If momma aint happy …. Nobody’s happy. We’ve all heard or seen this first hand.. Its sad but true. Millions of women and their husbands suffer from dry cracked feet. So how do you solve this problem? Here are are a couple of tips that might help!

TREAT YOUR FEET

• Dry feet thoroughly‚ especially between toes and massage the feet and ankles with a cooling menthol and camphor gel to improve circulation. We recommend the Elemis Instant Refreshing Gel‚ which contains Arnica and Birch‚ two ingredients recognized for reducing swelling and relieving pain and discomfort.
• Spa Bath – Invest in a foot spa. At the end of the day fill the foot spa with warm water and add a dose of your favorite bath soak‚ we recommend Elemis Aching Muscle Supersoak. Soak feet for ten to fifteen minutes to ease tension and improve circulation.
• To keep feet free from dry skin and callus’s use a foot file or pumice stone around the heels and balls of the feet after soaking
• Those prone to athlete’s foot or fungal infections under the nails should spray feet between the toes and under the nails with a natural Tea Tree Spray such as the Elemis Tea Tree SOS Spray. Tea Tree is an ingredient known to be one of nature’s strongest antiseptic and anti-fungal agents.
• Moisturize feet every night before bed with a rich moisturizing lotion or nourishing oil such as Elemis Frangipani Monoi Moisture Melt. Monoi leaves are a precious secret of Polynesian women‚ who have been using this ingredient for centuries as a nourishing treatment for excessively dry skin and damaged cuticles.
• When treating the toe nails‚ always cut them straight across and not too short to prevent in-grown nails. If you do have an in-grown nail see your podiatrist‚ do not attempt to dig into the corners of the nails or cut down the side.
• Rub cuticle remover into the cuticles and gently push back the cuticle with a rubber ended hoof stick or orange wood stick wrapped in cotton. When pushing back the cuticles make sure to soak the feet first to soften the skin and push back gently. Pushing too hard on the base of the nail (the nail matrix) can cause permanent damage and ridging in the nails. Do not be tempted to cut the cuticles‚ this makes them more raggedy and look worse in the long run.
• Ridging in the nail is usually caused by trauma to the nail matrix‚ often the ridges will grow out but if the trauma is severe the nail may be permanently ridged. To reduce the appearance of ridging use a buffing paste and soft buffer twice a week to improve smoothness and shine. Buffing the nails is great for nail health as it improves the circulation‚ as well as leaves the nails beautifully shiny.

So here are a couple of tips that might help you get started to softer smoother skin!

Best of Luck

Dr. Richard Nichols

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