Summer means flip-flops and sandals, toes dangling at the water’s edge or the feeling of cool grass under bare feet.
But summer can be hard on your feet - infection, injury and yes, sunburn, can take a toll on your tootsies!
Put you best foot forward this season with advice on summer foot health from Marco Ucciferri, DPM, Summit Medical Group podiatrist.
Selected Podcast
Healthy Feet Are Happy Feet!
Featured Speaker:
Dr. Ucciferri has practiced with Foot and Ankle Care Associates of New Jersey since 2003. His hospital appointments have included Hoboken University Medical Center, Somerset Medical Center, and Surgicare of Central Jersey.
Born in Italy and raised in the United States, Dr. Ucciferri says, "I became a doctor so that I can make patients feel better and help the community." He adds, "I believe in preventive health care to preempt problems before they happen."
Dr. Ucciferri is a member of the American Podiatric Medical Association and New Jersey Society of Podiatric Medicine. He is a fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgery.
Marco Ucciferri, DPM
Marco Ucciferri, DPM, expertise includes child, adolescent, and adult foot and ankle medicine, foot and ankle trauma, and reconstructive surgery.Dr. Ucciferri has practiced with Foot and Ankle Care Associates of New Jersey since 2003. His hospital appointments have included Hoboken University Medical Center, Somerset Medical Center, and Surgicare of Central Jersey.
Born in Italy and raised in the United States, Dr. Ucciferri says, "I became a doctor so that I can make patients feel better and help the community." He adds, "I believe in preventive health care to preempt problems before they happen."
Dr. Ucciferri is a member of the American Podiatric Medical Association and New Jersey Society of Podiatric Medicine. He is a fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgery.
Transcription:
Healthy Feet Are Happy Feet!
Melanie Cole (Host): Summer means flip flops and sandals, toes dangling at the water’s edge, or the feeling of cool grass under your bare feet. But summer can be hard on your feet. Infection, injury, and even sunburn can take a toll on your feet. Here today with us is Dr. Marco Ucciferri. He’s a Summit Medical Group podiatrist. Welcome to the show, Dr. Ucciferri. Tell us about summer. What does that do to our feet? We see people in flip flops, in sandals, in strappy sandals. Is this taking a toll on our feet? And what can we do to protect them?
Dr. Marco Ucciferri (Guest): Yes, a lot of patients come to the office during the summer with complaints regarding foot fatigue or foot pain along the arch and the heel and the ball of the foot, sometimes even callousing, skin irritations. Basically, the issue that occurs is that they’re wearing [bad] supportive shoes or flip flops, sandals that really put a lot of stress on their foot and their ankle and their legs. Basically, I explain to patients, even though it’s nice weather outside, try to give your foot a break by maybe wearing a sneaker for part of the day or a good, supportive shoe with an orthotic. That can alleviate a lot of stress on the foot and the ankle, even the legs.
Melanie: Women especially, we’re wearing open-backed shoes and the back pad of the heel, in the summer, I notice it myself, Dr. Marco, that they get dry and cracked. What can we do about that?
Dr. Ucciferri: Well, the reason that happens too is just because of little to no support in the back of the heel. You get quite a bit of friction occurring, and the dryness from the weather causes the skin to break down and open up. Sometimes you get these fissures that are quite painful, even in the shower. I explain to patients when they have dry skin, for heels and for the ball of foot, that the best thing I found over the years is that using something like a petroleum jelly under occlusion, which means basically putting either a Vaseline or something greasy on the skin and applying a saran wrap type of cover over it to occlude the cream or the ointment against the skin to really penetrate and create moisture to the skin, which helps to heal and get rid of the fissuring and the dryness of the skin.
Melanie: That’s a great tip, a great idea, might work all year round as well. What about walking around barefoot? People love to do that in the summer and in the sand. It even feels good, like it’s a bit of a loofa. Is walking barefoot not the greatest thing?
Dr. Ucciferri: No, it’s not. It just creates tremendous stress on the foot and the ankle and joints. Overdoing it, like a lot of patients go to the boardwalk and they’re walking for hours in flip flops and sandals, creates stress to the joints and can create even stress fractures factors in some patients.
