Foot baths: sense and nonsense

The foot bath has a solid reputation: a long soak is said to dissolve callus and make feet healthy. Reality is more nuanced. A short soak helps, a long soak works against you.

1. What a foot bath does do

Warm water softens the horny layer. That makes filing easier, loose skin simpler to remove and helps a cream absorb better afterwards.

And of course it relaxes. Feet that have been inside a shoe all day appreciate it. That is not a medical effect, but it is a real one.

2. What it does not do

A foot bath does not dissolve callus, does not remove a corn and does not heal an ingrown nail. Anyone hoping for that is only postponing the real solution.

Salt, vinegar or baking soda in the water also do less than the stories promise. They are not miracle cures and some combinations dry the skin out further.

• Ten minutes lukewarm is enough
• Soaking longer dries the skin out
• Dry well between the toes afterwards
• Moisturise straight after the bath

3. How long and how warm

Ten minutes in lukewarm water is enough. Soaking longer washes the natural oils out of the skin and leaves it drier than before.

Water that is too hot is inadvisable, especially if sensation in your feet is reduced. Test the temperature with your elbow or a thermometer.

4. Always dry and moisturise

Dry carefully after the bath, paying extra attention between the toes. Moisture lingering there is the main breeding ground for athlete's foot.

Then moisturise with a urea cream. The skin is receptive right after a foot bath, so that is the best moment.

5. When not to take a foot bath

With open wounds, with an active fungal infection and with diabetes and reduced sensation a foot bath is not sensible. Discuss that with your GP or with Patty.

If in doubt, just ask during your treatment. Then you get advice that suits your feet instead of a general rule.

In practice this subject belongs with short treatment and callus removal. There you can read how Patty works, or you can request an appointment straight away.

Further reading: ingrown toenail: what now?, cracked heels: how do they form?, how do you recognise a fungal nail?.

Frequently asked questions