Diabetic Foot Care Products: What Should Be Included In Your Diabetic Kit
Diabetic Foot Care Products: What Should Be Included In Your Diabetic Kit
Diabetics often have serious problems with their feet. This is partially because they usually lose sensation around this area, making it possible for blisters, cracks, and wounds to develop without the patient knowing it. If unattended, small wounds like these can exacerbate into severe complications such as gangrenes and ulcers. Needless to say, foot care products that were specially designed for diabetics are available to prevent any of these complications to appear.
Diabetic socks – Looking much like regular, ordinary socks, diabetic socks are footwear that prevent moisture and build-up of microorganisms that cause infections. These socks have several characteristics, however, that separate them from generic socks. These socks were made with comfort in mind. These were made from a combination of materials such as nylon, acrylic, cotton and elastic fibers that can provide the feet ample cushioning while keeping it cool and dry. These are seamless and are not made of wrinkle-prone materials that can cause and aggravate blisters. These can also help improve blood circulation since these have non-binding tops.
When choosing a diabetic sock, it is important to keep two important things in mind- comfort and protection. Design is secondary. The socks should fit snuggly, but comfortably. For more serious cases of foot deformities, patients are advised to wear wider socks. Also the fabric should not produce any uncomfortable sensations.
While manufacturers have already produced colored socks, white socks come highly recommended by podiatrists or foot doctors. It is easier to detect draining that can cause discoloration with lighter-colored socks.
Fungal nail treatments – People with diabetes are at risk of contracting nail fungus or onychomycosis, a condition that is characterized by discolored, disfigured, thickened, and split toenails and fingernails. There are various treatments for onychomycosis, including topical antifungals and oral medications. For more severe cases, surgery is needed.
Diabetic foot cream – Healthy and soft skin often make it harder for infections to spread throughout the feet. Dry skin, on the other hand, lead to cracks that make the skin on the feet more vulnerable to infections. A good diabetic cream may help moisturize areas that are especially dry. However, caution must be observed when using these creams. Generally, the skin in between the toes should not be dabbed with cream or oil as this often leads to complications.
Good-fitting shoes – A diabetic shoes need to be a special pair. Although of course there are a lot of online and local market vendors that sell specially fitted shoes for diabetics. A good pair of shoes for a diabetic is one that has a high and wide toebox, has removable insoles that can accommodate orthotics, has lesser pressure in areas of the shoes that usually cause feet problems such as calluses, blisters and wounds, and one that supports the feet very well.
Antifungal foot cream – A separate cream might be needed to fend off fungi and bacteria from forming deformities on the foot. Also, this can relieve symptoms like itching and burning sensation while adding in moisture into the skin to fortify its protection against microorganisms.
Pumice stone – This stone may come in handy for people who are suffering from excessive formations of calluses. This stone can gently remove layers of hardened skin. For better results, use pumice stone in combination with moisturizing soap or cream to help hydrate the tissues of hardened areas.
