Should I get a Pedicure?

Thank you for clarifying Sam, because knowing our membership there will be feet pictures all over the place here within a day if you didn’t mention you were joking. Butt podding to Feet, can’t imagine what is next…we will get some weird google traffic following that.

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Sam, my guess is you need a lot more water intake. Although I live in Michigan, I have a lot of family that live in the desert. When I visit, I have to drink twice the amount of water that I’d drink at home. I tend to be very active, so I drink a lot of water, on a slow day I have 8 12 once glasses of water a day. You may have an average humidity of 6% in the desert, and that will suck the water right out of you.

There is another product that I use in the desert, and that is Eucerin. It goes on a little greasy, but it soaks in over a couple of minutes. I hope this helps.

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Yeah, this was pretty much my reaction when reading about it.

I don’t even wash my face with soap or any kind of product (literally just water) because it’s so sensitive, but the foot peel seemed to work for me without any side effects, for what it’s worth…

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We’ve played “Can you Spot the Pod?” already…and we’ve debated if we were looking at a butt crack or an elbow before…I do think the natural next step would be foot photos.

Just sayin’.

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If only we could see the PMs

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I mean, my PMs were coincidentally full of feet pictures before and this thread is just now catching up…

:woman_shrugging::woman_shrugging::woman_shrugging:

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They have forums specifically for that. Believe me.

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I will have to trust you, no need to go searching for ■■■■ on the web anymore, you are too likely to end up in bizarro-land

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Have you tried shea butter? Work it into your feet really well before bed and then put on a pair of non-linty cotton socks.

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Which variety of eucerin? There appears to be many products with that brand name

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Eucerin makes a special cream that comes in a tube that is specifically for dried and cracked feet for diabetics. Usually the pharmacist helps me find it or even orders it if it is not in stock. Its helped me a lot.

There is also another cream called MOO, which has a big cow on the front. (coincidently) it comes in large tubs as well as tubes. Its not greasy and it sinks right in. (my CDE turned me onto it)

One brand of eucerin comes in a tube or a tub labelled Aquaphor – not sure about the States, but in Canada they sometimes have both names on the package. Don’t get the one with a baby on the label – for whatever reason, it’s a lot milder, though they both have the same ingredients.

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The aquaphor ointment is what I have already, it doesn’t seem to be helping much except ruining my socks and making my floors a slimy mess… it’s basically Vaseline watered down with mineral oil… some of eucerin products are more of a cream that absorb into skin I think.

I ordered some gold bond “rough and bumpy” skin cream last night which it seems like some people swear by…

The callouses got so bad me walking around bearing weight strange reaggravated a structural problem (Morton’s neuroma I believe) that’d been dormant for several years, at this point not getting around too gracefully—- think I’ll have to find a podiatrist for that after all

Sorry it didn’t work for you. It’s the only one that works for me.

Some would say they’re all basically the same thing, working to trap moisture inside rather than “healing” the skin. (Some even say almost all these products are unnecessary and indeed unhealthy, one big marketing scam. Read James Hamblin’s Atlantic article on skin and the terrible things we do to it. His book gets into how the skin, the immune system and the gut are all closely intertwined and affect our health.)

Which raises the question, are you applying these things to dry skin, or immediately after showering or bathing when the skin is moisturized? And are you walking around barefoot, which will dry the skin and contribute to callused areas?

I try to do right after shower, and at least one additional time / day if not more…

While they are largely all the same (and actually aquaphor ointment is what the podiatrist I saw before specifically recommended) I think some may have some key ingredients that help shed excess deadened Thickened skin and therefore allow The healthy tissue to actually be moisturized… at least I hope so, at this point it’s like trying to moisturize a hoove. I’ll check out that article…

And yes admittedly I walk around barefoot more than I should, or in sandals, which are the worst thing for your feet…

If you are trying to slough off skin, you need a lotion containing an exfoliant, not just a moisturizer. I don’t think any of the ones mentioned so far do. You want something with either urea, lactic acid, or alpha hydroxy acids, plus moisturizers. Same sort of thing that people use for kerotosis pilaris. There are OTC strength ones and prescription strength. Also, appropriate chemical exfoliants are often gentler than physical exfoliants (i.e., scraping off the skin) which can be more likely to tear it.

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The gold bond one I just ordered has urea and sacyclic acid… some of the eucerin ones do as well… I’ve been trying to use the home foot file things that are like mini cheese graters and it helps for a little while then just comes back even worse, I’m hoping some exfoliants will help

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Salicylic acid (also sometimes referred to as beta-hydroxy acid, BHA) is good too. That one is also very good in facial products for acne prone skin (some of the classic acne products have it), as it gets into the pores particularly well, and is good for KP for the same reason, but I think probably needs to be combined with something else for sloughing purposes. The urea should work for that. I would agree with others that could also reflect needing more hydration if it keeps coming back. If you’re in an environment where you are sweating a lot, some of the hydration might also need electrolytes in it to work effectively.

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A friend who is a dermatologist actually recommended the Baby Foot peel (which is essentially an exfoliant) in lieu of pedicures during covid. It might be worth starting there.

The pedicure is also not a bad idea. Where I live, nail places are highly regulated and use single use plastic liners in the tub and autoclave and seal all of their tools. You could also look at buying your own tools for them to use. And don’t bother having polish put on - just have them “buff” your nails. They’ll look nice. I also don’t let them trim much from the sides/cuticles (?) of my toenails - the edge of your nails on the side. That area can get infected easily. When they start there, just say you don’t want them to trim that area.

And now I will gracefully exit this conversation because (other people’s) feet gross me out!!! Good luck! :slight_smile: Jessica

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