From BZ/dpa
Colorful nail polish, short toenails and soft skin: If you want smart feet for the outdoor pool and sandal season, you need a little time – and a file, plane or pumice stone.
Socks off, sandals on: As soon as it gets warmer, our feet come into focus more often. If you want to freshen them up particularly thoroughly for the summer, you should follow a few tips.
Carefully remove calluses
Excess calluses can be removed mechanically with callus files or planes. If the horny layer is particularly coarse, you can first rub it with a pumice stone and then carefully file it away, recommends the Industry Association for Personal Care and Detergents (IKW).
However, you should not cut away disturbing calluses. Because that can not only lead to injuries, the cornea then also grows back more, according to the portal “Haut.de”.
When handling the plane, you should also be careful not to remove too much callus. This is because calluses form particularly in heavily stressed areas of the feet – and protect the underlying tissue.
File toenails straight
Disturbing cuticles can be gently pushed back with a soft stick. Finally, it is best to shorten the nails with nail scissors or clippers. Do not cut away too much at the nail corners, otherwise they can easily grow into the skin.
In general, the toenails should be left so long that the corners of the nails lie freely on the lateral edge of the skin, according to the portal “Gesundheitsinformation.de”.
In order to prevent ingrowth, the IKW also advises to always file your toenails straight – and not round.
Do not apply nail polish after showering
If you want to paint your toenails afterwards, you should degrease them before applying. This can be done with nail polish remover. With strong nail polish colors, the base coat protects against unsightly discoloration of the nails and evens out unevenness, according to the IKW. Clear top coat applied after the colored nail polish has dried well makes it last longer.
Good to know: Do not apply nail polish immediately after showering. Because then the nails are still swollen.
Leave socks on overnight
According to the IKW, a pedicure lasts about four weeks, depending on how quickly the nails grow and calluses form.
For regular care of the feet after washing them every evening, you can also rub them with a foot cream or foot balm. While a foot cream is usually a water-based emulsion and absorbs relatively quickly, foot balm is based on fat, according to the IKW. The balm forms a kind of protective film on the skin, but is sometimes only slowly absorbed.
The motto here is: put your feet up after applying cream. Or pull socks over your feet overnight so that the balm stays on the skin longer – and can unfold its full effect.