diabetic foot care

Believe it or not, diabetes can actually have adverse effects on your feet. You may think that diabetes is only a disease that affects your blood sugar and internal functions, but it can actually have some external effects, and those are most noticeable on your feet.
The main thing that diabetes does to your feet is either reduce blood flow or desensitize the nerve endings in your feet. This means that you do not have the same sensation in your feet, and it may be more difficult for you to detect potential problems. If not inspected frequently, a small blister can turn into a serious health problem. Even a wart can have a bad effect on your overall health.
There are a few things that you should do if you have diabetes to take care of your feet.
Look at your feet daily
This may sound like a pretty obvious tip, but really, when was the last time you thoroughly examined your own feet. Not lately, right? A lot of people don’t take the effort to inspect their feet for potential problems. As previously stated, if you have a small blister on the bottom of your foot, and you don’t notice it due to the desensitization of your feet, it could turn into a serious health issue. There are numerous other small issues that could escalate if they are not taken care of in a reasonable amount of time. That is why it is very important to thoroughly inspect your feet daily. It only takes a few minutes, but could really save you a lot of hassle.
Be Gentle with your feet
People are rarely gentle with their feet, even if they don’t have diabetes. But, it is important to take care of them, especially is you do have diabetes. Don’t be rough with them when washing them, and don’t try and scrape off calluses or anything else on your skin. Don’t subject them to extreme heat or extreme cold, and try to keep them covered as often as possible.
Use moisturizer on your feet
It is important to keep the skin on your feet moisturized and free from cracks or dry skin. Not only will this make them feel better, but it will allow them to be healthy and allow the skin to regenerate successfully. It is important to avoid putting on too much moisturizer, as an excess of moisture can promote fungal growth, especially between your toes.
Get checkups on your feet
People rarely go to podiatrists any more. If you have diabetes, a visit to your foot doctor should happen regularly. It doesn’t have to be every month, but it should happen more than once per year. Just use common sense.
It is important to take care of your feet, whether you have diabetes or not. But, if you are effected by diabetes, it is just that much more important to take good care of your feet. If you follow the above tips, you should not have any foot issues that will affect your health.