Melanie: Okay, so we need to try not to be barefoot. What about wearing shoes in the summer? Our feet get so sweaty. Is there something we can do? That’s why people like those flip flops and sandals. It feels freer, like there’s more air. What do we do about the fact that our feet sweat like the rest of us in hot weather?
Dr. Ucciferri: Yeah, I always tell patients with sweating of the feet that I see that there are medications and even antiperspirant you could put on your feet to reduce the amount of moisture in the shoe. I also explain to patients using powder to reduce the moisture to the skin, and using cotton socks to wick away the moisture away from the skin. Basically, giving the foot a break. Too much of a good thing is bad. If you are wearing flip flops for five hours and it starts getting sore, put a sneaker on. And if you put a sneaker on for a few hours and you start getting hot, then take it off. So you want to interchange the type of the shoes to give your feet a healthy feel.
Melanie: Back to being barefoot for a second, Dr. Marco, when we’re barefoot, we go in the shower before going in the pool in those public pool showers or at the beach, and there’s glass and jellyfish and things all around. What about worrying about germs, infections? Can that happen, or are our feet well protected?
Dr. Ucciferri: Yes, you can get infections and cuts on your feet, abrasions, even going on the sand, shells cutting into your feet. I always tell patients if you’re going to be by the pool or at the beach, if you’re going to do it for a long period of time, it makes sense to probably wear some type of protective pool shoe or shoe that’s capable to go in the water and come out of the water. It kind of protects you from getting any type of injury, also protects you from viruses that can cancerous warts and also types of fungus that cause athlete’s foot on the foot.
Melanie: In the summer, women like to get a pedicure. Do you have any tips for us on getting a safe pedicure?
Dr. Ucciferri: As far as pedicures are concerned, just make sure you know the place that you’re going to is reputable. Sometimes I’ve had patients be careful in the sense of bringing their own instrumentation they can use when they get their pedicures done. I also tell patients not overdoing the pedicure, taking a break from them for a while. That gives their foot a break to get healthy.
Melanie: What about blisters? As we’re walking around in those sandals, the cute little strappy ones we just can’t wait to wear, you wear them for an hour or two and you’re limping by the end, and you get these big, old blisters that just don’t seem to happen in the winter.
Dr. Ucciferri: Yeah, so blisters you’ve got to be careful. It depends on the straps hitting the back of the foot or the bottom of the foot. Basically with blisters you don’t want to take the blister off. Sometimes I tell patients if there’s a way to puncture the blister, either with a sterile needle or a small scissor that’s very clean, you could just pick and drain the blister, leave the top of the blister intact, and cover it with a dressing, a sterile dressing, and follow up with a physician as soon as possible.
Melanie: Blisters can actually become a problem if you get them. People get them all the time and don’t think twice about them, but they can hurt besides.
Dr. Ucciferri: Yes, they can. It can also cause great infection, so it’s very important to follow up with a doctor and make sure that the blister is clearing up appropriately.
Melanie: If we’re going on vacation, are there any over-the-counter topical antifungal creams or powders or things that you want to recommend that we bring with us on vacation?
Dr. Ucciferri: Well, one of the things, like you did mention in the beginning, basically sunburn. One of the biggest things when going away on vacation, sun-burning of the feet. And I explain to patients it’s very important to make sure you use a high SPF protectant cream on the top of the foot. We have many patients coming here they’re fine everywhere else in their body except for the top of their feet being sunburnt. I also explain to patients it’s a good idea to take some topical antifungals, anything over-the-counter. If you ask your pharmacist, they’ll tell you what’s the most decent thing that’s in the market at this point that’s a reasonable price, and you could take that with you. But on a safe point, make sure you have a safety kit with you when you travel. Put some Band-aids and some triple antibiotic ointment, and that should keep you out of trouble. But always have a plan to follow up with your physician if anything occurs.
Melanie: What about exfoliating and soaking our feet? There’s all kinds of foot baths on the market, and if we’ve had a long day of going to an amusement park or walking around on vacation, you right away think you want to soak your feet and maybe even use a pumice stone or exfoliate. Is this the best idea?
