A woman should be well-groomed from head to toe. Many people make a big mistake by focusing only on their facial skin. Meanwhile, beautiful, smooth and tanned skin on such a part of the body as the legs makes its owner an object of universal admiration. Often, due to an insufficient level of moisture, including lack of care, the skin becomes dry and often flakes. Regular hair removal procedures worsen the situation. Lack of moisture reduces the elasticity of the skin and makes it defenseless against the negative effects of environmental factors.
Causes of dry skin on feet.
If dry skin appears on the legs, one should talk about either an insufficient level of lipids or moisture in the stratum corneum, or a slow process of replacing old epithelial cells with new ones. Against this background, the protective functions of the skin are disrupted, resulting in dryness. The causes of dry feet can be different. These include:
- Clothes made from non-natural fabrics. Synthetic clothing (tights, leggings) often become a source of skin irritation, which manifests itself, among other things, in the form of dryness and flaking.
- Cosmetics. Incorrectly selected cosmetics or those that are not suitable for a particular person dry out the skin. When choosing skin care products for the body (including legs), be sure to pay attention to the composition; they must include natural oils or ceramides.
- Insufficient care or lack thereof. Not many women care for the skin of their legs as carefully as they do their facial skin. Meanwhile, this part of the body requires the same careful care. Be sure to use a body (foot) scrub once a week to remove dead skin particles and prevent flaking.
- Presence of diseases. Very often, dry skin is one of the symptomatic manifestations of a disease. This could be psoriasis, eczema, diabetes. In addition, dryness may be a consequence of a lack of vitamins in the body and the presence of fungal infections.
- Age. Dry skin is a consequence of age-related changes. Over the years (after forty years), the skin becomes drier, which requires more careful and regular care. It is also important to drink clean water (mostly women replace the daily fluid intake with juice, tea and coffee, forgetting about plain water, which is fundamentally wrong), include more fruits and vegetables, fish in the diet, and take vitamin complexes. During this period, it is also important to abandon hygiene products containing alkali (as is known, it dries the skin very much).
- Impaired blood circulation. Dry skin is also a symptom of problems in the cardiovascular system, namely in pumping blood through the blood vessels. At the same time, the sweat and sebaceous glands do not cope with their function, as a result, the skin loses its natural lubrication, becoming dry. In this case, it is recommended to carry out hardening activities, do exercises, play sports, in general, strengthen and train blood vessels. If your professional activity involves staying in one position for a long time (working at a computer) or standing on your feet for a long time (teachers, hairdressers, etc.), you need to periodically take breaks (walk, stand up) so as not to disturb blood flow.
Proper hydration of the skin on the legs.
It is necessary to apply any cosmetics to the skin of the feet (and not only) when the pores are open. This can be achieved by taking a bath, shower, or foot bath (if you have dry heel skin). If you apply the cream without such a preliminary “steaming” procedure, the skin will not be able to absorb to the maximum all the nutritional components included in its composition. Never use soap; it dries out the skin and removes its protective natural oils. When taking a shower, avoid perfumed gels, just expose your body to a good stream of warm water. This water massage is an excellent way to improve vascular tone. After the procedure, apply a fat-based cosmetic or natural oil (linseed, olive, almond) to still damp skin, wait a couple of minutes to absorb, then remove excess with a paper napkin.
To prevent dry skin on your heels and cracking, it is important to regularly remove the stratum corneum using a pumice stone. Just be sure to do this on dry heels, and never steam them, otherwise you can only worsen the situation. After the procedure, you should definitely moisturize the skin of your heels, for which it is ideal to use a special cream containing urea, as well as make masks. It's good to make homemade masks.
Combating dry skin on your feet.
To properly and sufficiently provide the skin with moisture and nutrients, it is important to choose a set of procedures for caring for very dry skin of the feet. For this purpose, it is not at all necessary to spend fabulous sums; you can make do with available funds (only when choosing, be sure to look at the composition). Systematic care will restore lost smoothness and elasticity to the skin.
