Whether you’re mingling with friends at the bar or showing off some moves on a dancefloor, your feet have a lot to take on during the festive season.
Throw in heels and tight footwear and you’ve got yourself a recipe for disaster. So, showing your feet some extra love this Silly Season might not be the worst idea.
GP, Dr Nisa Aslam and an advisor to ZeroSole – www.zero-sole.com – the first, ready-to-use footcare health innovation to ease pain caused by pressure on corns, calluses, verrucas and other foot lesions explains: “All this pressure on feet cannot only cause feet to feel sore and tired, but it can also affect lesions that already exist such as corns, calluses and verrucas, whilst also causing new ones to potentially develop. These can really impede a person’s day to day life and make festive socialising a struggle!”
With studies suggesting that as many as 48% of people suffer from corns[1] and 60%[2] of women over 50 have at least one callus or corn, lesions are a problem that affects nearly half the population.
Dr Nisa Aslam adds: “Heels can place more pressure on the soles of our feet as can worn out shoes that have lost much of their cushioning. As people age, they may also start to lose the fat that lies across the balls of the feet, which can make walking and movement on our feet more uncomfortable as we have less padding to relieve pressure.”
David Barton, a Podiatrist and one of the research science founders behind ZeroSole – www.zero-sole.com – a world-first, fully customisable foot health innovation, adds: “It’s the repetitive action of feet pounding the ground, which can cause more pressure and friction, leading to lesions such as calluses and corns.
“During the party season, it’s likely that we spend more time socialising and dancing, with more hours standing. Certain foot conditions can also increase pressure, causing high pressure points which in turn can increase the risk of calluses and corns. These can include deformities caused by rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritic foot deformities, bone growths and bunions.”
The foot lesions to watch out for
So, what foot problems might be exacerbated by party season? David Barton explains that both corns and calluses are thickenings of the outer layer of the skin,[3] while verrucas are essentially warts on the soles of the feet.[4]
“Calluses come in various different sizes and don’t tend to cause any pain. They’re common on the soles of the feet, as well as the palms of hands. They can occur on the feet from tight shoes or from foot abnormalities.”
Dr Nisa Aslam adds: “Before a corn develops, you tend to see calluses form. Corns are typically smaller, with a central point[5] and they are usually found on bonier areas of the body, such as the feet and hands, where rubbing is more likely. These areas of skin are subjected to long term pressure or rubbing, often from tight or ill-fitting shoes[6] such as heels, or from wearing no socks, where skin is more exposed. Corns don’t often go away on their own, unless pressure is removed.”
Verrucas on the other hands are warts which grow on the feet and they’re caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV).[7] Dr Nisa Aslam adds: “They typically have blood vessels in them which appear as very small black dots right in the centre of the verruca. Verrucas are also contagious.”
3 ways to party proof your feet
Whether you’re already dealing with lesions and want to reduce the pain, or perhaps you want to take action to prevent them from forming, give these tips a try…
#1. Enjoy a pamper session: If you have a spare evening amid the festivities, devote half an hour to pampering your feet. David Barton says: “Soak your feet in warm water with salts for 15 minutes before exfoliating the feet to get rid of dead skin. Finally, lather your feet in moisturiser and pop some socks on top to help your feet soak up all the moisturising goodness.”
#2. Use a customisable in-sole: ZeroSole is the world-first, ready-to-use footcare health innovation product that can be fully customised to you! It helps to ease the pain caused by pressure on corns, calluses, verrucas and other foot lesions, allowing you to move without pain.
David Barton explains: “ZeroSole’s patented, unique hexagon ‘cell’ technology offloads the pressure on the plantar, the sole of the foot, helping to not only prevent some foot lesions, but also helping lesions to heal. It’s the removal of ZeroSole’s individual hexagon ‘cells’ that make ZeroSole unique as removing these ‘cells’ creates a cavity at the point of the lesion, therefore reducing the pressure placed on them.”
To use ZeroSole insoles, cut along the chosen pre-cut size guide clearly labelled on the insole, using a pair of scissors, and then follow the easy guide on the ZeroSole packaging to customise your ZeroSole to your foot and reduce the pressure from the foot lesion you have.
#3. Give your feet a rest: Been on your feet all day? When you can, sit down, kick off your shoes and stretch out your feet. “Feet have to carry us all day, so they deserve a rest, especially if they’ve been stuck in tight shoes,” says Dr Nisa Aslam. Try flexing your feet and pointing your toes back and forth and wriggle your toes too. If you can, roll your feet over a tennis ball when you’re sitting down at work, just to relieve tightness and soreness in your feet.
Dr Nisa Aslam adds: “Relieving the pressure from our feet when we can is important to help not only stop pain but also to help lesions to heal and to stop new lesions from developing. ZeroSole finally offers a practical solution to help our sore feet this party season and it’s a must-try for anyone who wants to move pain-free!”
ZeroSole retails at £30.00 from Boots Online, Amazon or www.zero-sole.com