Dr. Ucciferri: Sometimes it can be. Again, so much of a good thing can be good. I explain to patients that when you come home and if you’ve been out and about, and you’re hot and sweaty, and you feel beat up, soaking is a good way to just make them feel better. It doesn’t physically do anything for the foot besides just make it feel better. But overdoing it can cause dryness of the skin, believe it or not. Over soaking can create skin fissures and also even possible infections sometimes, depending on how much soaking you’re doing. So I tell patients you can soak a little bit, but always moisturize afterwards to make sure that your skin maintains the proper amount of moisture. I also explain to patients just take care regarding exfoliation. You don’t want to overdo it. I’ve had patients come in with abrasions from exfoliation. When you soak your feet, if you want to take a loofa or a pumice stone and to kind of rub it against your foot for a few seconds just to get some of the dead skin off, that’s appropriate. Although if you’re diabetic or have a systemic disease, it’s a good idea to check with your physician before doing anything like that.
Melanie: In just the last few minutes, Dr. Marco, your best advice for healthy summer feet, which would equal happier feet. And what about when our feet swell? So cover both those things and wrap it up for us.
Dr. Ucciferri: Yes. Regarding the foot swelling, if it’s a chronic issue regarding the foot, it’s a good idea to follow up with your primary care doctor because it can be related to a systemic medical problem. But if it’s just a bit of swelling, I explain to patients to elevate their feet. You can ice on anti-inflammatories, and also, compressive stockings can help tremendously with swelling of the feet. As far as foot health in the summer, just take care. Like I said, the biggest issue I find is having patients with sunburn on their feet. So just because it’s your foot, you should also take care of it, just like the rest of your body. Also, use protective shoes for going to the beach and being on their feeta lot. And give your feet a break. Make sure you use a sneaker or some type of sports device in between the times that you’re walking with sandals or barefoot.
Melanie: Thank you so much. It’s great information. You’re listening to SMG Radio. For more information, you can go to summitmedicalgroup.com. That’s summitmedicalgroup.com. This is Melanie Cole. Thank you so much for listening.
Healthy Feet Are Happy Feet!
Melanie Cole (Host): Summer means flip flops and sandals, toes dangling at the water’s edge, or the feeling of cool grass under your bare feet. But summer can be hard on your feet. Infection, injury, and even sunburn can take a toll on your feet. Here today with us is Dr. Marco Ucciferri. He’s a Summit Medical Group podiatrist. Welcome to the show, Dr. Ucciferri. Tell us about summer. What does that do to our feet? We see people in flip flops, in sandals, in strappy sandals. Is this taking a toll on our feet? And what can we do to protect them?
Dr. Marco Ucciferri (Guest): Yes, a lot of patients come to the office during the summer with complaints regarding foot fatigue or foot pain along the arch and the heel and the ball of the foot, sometimes even callousing, skin irritations. Basically, the issue that occurs is that they’re wearing [bad] supportive shoes or flip flops, sandals that really put a lot of stress on their foot and their ankle and their legs. Basically, I explain to patients, even though it’s nice weather outside, try to give your foot a break by maybe wearing a sneaker for part of the day or a good, supportive shoe with an orthotic. That can alleviate a lot of stress on the foot and the ankle, even the legs.
Melanie: Women especially, we’re wearing open-backed shoes and the back pad of the heel, in the summer, I notice it myself, Dr. Marco, that they get dry and cracked. What can we do about that?
Dr. Ucciferri: Well, the reason that happens too is just because of little to no support in the back of the heel. You get quite a bit of friction occurring, and the dryness from the weather causes the skin to break down and open up. Sometimes you get these fissures that are quite painful, even in the shower. I explain to patients when they have dry skin, for heels and for the ball of foot, that the best thing I found over the years is that using something like a petroleum jelly under occlusion, which means basically putting either a Vaseline or something greasy on the skin and applying a saran wrap type of cover over it to occlude the cream or the ointment against the skin to really penetrate and create moisture to the skin, which helps to heal and get rid of the fissuring and the dryness of the skin.
Melanie: That’s a great tip, a great idea, might work all year round as well. What about walking around barefoot? People love to do that in the summer and in the sand. It even feels good, like it’s a bit of a loofa. Is walking barefoot not the greatest thing?