If dry skin is a constant phenomenon, then first of all you need to pay attention to your diet, enriching it with seafood, vegetable oils, cereals, fruits and vegetables, vitamins A (for smoothness and elasticity), E (eliminates itching). In autumn and closer to spring, courses of taking multivitamin complexes (monthly) are recommended. Drinking regime is also important (at least a liter per day).
If the cause of dryness is a disease (which one will be determined by the doctor), it is necessary to eliminate it. In this case, it is useless to eliminate dry skin, since it is just a symptom and not the disease itself.
Preference should be given only to clothes made from natural materials.
Additional home treatments to eliminate dry skin on your feet.
Paraffin therapy for feet.
The paraffin therapy procedure can be carried out in a beauty salon, but it is quite acceptable to do it at home. To do this, you need to buy cosmetic wax, melt it and apply a thin layer to your feet. After hardening, apply a couple more layers. Wrap the top with plastic wrap and a thick towel for extra warming. After thirty minutes, remove the wax film and remove the rough skin with a pumice stone. The procedure helps to further soften and moisturize the skin.
Foot baths.
Foot baths based on chamomile and hops, sage and oak bark, bran and oats (in the same ratio, two tablespoons per liter of boiling water, leave for twenty to thirty minutes) are useful. Such baths should be done regularly twice a week for fifteen minutes, after which a cream with a moisturizing or nourishing effect should be applied to the skin.
How to get rid of dry shins?
Dry skin in this area is the result of improper depilation. In this case, after shaving, you need to use special products or vegetable oil. The problem will quickly disappear.
Foot masks.
The simplest and most accessible is to rub vitamin A and E or coconut oil, cream (sour cream) into the skin of your legs (feet). It's better to do this at night. Remove excess with a paper napkin.
You can add a few drops of essential oil to your regular foot cream (it is ideal to use patchouli, sandalwood or tea tree oil for your feet).
If the skin of the feet is too dry, such procedures should be done daily; after its condition improves, it can be done twice a week as a preventative measure.
Or here is a recipe for a mask for dry feet: cut apples into slices, boil them in milk until mushy. Apply the mixture while warm to the skin of your feet, wrap it in gauze and leave for half an hour. Next, you don’t need to wash off the mask, but simply wipe it with a cotton cloth after removing the slurry. After the procedure, put on socks.
The mask prevents heels from cracking.
To soften the skin of your feet, the following mask is suitable: grind a teaspoon of butter with a raw egg yolk, add two teaspoons of raw potato pulp (grated on a fine grater) and four teaspoons of baby cream. Apply the mixture to your feet, wrap them in food grade polyethylene and put on warm socks. After twenty minutes, wash everything off. The procedure perfectly softens the skin of the heels. Carry out twice a week.
Prevention of dry skin on the legs.
- Use a humidifier in your apartment, office, or room where you work.
- Do not use soap.
- Regularly cleanse and moisturize the skin of your legs and feet.
- Change your diet, enriching it with vitamins and beneficial microelements.
By following these simple rules, you will maintain or restore your legs to their former attractiveness.
With the arrival of warm days, it is urgent to take measures to safely wear minis and sandals. But you can take care of the beauty and comfort of your foot skin in advance.
- Causes of dry skin on feet
- How to properly care for dry skin on your feet
- How to get rid of dry shins
- How to get rid of dry feet
- Precautionary measures
- Salon foot treatments
- Proper nutrition
- Cosmetics for foot care
- Tools Overview
Causes of dry skin on feet
Not long ago, American beauty bloggers created a buzz around foot care on the Internet by recording a million videos about daily foot care. According to them, this is what it should include.
Hydration is important throughout the year, but the issue is especially acute in the summer. Cracked skin on the heels looks unaesthetic, and in general it is an unhealthy phenomenon.
Pedicure: well-groomed nails, moisturized cuticles, bright polish - not just “for beauty”, but as part of personal hygiene.
Fighting excessive sweating. If you are concerned about this problem, drying creams and talc should become your daily companions.
If you have hyperhidrosis, it is better to consult a specialist: now there are many ways to combat it, including Botox injections.
