How do diabetics take care of their feet?

Diabetics often have diabetic feet, which are prone to serious infections. Therefore, foot care for diabetic patients is very important. When checking the feet of diabetic patients, check them carefully under the condition of sufficient light. If the patient is unable to observe on his own, he can also ask family members for help or observe with the help of a mirror. The inspection sites include skin, inter-toe, sole, foot deformity, observe the skin color, whether there is damage, blisters, cracks, calluses, corns, tinea pedis, whether the toenail is abnormal, whether the toe is deformed, and the arterial pulse of the foot Situation and so on.

1. Foot skin care

Patients can wash their feet with warm water every day for about 10 minutes. Before washing the feet, the patient can measure the temperature of the water with his hands, elbows or a water thermometer, or ask his family to test the water temperature. The water temperature should be ≤37℃. Do not test the water temperature with your feet. After washing, use a soft, light-colored towel to dry the water between the toes, and check for bleeding and seepage to keep the toes dry. Use skin care cream or cream to keep the skin moisturized, and massage your feet properly. Be careful not to apply the cream on the toes or on the ulcer wound; for those with chapped skin, you can use a special chapped cream containing urea.

2. Precautions for cutting toenails

Make sure you can see clearly when you want to do so; trim straight to avoid cutting too deep on the sides; trim off sharp parts. Don't let your toenails grow too long, don't go to the public bathroom for pedicure, don't use drugs to treat corns and calluses by yourself. If you have any problems, go to a specialist in time.

3. Wear comfortable footwear

Socks should choose cotton socks and wool socks with good water absorption and breathability. The color should be light and the size should be appropriate. The opening of the socks should not be too tight, and the internal seams should be smooth, not too rough, and not to have holes. Change daily; Shoes should choose a wide and deep toe, a thick and soft sole, a low waist, a firm back, with laces or Velcro, and a smooth lining. When buying shoes, wear socks, try on both feet at the same time, and wear shoes slowly to avoid foot injury. When wearing new shoes, you can wear them for 1 to 2 hours a day, and then gradually increase the wearing time to ensure that potential problems are discovered in time. Before putting on shoes, remove foreign objects from the shoes, and check whether there are rough seams in the lining of the shoes. Don't wear open-toed sandals, don't wear shoes barefoot.

4. Stay away from risk factors

Do not smoke, do not get too close to heat sources such as heaters, do not walk barefoot, do not use warm water bags, electric blankets, etc.

Remember to see a doctor in time

When blisters, tinea pedis, paronychia, excessive toenail growth, corns, calluses, skin ulcers, etc. occur, the patient should seek immediate medical attention.