Hi, I have a foot problem I was wondering if you could help with. The skin is wearing away around the balls of my feet and base of my toes and I'm not to sure what's causing it or what to do about it. It doesn't hurt, and I don't really suffer from it. I'm on my feet all day and have a fairly long walk to and from work, so I assumed I just need to give my feet some time off.

I try to keep my shoes off whenever possible and on the weekends, I'm usually barefoot. The skin gets a little better, but any healing that's done is undone by the next weeks work.

Any ideas as to what I should do?

You might want to check your shoes to see if tehy are causing the irritation to your skin also foot skin cream to moisturie your feet. Good Luck

You may have Athlete's Foot which is caused by a fungus or bacteria but this often causes the area to be red and itchy. Or you may have hyperhydrosis causing excess sweating and when this moisture is against the foot for long periods of time it can cause the skin to become "soggy". The medical term for this is macerated.

You should use socks that are made of synthetic materials which helps keep the moisture away from the skin and shoes that have a breathable material. And try to only wear a pair of shoes every other day. This allows the shoe to dry out. And of course there are medications you can talk to your physician about.

Sincerely,

Suzanne Belyea, DPM, C.Ped.