Baths: according to bloggers, this is the easiest and most affordable way to quickly get your feet in order, relieve fatigue, and prepare your skin for further care.
It’s a pity that the maximum blogger program did not include the problem of dry skin. We will correct their omission. The reasons for this phenomenon can be very different.
- Structural features. There are few sebaceous glands on the ankles, feet and legs, so the skin here is more likely to become dry and rough.
- Wrong cosmetics and illiterate care. Even worse can only be its complete absence.
- Presence of diseases. This includes not only dermatitis, but also venous insufficiency, which is associated with impaired blood supply to the skin.
- Lack of vitamins.
- Fungal diseases. In this case, large-plate peeling appears in the area of the feet, and changes in the skin in the spaces between the toes. In this case, only a complete treatment regimen under the supervision of a dermatologist is indicated.
Spring will come - and you will urgently need to do something urgently with the skin of your feet, which is so dry and flaky. © iStock
How to properly care for dry skin on your feet
Smooth and soft skin on your legs is the same indicator of self-love as a well-groomed face and healthy hair. Particular attention will have to be paid to the feet, because this is one of the driest and most problematic areas on the body. It is better to take care of your feet in several stages.
It is important not only to wash your feet well, but also to wipe them dry - this way you will not disturb the skin microflora. If you have severe dryness, you can exfoliate once a week.
Combine a scrub with crushed apricot kernels with a herbal or salt bath and subsequent application of a mask.
To keep your heels smooth, after washing, apply a moisturizing (summer) or nourishing (during the cold season) cream to your feet. The same goes for skin care on the legs and thighs - this area is also prone to dryness and flaking, so daily moisturizing and nutrition will come in handy.
While applying foot cream, give a light massage to your feet and legs. This will help activate blood circulation and ensure access of oxygen to skin cells. Well, in general, massage is an excellent procedure against fatigue and for tone.
Apply foot cream using upward movements, moving from your feet to your knees and thighs.
How to get rid of dry shins
Dry skin on the legs often occurs due to lack of sufficient hydration, especially after depilation. Make it a rule to regularly treat your skin with a moisturizing or nourishing body cream, and after removing hair, do not forget to apply cosmetic oil.
How to get rid of dry feet
To keep your feet in perfect condition after water treatments, as well as visiting the pool and shower at the fitness club, apply cream. If you don’t have a special foot product on hand, any cream with a moisturizing effect will do.
Precautionary measures
The main rule when caring for your feet is this: act without fanaticism. What do we mean? Of course, treatment of the heels - the most problematic area on the legs.
- You should not use an abrasive file or pumice more than once every two weeks. Otherwise, the skin's protective barrier will be damaged.
- Treat heels only in areas of severe roughness and only after steaming.
- The movements should not be too strong - otherwise you will get microtraumas.
Scrub and exfoliating agents are used during water procedures. © iStock
Salon foot treatments
Do you want a professional to take care of your feet? Go to a beauty salon, nail bar or clinic where a podologist, a specialist in medical pedicure, sees you.
This pleasant and useful procedure lasts about 1.5–2 hours and consists of several stages:
- disinfectant steam bath;
- cuticle and nail treatment;
- skin exfoliation - hardware, mechanical, using acid peeling;
- applying a mask;
- applying varnish;
- applying cream or balm, massage the legs and feet.
This procedure is recommended for dry, rough skin of the feet to soften and moisturize. Clean, treated feet are dipped into a special paraffin solution heated to a certain temperature (you should be comfortable).
There are few sebaceous glands on the ankles, feet and legs, so the skin here is more likely to become dry and rough. © iStock
Proper nutrition
If dry feet is not a seasonal phenomenon, but a permanent one, pay attention to your diet. One of the reasons for skin discomfort is a deficiency of vitamin A, which is responsible for smoothness and elasticity, as well as vitamin E, which promotes softness.
The diet for smooth skin on your feet looks like this:
- seafood and fish;
- cereals in the form of bread and cereals;
- olive or any other vegetable oil;
- fruits and vegetables.
Don't forget to drink enough - this is especially important if you have dry skin. The norm for a healthy person is 1.5–2 liters of pure still water per day.
