A daily foot-care routine for diabetes

Diabetes threatens feet through two problems that team up. Nerves feel less, so injuries go unnoticed. Circulation heals slower, so small injuries grow. Almost every serious diabetic foot problem starts tiny — as a blister, a crack, or a rubbed spot. It just had time to grow. The defense is not high-tech. It is five focused minutes a day.

Step 1: Look — every day, all surfaces

Once a day, in good light, check both feet completely: the tops, the soles, the heels, and between every pair of toes. Look for redness, blisters, cuts, cracks, swelling, color changes, drainage, or a new warm spot. Hard to bend down? Set a long-handled mirror on the floor, or use your phone camera. Vision trouble? Ask a family member. The goal is simple: catch day-one problems while they are still day-one problems.

Step 2: Wash and dry — drying matters most

Wash daily with lukewarm water. Test the water with your elbow or a thermometer. Never test with your foot. A numb foot can sit in scalding water without warning you. Then dry well. Give the spaces between the toes the most care. Trapped moisture there grows fungus. Fungus cracks the skin. Cracked skin lets infection in.

Step 3: Moisturize — and know where not to

Diabetic skin runs dry. Put lotion on the tops and soles every day. Thick or cracked heels need more. A urea cream does that job (see the cracked-heels guide). One hard rule: nothing between the toes. That skin must stay dry.

Step 4: Socks and shoes — the always rule

Pick socks without tight bands and without thick seams. Many diabetic socks are made this way. Many are light-colored on purpose — a stain shows you a wound you did not feel. Change socks daily. And wear shoes at all times, even at home. Many diabetic foot wounds begin with one barefoot step onto something small. Before each wearing, shake out the shoe and run your hand inside. With numb feet, a small pebble can grind at your skin for hours.

Nails, corns, and the do-not list

Trim nails straight across. Do not cut deep into the corners. File the edges smooth. Do not cut corns or calluses with blades at home. Skip medicated corn pads too. The acid cannot tell callus from healthy skin. Thick nails and stubborn calluses are what routine podiatry visits are for. With diabetes, that care prevents wounds. It is not a luxury.

The rule that outranks the others

A wound that is not healing gets a call today. Do not wait until after the weekend. Do not give it “one more week.” With diabetes, every day of delay costs healing time. Treatment works far better early. Call the same day for anything spreading, draining, smelly, black, or with fever. You will never regret the visit that turned out to be nothing.