Here are a few foot care habits you can adopt and try to do every day.

1.     Inspect your feet: Looking carefully at your feet each day, including between the toes. Looking is particularly important if you have reduced sensation in your feet, as you may not notice anything wrong at first until you look.

Check your feet and toes, inspecting the tops, sides, soles, heels, and the area in between the toes. Use a magnifying hand mirror to look at the bottom of your feet.If you’re physically unable to inspect your own feet, use a mirror or ask someone to help. Contact your doctor immediately if you discover any

·       sores,

·       redness,

·       cuts,

·       blisters, or

·       bruises or

·       bleeding

·       nail problems.

·       Look out for athlete's foot (a common minor skin infection). It causes flaky skin and cracks between the toes, which can be sore and can become infected. If you have athlete's foot, it should be treated with an antifungal cream.

2.     Wash your feet: Wash your feet every day in warm water with mild soap. Hot water and harsh soaps can damage your skin. Check the water temperature with your fingers or elbow before putting your feet in. Your diabetes may make it difficult to sense water temperature with your feet.

3.     Dry your feet: Pat your feet to dry them and make sure to dry well. Infections tend to develop in moist areas, so make sure you dry the area between your toes well.

4.     Moisturize dry skin: Use a moisturising oil or cream for dry skin to prevent cracking If the skin on your feet feels rough or dry, use lotion or oil. Do not use lotion between your toes. Moisturize your feet but not between your toes. Use a moisturizer daily to keep dry skin from itching or cracking. But don't moisturize between the toes—that could encourage a fungal infection. However, you should not apply it between the toes, as this can cause the skin to become too moist which can lead to an infection developing.

5.     Antiseptic solutions can burn your skin. Never use them on your feet without your doctor’s approval.

6.     Never use a heating pad, hot water bottle, or electric blanket on your feet.

7.     Avoid walking barefoot. Most people know to avoid hot pavement or sandy beaches, but even walking barefoot around the house can cause sores or injuries that can get infected.

8.     Protect your feet from heat and cold.

9.     Always wear socks with shoes or other footwear. However, don't wear socks that are too tight around the ankle, as they may affect your circulation.

10.  Never attempt to remove corns, calluses, warts, or other foot lesions yourself. Don’t use chemical wart removers, razor blades, corn plasters, or liquid corn or callus removers. See your doctor or podiatrist.

11.  Don’t sit with your legs crossed or stand in one position for long periods of time.

12.  Consider using an antiperspirant on the soles of your feet. This is helpful if you have excessive sweating of the feet.

13. Take proper toe nail care:  Cut nails carefully. Trim your toenails after washing your feet, when your nails are soft.

12. Tips for choosing right Footwear; Shoes and socks

13.If you have neuropathy, or nerve damage that has affected foot sensitivity, you may overlook cuts or bumps. You can help protect your feet by wearing shoes at all times.

Choosing right Shoes

·       Choose comfortable, well-fitting shoes with plenty of room, especially in the toe box. Never buy tight shoes hoping they will stretch. Shoes, trainers and other footwear should Fit well to take into account any awkward shapes or deformities (such as bunions).

·       Have broad fronts with plenty of room for the toes.

·       Have low heels to avoid pressure on the toes.

·       Have good laces, buckles or Velcro fastening to prevent movement and rubbing of feet within the shoes.

·       Do not wear shoes made out of plastic or other materials that do not breathe. Choose leather, canvas, or suede.

·       Avoid thong sandals, flip-flops, pointed-toe and open-toe shoes, and very high heels.

·       Wear shoes that can be adjusted with laces, buckles, or Velcro.

·       Inspect the inside of your shoes every day for tears or bumps that may cause pressure or irritation.

·       If you have nerve damage, give your feet a break or change shoes after five hours to change the pressure points on different areas of your feet.

·       If you experience repeated problems with your feet, ask your doctor if special shoes would help.

Choosing right Socks

·       Socks can provide an extra layer of soft protection between your foot and your shoe.

·       Wear clean, dry socks, or non-binding pantyhose. Avoid socks or hosiery with seams that can cause additional pressure points or are too tight on the leg.

·       Wear socks to bed if your feet are cold.

13. Look for symptoms of foot problems:

Prevention is better than cure so always stay alert and try to catch the problems in the begening to avoid  complications. So It’s important to recognize early warning signs of foot problems, such as:

·       burning, tingling, or painful feet

·       loss of sensation to heat, cold, or touch

·       changes to the color or shape of your feet

·       loss of hair on the toes, feet, and lower legs

·       thickening and yellowing of the toenails

·       onset of red spots, blisters, sores, ulcers, infected corns, or ingrown toenails

If you have any of these symptoms, call your doctor immediately. Delay may result in serious health complications.

14. Potential complications

Following the tips above can help you to avoid foot problems.

As stated above, high blood sugar levels over time can cause nerve damage and circulation problems. These problems can cause or contribute to foot problems.

Left unnoticed or untreated,

• ·       sores,
• ·       ingrown toenails, and
• ·       other problems

can lead to infection.

Poor circulation makes healing an infection difficult.

So it’s best to avoid them if possible.

Infections that do not heal can cause skin and tissue to die and turn black. This is called gangrene. Treatment can involve surgery to amputate a toe, foot, or part of a leg.

15. Visiting the doctor

A doctor should examine your feet at every visit and do a thorough foot exam once a year. If you have a history of foot problems, you should be checked more often. Your health care provider should also give you information on foot care and answer all your questions. Report any corns, calluses, sores, cuts, bruises, infections, or foot pain.If necessary, your doctor can recommend a podiatrist who specializes in diabetic foot care or give you information about special shoes that may help.

Remember: Diabetes-related foot problems can worsen very quickly and are difficult to treat, so it’s important to seek prompt medical attention.