You Deserve Beautiful Feet

When it comes to beauty products, it’s not often we actively search for something we can use on our feet, however recently there has been a growing trend of self care practices for our feet! Foot masks that exfoliate and foot peels that reveal new and healthy skin are just some of the ways we are encouraged to give our feet the 5 star treatment – we are living in a time where there is a need for self care, and our feet are no exception. Many products on the beauty market claim to soften the skin on the heel and forefoot especially, making it more smoother and healthier –  soft skin greatly reduces the risk of tears from calluses therefore exposing the foot to infection.

Callusan is a mousse which that is applied to the soles of the foot and contains a very special ingredient which gives the skin it’s smoothness and most importantly, its moisture – urea. Urea is an organic compound that loves water and is used in many of your dermatological products to rehydrate dry and damaged skin.

The Importance of Hydrated Feet

Apart from smoothness and the look of having beautiful hydrated skin, well hydrated feet also provide the following crucial physiological benefits:

• • Prevents the formation of fissures and cracks on the feet – mainly heels
  • Maintains the integrity of the protective (skin) epithelial layer therefore significantly reducing the risk of infection and amputation
  • Maintains the skin’s flexibility

• Inhibits dead skin from building up resulting in calluses

 

So moisturise, moisturise and moisturise!

 

Urea

As mentioned above, urea is naturally produced by the body and has incredibly helpful properties that act to maintain the integrity of the skin’s barrier. It is also known to activate the expression of certain genes that helps to maintain the skin barrier’s homeostasis. This compound is excellent for those who want to rejuvenate skin, but why is that?  One of  urea’s many characteristics is being a “penetrative agent” meaning that it can easily get through the thick surface barrier of the skin and into the epithelial layers beneath. This is especially helpful for those wanting to see results fast; when used with another therapeutic product, it can amplify the effectiveness of the cream or serum.

Treatment of Nails: If you suffer from dystrophic nails, urea can be used on it’s own or in combination with another therapeutic product to help treat the nail. Always consult your podiatrist before using urea as they will know what the best course of action will be for you. Your nail will benefit greatly with the use of urea as it treats toenail fungus and fungus within the nail bed.

Treatment of Fungus: Urea is a great agent for treating foot fungus or athlete’s foot (tinea pedis). Similar to the treatment of nails, when in combination with therapeutic products, urea greatly allows the site affected to heal faster by clearing the way  to the deeper layers of skin where the pathology needs to be stopped.

Treatment of Calluses: Urea helps to dissolve the top barrier of skin that gets stuck and becomes dry. It allows the natural process of shedding the old skin to occur more easily. In high concentrations, urea helps skin cells turnover; preventing the build up of surface dry skin and preventing fissures and cracks in skin.

Will Callusan Help Me?

The short answer is yes, it is highly likely Callusan will be beneficial for your feet as the key ingredient is the ever wonderful urea! However, before we elaborate on why it’s a great product to store in our bathroom cupboard, it’s important to speak with your podiatrist about your treatment plan when using Callusan. If your heels and feet have a lot of heavy callus build-up, then your plan may incorporate using a pumice stone to brush away some of that excess skin before applying Callusan. If you are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, then your treatment plan will be slightly different to others. A chat with your podiatrist will provide beneficial insight as to how you can best utilise Callusan.

Below illustrates how easy it is to get the best results from Callusan!

How to use Callusen Effectively

It is highly recommended this treatment be done right before bedtime as your body tends to best heal itself while at rest: 

1. Soak your feet in lukewarm water for 15-20minutes, add a small amount of non-alcohol based soap or body wash to the water. We recommend Dove Sensitive Skin Body Wash

2. Pat your feet dry and apply a thin layer of Callusan on affected areas

3. Wear socks for the next few hours to lock the moisture in for as long as possible

4. Seek your podiatrist’s advice as to how frequently this treatment needs to be done 

 

 

A side note for those interested in foot related beauty trends

Use these products with caution! We often hear that foot peels and foot masks are the way to go when it comes to treating our skin. Unfortunately these products often include fragrances and additives that give no benefit to the health of the skin, and may do the opposite after extensive use – not to mention they aren’t cheap. Over time these additives and fragrances can become an irritant to the skin and cause inflammation – so use beauty products that are as natural and gentle as possible.

Once in a while, it’s a good idea to take time and shift our focus from the skin on our face to the skin on our feet! The skin is our largest organ and provides vital protection from pathogens. The integumentary system (skin, hair, nails sweat and oil glands), is responsible for protection, so it’s no wonder healthy skin is so important to us. When we spend the time to hydrate our heels and forefoot then we not only heighten our chances of becoming a foot model, but we help strengthen our immune system as a whole. For more information on Callusan or any of the information in this post, please feel free to book in an appointment and speak to our friendly podiatrist Dr. Yejeong Kim!

By Nadia Anand – Foot & Ankle Experts Health Clinic