Podiatry Dermatology By Podiatrist, Matt Giardini

Corns and calluses?

These tough, hard patches of skin can leave you limping if left alone! But what exactly are they and why can they be so painful?

A corn or a callus is proliferation of dead skin cells in response to excess pressure and/or friction.

The buildup of dead skin cells over time can put pressure on the little nerves and blood vessels under your living skin cells, when standing, walking or running! People of all ages can experience this phenomenon.

Risk factors for corns or calluses include;

• Having bony prominences (i.e. bunions, hammer toes, loss of cushioning under the balls of the feet)
• Those who spend long periods on their feet
• Use of poor footwear like thongs (and shoes without good cushioning/support) to name a few

Thankfully, a podiatrist can quite easily remove corns/calluses and make footwear recommendations and paddings to prevent the pressure and friction that cause them in the first place.

Tinea Pedis

Most commonly known as Athlete’s foot, Tinea is a fungal infection of the skin occurring not only in the athletic population but even elderly and those who live a more sedentary lifestyle.

Tinea signs/symptoms at the skin of your feet include;

• Redness
• Itchiness
• Peeling/cracking (known as fissuring)
• Odour
• Red circle shaped (known as vesicular) spots
• Tinea often occurs between the toes, but can also occur at the soles/heels.

How do you get Tinea?

Barefoot in communal/wet areas likes public pools, bathrooms, even hotel carpet!

More commonly, however;

• Use of non-breathable footwear and or
• Poor moisture wicking socks
• Lack of proper cleansing and drying feet and between toes

The buildup of moisture at the skin, in footwear and lack of proper foot hygiene allows fungal spores to grow and eventually infect the skin.

If you think you have Tinea, see your podiatrist for a proper assessment. We can assess how your footwear, hosiery, occupation and lifestyle factors may have a role in your condition. Patient tailored treatment is based on our assessment of all these factors.

There are also a variety of other conditions which can impact on the skin and nails of your feet. To name a few, ingrown toe nails, warts (a viral infection of the skin), fungal nail infections (very similar cause to Tinea Pedis) and blisters.

Pro Podiatry SA??Matt Giardini,?Podiatrist

About Pro Health Care

Our ethos and core values have stemmed from the work of three prominent General Practitioners working within the Western Suburbs of Adelaide from which Pro Health Care was founded in 2007. The commitment, time and care they gave their patients over 35 years is the cornerstone of our philosophy.

Since then, our medical centres have been structured around our patients as we emphasise a holistic approach to managing health and well-being through doctor’s services and multi-disciplinary care — whether it be general medical, physiotherapy, podiatry or anything in between. The medical framework through which we operate focuses on collaborative reasoning and communication, a combination of values which we believe is the path to achieving the highest possible standards of care for our patients. Visit our website?here.