Corns

Corns are small areas of skin that often occur on toes as a result of excessive pressure from footwear or socks. There are two types, hard and soft. Hard corns occur on the tops, tips and sides of toes and have a core that presses on nerve endings, causing pain.

How to treat corns

Choose comfortable shoes to prevent corns from forming in the first place. If a corn has already formed, you can either remove it or protect it. Try creams for removal and use a file after footbaths too. To protect corns, relieve pain and lessen the discomfort caused by friction and rubbing, you can use protective patches made from felt, latex or gel.

Hard skin

Thick, hard skin, yellow in colour and oval in shape, often appears on the ball of the foot and may cause discomfort. Areas of thick, hard skin are usually yellowish and round, larger than corns, with crossed lines on the surface of the skin. They form on the top and outer edges of toes, on the ball of the foot and the back of heel, and are caused by on-going stress and pressure on foot.

How to deal with thick, hard skin?

Physically removing the skin is a common approach to treating thick, hard skin – files are ideal for this – and latex or felt protective plasters are effective in relieving discomfort.

You can easily take care of this at home to leave your feet wonderfully soft!

Cracked heel

Cracked heels, or heel fissures, are splits in the skin around the heel. When pressure is put onto the heel from our bodyweight while walking and standing, the skin needs to stretch and spread out a little. If the heel cannot stretch because the skin is dry and inflexible, it will split.

How to prevent and treat cracked heels

For cracked heels try a keratin based treatment. The regular use of a file can also help you get smooth and soft heels.

Sweaty feet

Sweat is perfectly natural, keeping the skin soft and flexible and controlling the temperature of your feet. People often think that sweat is the cause of bad odours, but it isn’t. Odour is produced by bacteria which grow in shoes due to the heat and humidity.

How to prevent bad foot odours

To take care of excessive perspiration, wear socks made of natural materials and shoes that allow your feet to breathe reducing the growth of fungi and bacteria. Another way is to try using a spray deodorant for shoes to help eliminate bad odours. If you have stubborn perspiration, an anti-odour cream can help, but shoe hygiene is essential too.

Tired feet

The feeling of having heavy or painful legs is caused primarily by circulatory problems. Lack of movement and an increase in body weight can cause blood stagnation in the limbs. That's why sitting for a long time without any muscle activity to act as a pump, can slow circulation in the legs.

How can I get relief for tired legs?

Avoid anything that interferes with the return blood flow like sitting for a long time, too tight clothes.Instead, walking, swimming and cycling are recommended activities to improve blood circulation. Footwear with special gel inserts helps reduce pressure in the foot's most sensitive areas and promotes better weight distribution over the entire sole.

Blisters

Blisters start with an intense and continuous friction of the skin on your foot against a shoe, especially if it is new or stiff. A pocket forms between the skin and the underlying tissue and quickly fills up with fluid, creating a blister.

How to prevent blisters

Lots of things can cause blisters like sporting activities such as running, or wearing a pair of new shoes. Blisters frequently occur on the heel, sole or toes and for each of these areas you can choose suitable protective gel patches – giving relief from pain or the pressure of footwear, and creating the optimum conditions for healing. Blister Shield Plasters protect, provide relief and help blisters heal.