Often when we think about smooth skin and exfoliation we tend to focus on our hands and face, and overlook our feet. As we are constantly on our feet, they need to be exfoliated just as much, if not more. If you think about it, feet are the foundation of our bodies so we should be treating them with way more care than we usually do.
What is exfoliating?
To start off, let’s be clear on what exfoliating is. Exfoliating is the process of removing dead skin cells from the surface of your skin. It can be done with a chemical substance, a granulated scrub, or an exfoliation tool. As new skin cells typically generate every 30 days, exfoliating helps make way for the new cells and ensures that all the dead skin cells have completely shed off.
Should you exfoliate your feet?
Feet are often lacking moisture or are exceeding in moisture as they spend most of the day in socks or shoes. This lack of moisture and the friction from walking around can cause them to dry out and crack. If your feet are receiving too much moisture because your feet tend to sweat, you’re at risk of calluses, blisters, and infections. By exfoliating your feet, you’ll be on top of your foot health and you’ll be getting a nice massage out of it too. To go into a little more depth, here are a few benefits to exfoliating your feet.
1. Softer Skin
By exfoliating your feet you are getting rid of the dead skin cells that cling onto your feet. You’ll also be scrubbing away at any hard surfaces on your feet over time till you finally have feet as soft as a baby’s. Feet aren’t for everyone as they tend to gross out the majority of people. However, after exfoliating your feet a couple of times they’ll definitely be really nice to look at.
The soft and nourished skin after being exfoliated will also help your feet crack less in dry temperatures such as during winter weather. Bonus, if you keep a good exfoliating regimen throughout the winter you’ll have beautiful feet by the time the summer comes along.
2. Healthier Feet
Feet are often one of the first points of the body where we may notice warning signs to
different health issues. They will hint towards signs of arthritis, diabetes, and vascular disease. By getting regular pedicures at a nail salon to exfoliate your feet, you’ll have a specialist look at your feet that may be able to identify any warning signs for you.
The more you exfoliate your feet the more massaging your feet will get. These massages will help stimulate blood flow, and as a result ease any foot pain.
3. Avoid Calluses & Infections
Calluses are hard thick areas of the skin that can get very uncomfortable. They are formed when layers of dead skin start to pile on top of each other and become even more problematic when then become blisters. A callus will form into a blister when your feet experience too much friction. By exfoliating your feet you are actively working on avoiding a pile up of dead skin cells.
The more you take care of your feet and exfoliate them, the less likely it will be that you’ll get any feet infections. Foot infections can become serious if not properly looked after, and can become extremely uncomfortable. Exfoliating your feet will keep them in tip-top shape and will ensure that your feet are in overall healthier condition. Infections often form from bacteria entering wounds and if you’re prone to getting blisters, each time a blister pops you’ll have an open wound for infectious bacteria to crawl into.
4. Avoid Clogged Pores
Pores are often the talk of the town when it comes to your face, but foot pores are just as important to pay attention to. The pores in your feet will not get you any acne but they do impact your sweat glands.
Even though no one likes sweaty feet, these pores are working hard towards regulating your body temperature and keep your feet from drying out. If at any point your sweat glands become clogged, they will not be able to properly do their job. This will then cause discomfort in your lower limbs. By exfoliating your feet you will be promoting healthy blood flow to your feet and encouraging the skin cells to retain oxygen and clean out the pores.