Dry Skin - When to Make an Appointment

Dry skin, we’ve all had it at one point or another in our lives. It seems like we’re constantly battling outside forces to keep our skin fresh and smooth. Soap, swimming, hot weather, cold weather, bodily hormones, the socks and shoes we wear, medications, and certain medical conditions can minimize the naturally protective oils on the skin. These oils keep the skin on our feet moist and soft. When the oils are reduced, the skin becomes dry and cracked. Most people turn to lotions as their first line of defense against dry skin, which works the majority of the time.

But how do you know when you need to make an appointment to have your dry skin evaluated by a Podiatrist?

Try this test: Use lotions and moisturizers for two weeks and wash with mild soup during the test phase. If dry skin persists, make an appointment.

Aside from the test, diabetics should be checked at first sign of dry skin. If skin becomes cracked, swollen, red, bleeding, or oozing, make an appointment immediately. Severe and persistent itchiness of the feet or toes can be a number of skin related conditions such as Athlete’s foot, psoriasis, or eczema.

Each skin condition has different treatment options so a diagnosis is imperative to stop the dry and itchy skin. Treatment options can be as simple as using milder soaps, using topical antihistamines or creams. Some conditions require antibiotics and treatments to control the underlying medical condition causing the dry skin.


Image by Lotus Carroll. (2008). Dry patch. Flickr. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/thelotuscarroll/2204691159/
Gardner, Stephanie. (2011). WebMd. Ultra dry skin? when to call a doctor. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/healthy-beauty/dry-skin-10/medical-treatment