Itching at the feet: when to worry and how to recognize the signals

The warm months bring with them a list of small torments: mosquitoes, sweat and, for many, too an annoying itching on the feet Which seems to intensify just when we can finally remove shoes and socks. It is not always the fault of the heat, though.

The trap of itching on the feet

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The summer itching on the feet has an intuitive origin: “During the winter, with the feet always covered, we tend to forget to hydrate them”, explains Jorge Escoto, member of the Board of Directors of the illustrious official college of the podologists of the Valencian community, in an interview with Europe Press. “The skin so dry and this especially in the heel area”. The problem is not so much in the itching itself, as in its consequences. “He unleashes the need to scratch himself to find immediate relief,” continues the expert. “But if we are too energetic, we can get scratches. And here is the risk: the feet are in the most distal part of the body, close to a potentially dirty environment like the ground. If the patient also suffers from circulatory problems or diabetesthere is the concrete danger of infections “.

The causes

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But skin dryness is not the only guilty. Fungal infections represent the most common cause of itching at the feet when this is accompanied by rashes. They can manifest themselves in the spaces between the fingers – the classic athlete – or extend along the whole plant, as in the case of the moccasin’s ringworm. “As soon as an infection is identified, it is essential to consult a podiatrist,” warns the expert. “Only in this way can we apply the most suitable treatment to block it and prevent its diffusion”.

Then there is an aspect that we rarely think: Allergic reactions to footwear materials. With the arrival of the summer, many abandon the socks and shoes come into direct contact with the skin. “We have found cases in which synthetic materials, dyes or hill cause allergic reactions that manifest themselves with redness and itch”, Escoto points out. “But it is usually just interrupting the use of offending footwear to see the symptoms disappear”.

Alarm bells

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More worrying is when the itching reports a systemic disease like the diabeteswhich causes skin dryness and reduction of blood flow. “This is where we have to pay the utmost attention,” underlines the podiatrist. “Those who suffer from it is subject to different complications. Scratching excessively without adequate care can cause wounds to very high risk of infection and even ulceration”.

The message is clear: That spring itching at the feet that we often underestimate can be a signal not to be overlooked. Sometimes a good moisturizing cream is enough, other times you need the expert eye of one specialist To prevent a banal discomfort from being transformed into something more serious.