If severe peeling occurs, do not delay visiting a dermatologist.
Cosmetics for foot care
- Foot cream Suitable for daily use. Apply it immediately after a shower, for more intense hydration - at night in a thick layer, put on cotton socks on top.
- Foot gel with a cooling effect, it will work well in the summer and after a long walk. By moisturizing the skin, it also relieves fatigue and puffiness.
- Balm with a dense texture, suitable for very dry skin on the feet and knees. Replenish lipid levels.
- Scrub and exfoliating agents are used during water procedures. After peeling, the skin of the feet better accepts subsequent care.
Make it a rule to regularly treat your skin with a moisturizing or nourishing body cream. © iStock
Those who have encountered problems with the skin of their feet know that dryness brings a lot of inconvenience and does not look beautiful.
In order not to experience problems with dry feet, you need to know about the possible causes and care rules.
Main factors of dry skin on feet:
- Poor nutrition.
Nutrition has a significant impact on the body, in particular on the skin. If the body lacks certain beneficial substances, then the result in the form of bad skin will not be long in coming. - Lack of vitamins in the body.
Vitamin arises in the spring and autumn periods, and also if a person has been sick for a long time. Therefore, if the skin on the legs becomes dry, then this is a signal that the body needs vitamins. - Lack of water.
The human body consists of 80% water, and dehydration can lead to skin problems. 8 glasses (1600-2000 ml) of water per day will help restore water balance. - Swimming pool.
Traditionally, chlorine is added to the pool to disinfect the water. But at the same time water containing chlorine dries out the skin. The skin on the legs is very sensitive, so dryness is most noticeable there. - Cosmetical tools.
Necessary carefully choose ointments and creams for your feet. You need to take into account your skin type and composition. Unnatural creams can lead to irritation and tightness. - Age-related changes.
After 40 years, the skin on the legs becomes drier, soconstant care required. - Cloth.
It is especially important to choose the right clothing in the summer. For example,synthetic clothing does not allow air to reach the skin. - Sunbathing.
If you are in the sun for a long time, the skin of your feet becomes dry, and from frequent exposure to the sun Without protective cream, dry skin can become a constant problem. - Various diseases.
If you eat right, moisturize your skin, use natural cosmetics, but the problem of dry skin on your legs remains, consult a dermatologist to prescribe the necessary treatment package.
Rules for caring for dry skin on your feet:
- Use natural foot creamsfor example, "Losterine";
- Eat more vegetables and fruits. Those that are orange in color, such as carrots and peaches, are especially useful. Try to eat more seafood, liver and fish meat;
- Include a complex of vitamins in your diet;
- Have a drink every day about 2 liters of clean water;
- Using pumice or special devices, periodically clean your heels horny skin.
- Before after going to the pool moisturize your skin feet with special cream;
- Use sunscreen when exposed to the sun for long periods of time;
- Wear clothes from natural fabrics (cotton, linen);
- Try not to use perfumed hygiene products.
- It's better to wash your feet water at room temperaturewithout using any funds.
In summer, under the scorching sun and dry wind, moisture from the body quickly evaporates. Therefore, people with problematic dry skin need to know how to properly care for it. By following a few simple rules for the prevention and care of dry skin in the summer, you can prevent or get rid of such unpleasant symptoms as irritation, dryness and flaking.
One of the most common skin problems that you encounter in everyday life is dry skin. And due to excessive dryness, painful cracks may appear, into which microorganisms can enter, which will lead to infection of the wound. How and with what to deal with dryness and cracks on the hands and heels?
In winter, the skin is very dry and dull. Dryness can occur on both the face and body. There is a feeling of tightness, the skin becomes rough and itchy. Let's look at some tips on how to protect your skin in winter.
Skin irritation is an unpleasant symptom that occurs due to exposure of the skin to certain factors: cosmetics, household detergents, soap, razors, plant juice, sweat, frost, even fabrics. Skin irritation itself is not a pathology, but can indicate a number of diseases, therefore, if it occurs frequently and does not go away for a long time, it makes sense to get examined by a doctor.