Athlete's foot

Athletes foot is a fungal infection of the skin that can cause scaling, flaking and even itching of the feet. It is usually on the soles of the feet, but can be found between the toes.
It is transmitted in moist areas where people walk barefoot like the showers at gyms, bath houses and locker rooms. It can spread to other areas of the body also.
Blisters and cracked skin may also occur leading to exposed raw tissue, pain swelling and inflammation

Athlete's foot can usually be diagnosed by visual inspection of the skin but sometimes if there is doubt then a skin scraping from the affected area is taken by the podiatrist for a microscopy examination called KOH.

It can be transmitted by sharing shoes with an infected person or even by sharing towels

Hygiene plays an important part in managing athlete's foot fungus. Since it thrives in moist environments, you need to keep feet and shoes as dry as possible and avoid sharing towels, and shoes.

The fungal infection is often treated with antifungal agents which can be a spray, powder, cream or gel. There are prescription antifungal drugs also like Lamisil.

So if you are plagued by athlete's feet and can't seem to get rid of it just given Advanced Foot Care Clinic a call at 419-423-1888 to set up an appointment. On our website www.vailfoot.com there are numerous products that can help.
Tineacide antifungal cream is just one of the many products we offer on line. It contains tea tree oil which is a natural antifungal oil, also urea and aloe vera.

Cracked Heels

Cracked heels are a pretty common foot problem that can be referred to as heel fissures. They are commonly caused by dry skin and sometimes the skin around the rim of the heel is thick or callused. For most people this is a nuisance and a cosmetic problem but when the fissures or cracks are deep they are painful to stand on and the skin can bleed. Possibly get infected.

If the cracks are bad enough there will be pain on weight bearing. The edges or rim of the heel will generally have a thicker area of skin. Wearing open or thin soled shoes usually make the symptoms worse.

Some people tend to have dry skin that predisposes them to the cracks. People that stand at work on hard floors have a tendency for cracked heels as well as overweight people because this increases the pressure on the normal fat pad under the heel, causing it to expand sideways. If the skin is not supple and flexible the pressures to crack are high. Open back on shoes allows the fat under the heel to expand sideways and increases the pressure to crack. Some medical conditions predispose to a drying skin like autonomic neuropathy in those with diabetes leads to less sweating. An underactive thyroid lowers the body's metabolic rate and there is a reduction in sweating which leads to a dryness of skin.

Never use a razor blade or a pair of scissors to get rid of the callus. A podiatrist can remove the hard thick skin by debriding it. The splits will not heal if the callus is not removed. This may need to be done on a regular basis. Regular maintenance may be the best way to revent the problem. At The Advanced Foot Care Clinic we recommend Gormel 20, which is a cream that has 20% urea in it to help moisturize and exfoliate the dry thick skin.

So if your heels are painful and cracked and you have tried all sorts of over the counter lotions give our office a call at 419-423-1888. If you do not live in the area, you can find many products on our website that will help you. Just go to http://www.vailfoot.com/

Mango Magic is offered on our website which softens rough dry feet and it refreshes your skin. It has mineral oil, aloe vera, vit E, lanolin and urea in it to nourish your skin.

foot odor

When you take your shoes off are you asked to please put your shoes back on? In all seriousness, offensive foot odors can be a real problem. It is common to ignore the condition or accept it as something that you just have to live with.

Foot odor is usually from excessive perspiration. For most people the hands are feet are frequent sites of pooling with resultant wet areas and occasional skin discoloration. Ladies should limit wearing nylon stockings and socks that promote perspiration. At Advanced Foot Care Clinic we offer socks that have bamboo fibers in them to wick away the moisture from the feet. And since it is bamboo the socks are "natural" or "green". Do not wear the same pair of shos every day. Wear breathable leather shoes as opposed to occlusive synthetic shoe materials.

What could be causing the odor could be a dietary factor. You should try limiting garlic, onions, and other higher spiced foods to see if that is what is causing the odor. Keep in mind that offensive foot odor is a treatable condition and once the causative factor is identified one that can usually be remedied.

If you try all kinds of odor eator insoles and still have a problem with sweaty, stinking feet, give Dr. T. Vail's office a call. 419-423-1888. Or visit our website at http://www.vailfoot.com/ and check out our online store. We have several products that can help.

Funga soap contains tea tree oil that helps to wash away fungus and bacteria from your skin. When you shower just put some of the soap on the washcloth and scrub your feet well with it and rinse. Be sure to wash between the toes and rinse and dry. Bacteria helps to cause odor and so the fungasoap helps to wash away the bacteria and the odor.