had the fungus since i was about 12.

http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/loceryl-nail-lacquer-5ml_4_15149.html Loceryl

Can also recommend soaking your feet in a mixture of half a cup of vinegar, few drops of tea tree oil and warm water. It kills germs and will also make it easier to cut and scrape your nails before applying the Loceryl.

Good luck Flats !

[teacher123]

dimsum123 sounds like you've got a type of eczema that I had called pompholyx. Basically I had athletes foot that got worse and worse and then developed eczema and then ended up with massive pus filled blisters and cellulitis and ended up in hospital. I had to have special anti fungal tablets, penicillin and slather my feet in diprobase. That was 3 years ago and they've been fine ever since.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

CPTart if you've had 2 courses of treatment ask your Dr to send off a nail sample.
It could be a Candida infection , they can mimic a fungal infection.

Be warned it takes weeks to get the results back though.

[GreetingsFrontBottom]

For beautiful feet:

1. Vicks. Apply to nails a few times a day and after a few weeks, the fungus will be gone. I had mine for more than 20 years and read this tip on Mumsnet. It literally worked like a miracle.
   

1. Scrub feet with a hard skin remover each evening before showering/bathing I do mine whilst on the loo.
   

1. After showering/bathing slather feet in foot lotion and put socks on.
   

1. Paint toes every weekend in a pretty pink or red colour.
   

1. Voila! Beautiful feet

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

I do mine whilst on the loo

And that, ladies, is multi-tasking at it's finest

[SELondonSwede]

Check with GP to make sure no fungus or excema. Use sea salt (or epsom) for foot bath and use a foot file daily.

Then apply olive oil and a foot cream called CSS from boots. Cotton socks on.

Nice feet need daily maintanance - at least for me. I need to buff, file and rub every day!
Oh and a hardcore foot cream is a must. A rosy smelling one with golden lid wont cut the mustard;).