Take Care of Your Feet During the Summer

Taking care of your feet during the summer is essential to avoid ruining your vacation. We'll present you with 8 effective habits to protect them.

When summer approaches, you think about many things. Showing off the abdomen you’ve been working on for months, getting a bit of a tan, enjoying the beach, and making the most of your free time. However, you rarely meditate on the importance of taking care of your feet in the summer. So that you don’t end up ruining your vacation, here are 8 things you can do to protect them.

Certainly, foot care is something you should practice throughout the year. However, and for various reasons, during the summer, you’re exposed to a greater number of complications due to the type of activities you can do. If you’ve already had several mishaps in the past, we’ll suggest a series of tips to take care of your feet in the summer.

8 tips to take care of your feet during the summer

We’re not always aware of the importance of our feet. This leads us to neglect them or place them in situations that favor their deterioration. As the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) reminds us, foot care in the summer is something you can’t overlook on vacation. So, let’s look at some things you can do to protect them.

1. Protect them from sunlight

The first thing you should keep in mind to take care of your feet in the summer is to protect them from sunlight. Normally, when we apply sunscreen, we prioritize areas such as the arms, face, or neck. Sometimes we completely forget to apply sunscreen to our feet, especially the tops of our feet.

Remember that, unlike other areas of the body, the feet almost never see sunlight. It’s for this reason that your skin is usually more sensitive, which exposes you to faster and more intense burns in contrast to other areas of the body. Keep in mind that the use of sunscreen doesn’t mean you can expose yourself to the sun indiscriminately.

As the evidence indicates, the degree of protection provided by the brands that make these products doesn’t always match up with reality. Although of course, they’re an indisputable line of defense to avoid exposure to UV rays, you should avoid prolonged direct exposure in order to avoid burns. Interaction with water or sand can reduce their effectiveness.

2. Hydrate them frequently

Remember to hydrate your feet as often as other parts of the body, such as the face, arms, or legs. Ignoring the feet isn’t uncommon during the moisturization routine, which prevents them from taking advantage of the beneficial properties of this.

Moisturizing the skin prevents cracks from forming and gives it a softer, smoother, and more youthful appearance. Researchers agree that urea creams are beneficial when hydrating the plantar surface. When choosing products of this type, try to use those with concentrations of this compound that range between 5% and 20%.

Remember that plantar skin is one of the thickest on the entire body. When you hydrate it, avoid doing it superficially. Rather, try to distribute it properly. Without a doubt, this is one of the tips to take care of your feet in summer that you can’t ignore.

3. Choose the right footwear

Another requirement to take care of your feet in the summer is found in the footwear you choose during this time. We can clearly distinguish two types: Closed and open footwear. At this point, we must emphasize that both are perfectly okay to use, as long as you consider a couple of details about them.

The closed footwear you choose should be lightweight, with a sturdy, breathable sole. The first two conditions will allow you to walk with them everywhere without stressing or tiring your feet; the second will prevent heat or moisture from building up after several hours.

As for open footwear, you should ensure that it offers you a good range of stability. Although it’s true that you won’t find anything more appropriate for avoiding perspiration, sometimes you end up with a lack of proper support. As a result, you can expose yourself to falls or injuries such as ankle sprains. Therefore, choose a model that you consider stable and safe.

4. Keep them as dry as possible

Something that’s often forgotten after going to the beach, the pool, or after taking a shower is to keep your feet dry. High temperatures or the context in which you find yourself may lead you to think that they’ll dry on their own. Or you may think that drying them only superficially will suffice.

It’s very important to pay attention to the spaces that separate each of the toes, as well as the folds that join them with the sole of the foot. To do this, use a special towel exclusively for this area and always take it with you to the places where you think there will be a certain degree of humidity.

5. Use antiperspirants

The use of antiperspirants for the feet is common in certain types of people, such as athletes, but foreign to most others. Using an antiperspirant is very important to take care of your feet in the summer, as high temperatures promote sweating. Sweaty feet can lead to bad odor and fungal infections.

Athlete’s foot is caused by abnormal amounts of sweat on the feet. The use of antiperspirants should be complemented with other habits such as wearing clean socks, washing the folds of the fingers with soap and water, avoiding sharing footwear, and using antifungal powders if you’re prone to fungal infections.

6. Cut your nails well and control polish

In general, specialists don’t question the use of nail polish during the summer, in principle because it’s the time of year when the feet are most frequently exposed to the open air. However, you must control the frequency with which you resort to these products; especially those known as permanent enamels.

These types of enamels are difficult to remove, they can weaken the nail and worsen cases of fungal infections. When it comes to cutting your nails, keep in mind that you should always do it with a straight design. Avoid doing it with a rounded look and cutting corners at all costs. If possible, use a specialist to cut them properly.

7. Apply measures to prevent injuries

It’s important and logical to avoid foot injuries, especially if you’re diabetic. Researchers continue to warn us about the importance of taking care of the feet in summer for patients with diabetes. Keep in mind at this point that injury and ulcer-related complications are especially dangerous in these settings.

In this way, be careful with traumatic episodes that can lead to cuts, sprains, tendonitis, subungual hematomas, contractures, and others. You should also be alert when walking barefoot on the beach and other spaces. Sharp rocks or small pieces of glass can leave you unwell.

8. Watch out for the appearance of fungi

To take care of your feet in summer, you must monitor and prevent the appearance of fungus. For all the characteristics that we’ve already exposed, the development of these is very common during this season. In addition to applying everything that we’ve already suggested, you must establish routines to inspect the condition of your feet.

This will allow you to assess the appearance of the nail and the folds between the toes. If you become aware of the presence of a possible fungal infection, act quickly with an antifungal. If you think it’s necessary, you can also go to a specialist for a more advanced treatment.

As you can see, the tips for taking care of your feet in summer are based on common sense and some basic guidelines. They’re not difficult to apply and the benefits are unquestionable. Apart from fun, try to include spaces in your routine for taking care of your health. This, among many others, is very important.