You have been waiting for the sun to come out all winter long. Now that spring has sprung its lovely blossoms, its time to show off your new spring wardrobe. And this usually includes excitedly wearing open toed-sandals. But wait! How do your feet look?

We have been telling you all winter long to care for your skin, to moisturize and stay hydrated. How have your feet fared, now that those heavy socks and boots have been removed?

Caring for your feet is an aspect of our beauty regime we often overlook, or at times even neglect. Our feet endure much pressure and weight from our body but yet tend to be the least favoured parts of our body.

Well, with proper foot care in check, we can be on our way to having healthy and beautiful feet in no time. This area is very delicate and hence regular care is a must!

The skin holds a certain amount of water. This water is needed to keep the skin supple and able to withstand the different types of pressure that it is placed under. With each step, the pressure on your foot is equivalent to 1.5 times your body weight. It’s no wonder, then, that when the toes are positioned particularly tightly against each other or against a shoe, the constant friction can cause the skin on top of the toes and underneath them to thicken and irritate the tissues underneath.  Along with this, the water content of the skin can also decrease causing the skin to become dry and sometimes itchy.

Some interesting foot and ankle statistics – The foot has 26 individual bones, 33 joints and more than 100 muscles.

The common compliant women have in spring/summer weather is cracked heels due to more exposure to the elements via those open sandals. Cracked heels are not dangerous, but can be painful.  Pay attention especially if your heels start to bleed as this can lead to infection.

The best way to treat and also prevent dry, cracked heels is to use a good therapeutic ointment and cream. Avoid using lotions, as they often contain alcohol, which can actually cause your dry skin to worsen.  Melissa Gonzalez of Homemade BFF’s comments “The transition to summer feet always requires a little TLC. Your skin needs to prepped for their debut. You can add to this by lathering them in vaseline or warm lotion at night and sleeping in shea butter socks- (check www.myskin.com to see where available). And, I personally love pulling my ‘wonderwoman -travel in flats or flip flops, whip out your sexy sandals when you arrive’ look!”

Some useful tips to help cracked or unsightly heels (and prepare them for your sandals):

• Check your shoes regularly for spots and areas that can rub against your dry, cracked heels
• Try to always wear insoles to eliminate points of friction
• Use creams designed for night time use and try wearing socks to help the cream better absorb into your skin
• Use a pumice stone to file down hard and dry skin
• Wear comfortable shoes (yes ladies, try the function over fashion at least a few times this season!)