When a child hits their teenage years, they start to care more about their personal hygiene. They want to shower more often, wash their face and wear clean clothes. Many teens start to care more because they start to care what their peers think about them. They mostly do a good job of taking care of the normal things that people think of. You probably no longer have to remind your teens to brush their teeth and comb their hair. They will usually apply deodorant and change their underwear, but do they realize the importance of foot care?
Teen Foot Pain Problems
During the teenage years most people’s feet are still growing and changing. When they grow, there should not be pain associated with it and if there is this is not a normal sign. There are also lots of things that can go wrong that can lead to a visit with the foot doctor. Some of these ailments are blisters, ingrown toenails and athlete’s foot.
Foot Health Care
Teenage boys typically don’t care what their feet look like while girls do typically care what they look like but most often neither gender considers the health of their feet. When you become an adult some of the trauma and damage you have done to your feet can start to bother you or become an issue that cannot be corrected.
Belmont Andersen Podiatry has prepared some ways that you can help the health of your teenager’s feet:
WASH: This may seem like a silly tip, but many teenagers and kids will wash their body and forget that their feet need the same attention. Make sure that you use soap and water everyday on the entire foot, top and bottom. Don’t forget that you need to get in between the toes too.
DRY FEET: One of the biggest complaints among teens is that they are experiencing some sort of foot fungus. This can include athlete’s foot which can be terribly uncomfortable. Fungus thrives in a warm and moist environment so keeping your shoes and socks as dry as possible will help to eliminate the possibility of fungus growing.
TOE NAILS: Take some time to trim your toe nails neatly. If you don’t, it can lead to an ingrown toenail which is very painful and could result in a procedure at the doctor’s office. The best way to trim is to cut just above the nail bed and go straight across. Long toenails can run holes in your socks and are not very nice to look at. The longer they are the more chances that bacteria can be growing underneath the actual nail.
SHOES: Wearing supportive shoes is a good tip but can be hard. The latest fashion trend may not be to wear good supporting shoes, but this is a great way to keep your feet healthy and also will help with posture and balance. Look for a shoe that can support the arch of your foot and fits the length and width of your foot appropriately.