Dry and itchy scaly, feet are common in the fall and winter in the Midwest as we start to use the heat and the air dries out. The treatment of dry feet includes a good skin lotion that is ointment based instead of water based. The effective lotions tend to be thicker. When applied at night and covered with socks it allows the lotion to soak in and moisturize the feet and legs.
When normal lotion doesn’t take care of your problem you may have athlete’s foot.
Athlete’s foot, also known as tinea pedis, is caused by a common fungus. This infection affects the skin in between the toes and the bottom of the foot. It does not have to itch, but usually does. It is seen in people who wear closed toed shoes during the day and cannot allow their feet to breathe. Athlete’s foot can be caused by walking barefoot in a place someone with foot fungus has already walked. Changing your socks daily or when they get wet, can help prevent athletes foot. Wearing shoes or sandals at the gym, pool and lake is also helpful in the prevention of contracting foot fungus. Sometimes an infection is too much for an over-the-counter medication. At that point you need to come see a professional who is knowledgeable in treating this infection. The fungus that causes athlete’s foot also can affect the toenails. The importance of treating athletes foot properly is so that thick and discolored effects of toenail fungus do not occur. Other things that can cause dryness and scaling include psoriasis and eczema. A skin scraping biopsy sent to a pathology lab can determine what is causing your problem and dictate how to treat it.