How to get rid of your unsightly cracked toenails… and the conditions they’re hiding: Top podiatrist reveals the six common mistakes you’re making with your feet and what they mean for your health

In the otherwise unremarkable 1992 film Boomerang there’s one scene that’s seared into my memory. It’s when Eddie Murphy’s character Marcus makes the postcoital discovery that his immaculate lover has feet more hobbit than hottie. How could a ‘woman that fine’, he despairs, have such ‘jacked-up feet’?

Confession: my feet are also my least groomed body part. Honestly, they give Gandhi vibes. I have a plethora of callouses and corns from cramming my size 8s into 7s, a few hairs sprouting on the knuckles of my big toes, cheese-rind heels and soles with more padding than a pantomime dame.

But after talking to two podiatrists, I’ve realised that neglecting your feet goes beyond the superficial – it has ramifications for your overall wellness. Here they tell me the mistakes to avoid if you want to keep healthy.

Neglecting your feet goes beyond the superficial – it has ramifications for your overall wellness

1. Letting gel toenails grow too long

Longevity is one of the selling points of gel nails. The trouble is this means we often go longer between appointments and the nails grow too long. Keep them short using straight nail clippers such as Tweezerman Nail Clippers (£15, superdrug.com).

Dr Helen Branthwaite, chief clinical adviser at the Royal College of Podiatry, says overgrown nails can ‘curl around the toe and press into the flesh’, increasing the chances of them ‘catching, tearing or lifting’.

Leaving gels on too long can lead to ‘a lack of hydration’ within the nail, which can result in a bacterial or fungal infection. This problem is then compounded because the gel polish disguises symptoms and thus delays diagnosis. Podiatrist Molly Chilvers says: ‘Regular breaks from gel polish can maintain the health of your toenails.’

2. Allowing cracked heels to get out of control

These are more than just unsightly; they can be painful and even dangerous, opening you up to infection risk. Chilvers says effective treatment is about simple, regular action rather than anything too ‘costly or time-consuming’. She suggests using a pumice stone or foot file twice weekly on dead skin. Try Footopia Super Foot File (£11.70 for members, beautypie.com). Then apply a hydrating cream daily, straight after a shower or bath when it’s more easily absorbed.

Dr Branthwaite says to look for a product containing five to ten per cent urea – a favourite of podiatrists, with ten per cent urea, is CCS Foot Care Cream (£6.75, boots.com). Consider applying it before bed and pulling on socks overnight to supercharge its effectiveness. Chilvers recommends natural-fabric ones such as bamboo or cotton.

3. Shaving too much skin off the soles of your feet

Getting rid of dead skin feels so satisfying but overdoing it in the salon, or at home, is generally disapproved of by podiatrists. As well as possibly making the soles of the feet tender, Dr Branthwaite says it can leave you with an increased risk of irritation and infection plus rebound growth. She says filing and regularly moisturising is the best way to deal with rough skin.

FOOT FACTS

★ Each foot has 26 bones (a quarter of all the bones in your body), 33 joints and more than 100 muscles, ligaments and tendons.

★ With 250,000 sweat glands, feet can produce up to half a pint of sweat a day.

★ A force equal to about twice your body weight will pass through the big toe joint with every step.

★ The average toenail takes six months to grow.

★ 60 per cent of us have one foot bigger than the other.

4. Wearing sandals that are too small or narrow

When it comes to summer footwear, I’m drawn to less supportive styles and often play fast and loose with shoe sizes. Dr Branthwaite warns this may have consequences for my foot health. She says wearing backless shoes or sandals can increase the incidence of heel fissures because of increased exposure to the elements, lack of shock absorption and expansion of the heel pad. The lesson is to make sure your sandals are wide enough and long enough to avoid any heel overspill.

5. Be wary of trimming cuticles

They might sometimes be unsightly, but Chilvers advises against cutting cuticles because they ‘act like a barrier’ and so removing them heightens the risk of infection. Soften cuticles by soaking in hot water and further hydrating with a cuticle oil, such as Manicurist Huile Verte (£15, lookfantastic.com), and then pushing them back gently with a cuticle pusher (£3.99, hm.com) is a safer option. If you do decide to go for the snip and they become ‘red or swollen’ then Dr Branthwaite advises bathing the area in antiseptic, covering it and, if there’s any pus or spreading of redness, calling 111 or visiting a podiatrist.

6. Not factoring in a medical condition

Dr Branthwaite says that eczema and psoriasis can cause the skin on the feet to become dry and cracked, as can obesity and taking statins. Those with diabetes are also prone to foot issues as they can suffer from ‘decreased circulation and sensation in their feet’, says Chilvers. So if you’re a sufferer, ‘it’s important to regularly check over your feet’. She recommends Footmender‘s specific cream, All In One Diabetic (£36.99, boots.com), which is scent free and has hyaluronic acid and Pentavitin for lasting hydration.

Molly Chilvers is brand ambassador for Footmender All In One. Foot facts are from the Royal College Of Podiatry.

Under a tenner

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Beauty clinic

Q The backs of my arms are bumpy and spotty so I’m embarrassed to get them out in warm weather. Wendy Stewart, 58

A Sounds like you have a condition called keratosis pilaris, where excess keratin builds up and blocks the hair follicles. I’d try Mixa 10-in-1 Cica Repair+ Ointment (£5.33, boots.com). The French pharmacy brand is new in the UK and this product is powered by ten per cent urea plus amino acids to exfoliate and hydrate.