We created our Diabetic Foot Soap to aid in the daily care of diabetic feet. Some customers have asked us why we felt a special soap for diabetic feet was an important soap to make.
Some people with diabetes experience poor circulation and loss of body fluids. Less fluid in your body, in turn, causes dry skin. Skin can get dry in any part of your body, but particularly in your extremities (the areas furthest away from your heart) like your legs, feet, and elbows. Dry skin can itch, causing you to scratch the dry patch and make it worse. Dry skin is always irritating. But for someone with diabetes, dry skin becomes dangerous when it cracks.
The risk is high for someone with diabetes because when your dry skin cracks, germs can enter your body. With high glucose, the germs are essentially fed which makes the infection worse. Even a common fungus like athletes foot becomes deadly for a diabetic foot when the cracks between toes allow the germs to get under your skin. Infection can then spread to your toenails, making them yellow, and hard to cut because the nails are thick.
As circulation becomes less, nerves are deprived of the oxygen they need, and nerves are damaged. When this happens, someone with diabetes lose normal feeling in their foot. So, they may not notice when they hurt their foot or toes in some way. They may continue to walk on a spot that would usually cause pain in someone else, who would STOP and look at their foot in response to pain. But someone who doesn't feel pain in their feet could irritate the foot area, break the skin and start an infection.
But when there is poor circulation, your body doesn't send as much oxygen to your feet. This is very important to understand, because the white blood cells in our blood attack bacteria and help to heal skin wounds. Our blood also carries antibiotics to the areas of our body that need healing. So if your feet are not getting an inadequate supply of blood even a blister can become infected, and be difficult or impossible to heal. This is why some diabetic foot infections lead to amputation.
This means that someone with diabetes cannot wait for pain as a signal that something is wrong. Diabetics must learn to LOOK at their feet every day, and take special care to inspect and wash their feet carefully. A mild, moisturizing diabetic foot soap like our Ginger-Tea Tree Shea Butter Foot Soap for Diabetic Feet is an important part of the daily care process for diabetic feet, but our Foot Soap is only one part of the process. Here are some things you can do EVERY DAY to take daily care of diabetic feet.
Wash your feet in every day, preferably in warm water. Avoid hot water by testing the temperature with your elbox. Don't soak your feet in water, and be sure to dry them well, taking special care to dry between the toes of your foot.
Look at your feet every day and get familiar with them! Look for cuts, blisters and other sores on your foot. Calluses and redness can quickly become problems. It's even more important that you check every day if you know you have poor circulation or nerve damage to check for cuts, sores, blisters, redness, calluses, or other problems. Visually checking every day is even more important if you have nerve damage or poor blood flow to your feet.
If your skin is dry, rub salve or moisturizer on each foot after you wash and dry them. It is recommended that you not put moisturizer between your toes.
Be sure to keep your toenails cut weekly or as needed, and file down sharp edges. Toenails are softest after a shower or bath.
Keep your feet protected from injuries.
Wear socks or stockings to avoid blisters that could become infected, and wear shoes or slippers even around the house.
Select shoes that fit well by purchasing new shoes at the end of the day when your feet are larger due to increased blood circulation. Feel the inside of shoes to be sure there are no sharp edges that might cause a blister or bruise to form. Blisters can become infected. Be sure to break your shoes in slowly by wearing them just an hour or two every day the first week or so.
The American Association of Diabetes Educators
http://www.diabeteseducator.org
The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse
http://www.diabetes.niddk.nih.gov
National Diabetes Education Program
http://ndep.nih.gov
American Diabetes Association
http://www.diabetes.org
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International
http://www.jdrf.org
Ginger and Tea Tree Essential Oils with natural antibacterial qualities to reduce infection from cuts and cracks.
