Washing and drying your feet
- Wash your feet each day with lukewarm water and mild soap. (Stronger soaps may damage your skin.)
- Check the temperature of the water together with your hand or elbow first, to make sure it’s not too hot.
- Don’t soak your feet for long periods of time.
- After washing, gently dry your feet, especially between the toes, with a soft towel.
- Once your feet are completely dried off, apply lotion or oil. Select a moisturizer that doesn’t contain perfume or alcohol, as these ingredients will dry out your skin
- Don’t put lotion, oil, or cream between your toes. (There may be enough moisture between your toes, so creams and oils will not be needed there.)
Caring to your toenails
- Soak your feet in lukewarm water to melt your toenails before trimming.
- Cut the nails straight across, leaving a part of the white nail plate. (Curved nails usually tend to change into ingrown.)
- Ensure that the sting of every nail doesn’t press into the skin of the subsequent toe.
- If you may have neuropathy, it’s best to go away toenail clipping to your podiatrist or one other member of your healthcare team.
Take the time!
You most likely have routines in place as a part of your diabetes management, like taking your medications at the identical time every day, or testing your blood sugar before and after meals. Checking your feet each day is just one other a part of your diabetes management routine. It’s your best defence against stopping foot complications. Set a time each day to examine your feet. To provide help to remember to examine your feet each day, arrange a each day reminder in your smartphone.
Finally, it’s essential that you may have your bare feet checked by your doctor at the very least annually. Also, ask your doctor to screen you for neuropathy and lack of circulation at the very least annually. Make it a part of your annual checkup!