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Latest Type 2 Articles
What's Afoot in Creams and Lotions, Salves and Potions
19 September 2007
Visit our Charts page for this month's Skin and Foot Care Reference Guide
For people without diabetes, fancy skin cream is often a sheer indulgence. For people with diabetes, however, it's a far more serious matter.
Diabetes-related peripheral neuropathy can cause loss of sensation in your feet, leading to unsuspected injury and a hole in your foot before you know it. At the same time, neuropathy can create remarkably painful burning, prickling, and other distressing sensations.
That's why it's important to examine your feet from top to bottom every day, even peering between your toes - just to make sure that there's nothing going on down there that might lead to a foot ulcer. It's far easier to prevent a foot ulcer than to cure one, so every step you take to care for your feet makes it more likely that you'll still be stepping out in the future.
Sole food is an important ingredient in the foot care recipe. Massage your feet softly with a good cream, lotion, or oil to soften the skin and prevent cracks, blisters, and calluses. (Do not apply any products between your toes unless instructed to by your caregiver. And never apply anything to an open sore; instead, see your physician, podiatrist, or wound care specialist immediately.)
If you have painful neuropathy, you might want to try some of the pain-relieving lotions. Of course, there are oral medications targeted at painful neuropathy, but sometimes the simplest solution can really help. In any case, do remember to thoroughly check the status of your feet every day. Bottoms up!
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I have been told to use Crisco for dry skin. It is very effective and inexpensive. Don't use brand X. Don't put between your toes. It will heal the dry cracks on your heels. Put in a nice jar on your vanity and no one knows the difference!
there is such a lack of good information and procedures on how to treat early on foot ulcers. No where on the web is there a resource that tells you what to do and what over the counter products are available.
Maybe your lawyers don't want you to say because they fear people will treat and not see doctors.
So what happens that no information is out there, people guess, and end up seeing the doctor when they don't succeed.
For example people say to put crisco on...like right up above...it may work, its basically dirt cheap diaper rash oitment...maybe that is better or worse....but nobody knows.
Give me the procedures and products to treat and early ulcer and I won't need to see the doctor. BTW getting my mother to the doctor is an event all by itself, so home care is important whether or not the professionals think so.
At the end of the articles all they say is if you have a wound see the doctor. Well thanks, such insight and information.
please put links into the story....its not easy to have to edit the hypertext in the address bar for most...I did, but I am a younger core audience than needs the info
I am glad to see that Elta is on the list of creams - it was recommended to me by a wound center I was going to and is the best cream I have ever used!
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