Dr. Ucciferri: No, it’s not. It just creates tremendous stress on the foot and the ankle and joints. Overdoing it, like a lot of patients go to the boardwalk and they’re walking for hours in flip flops and sandals, creates stress to the joints and can create even stress fractures factors in some patients.
Melanie: Okay, so we need to try not to be barefoot. What about wearing shoes in the summer? Our feet get so sweaty. Is there something we can do? That’s why people like those flip flops and sandals. It feels freer, like there’s more air. What do we do about the fact that our feet sweat like the rest of us in hot weather?
Dr. Ucciferri: Yeah, I always tell patients with sweating of the feet that I see that there are medications and even antiperspirant you could put on your feet to reduce the amount of moisture in the shoe. I also explain to patients using powder to reduce the moisture to the skin, and using cotton socks to wick away the moisture away from the skin. Basically, giving the foot a break. Too much of a good thing is bad. If you are wearing flip flops for five hours and it starts getting sore, put a sneaker on. And if you put a sneaker on for a few hours and you start getting hot, then take it off. So you want to interchange the type of the shoes to give your feet a healthy feel.
Melanie: Back to being barefoot for a second, Dr. Marco, when we’re barefoot, we go in the shower before going in the pool in those public pool showers or at the beach, and there’s glass and jellyfish and things all around. What about worrying about germs, infections? Can that happen, or are our feet well protected?
Dr. Ucciferri: Yes, you can get infections and cuts on your feet, abrasions, even going on the sand, shells cutting into your feet. I always tell patients if you’re going to be by the pool or at the beach, if you’re going to do it for a long period of time, it makes sense to probably wear some type of protective pool shoe or shoe that’s capable to go in the water and come out of the water. It kind of protects you from getting any type of injury, also protects you from viruses that can cancerous warts and also types of fungus that cause athlete’s foot on the foot.
Melanie: In the summer, women like to get a pedicure. Do you have any tips for us on getting a safe pedicure?
Dr. Ucciferri: As far as pedicures are concerned, just make sure you know the place that you’re going to is reputable. Sometimes I’ve had patients be careful in the sense of bringing their own instrumentation they can use when they get their pedicures done. I also tell patients not overdoing the pedicure, taking a break from them for a while. That gives their foot a break to get healthy.
Melanie: What about blisters? As we’re walking around in those sandals, the cute little strappy ones we just can’t wait to wear, you wear them for an hour or two and you’re limping by the end, and you get these big, old blisters that just don’t seem to happen in the winter.
Dr. Ucciferri: Yeah, so blisters you’ve got to be careful. It depends on the straps hitting the back of the foot or the bottom of the foot. Basically with blisters you don’t want to take the blister off. Sometimes I tell patients if there’s a way to puncture the blister, either with a sterile needle or a small scissor that’s very clean, you could just pick and drain the blister, leave the top of the blister intact, and cover it with a dressing, a sterile dressing, and follow up with a physician as soon as possible.
Melanie: Blisters can actually become a problem if you get them. People get them all the time and don’t think twice about them, but they can hurt besides.
Dr. Ucciferri: Yes, they can. It can also cause great infection, so it’s very important to follow up with a doctor and make sure that the blister is clearing up appropriately.
Melanie: If we’re going on vacation, are there any over-the-counter topical antifungal creams or powders or things that you want to recommend that we bring with us on vacation?
Dr. Ucciferri: Well, one of the things, like you did mention in the beginning, basically sunburn. One of the biggest things when going away on vacation, sun-burning of the feet. And I explain to patients it’s very important to make sure you use a high SPF protectant cream on the top of the foot. We have many patients coming here they’re fine everywhere else in their body except for the top of their feet being sunburnt. I also explain to patients it’s a good idea to take some topical antifungals, anything over-the-counter. If you ask your pharmacist, they’ll tell you what’s the most decent thing that’s in the market at this point that’s a reasonable price, and you could take that with you. But on a safe point, make sure you have a safety kit with you when you travel. Put some Band-aids and some triple antibiotic ointment, and that should keep you out of trouble. But always have a plan to follow up with your physician if anything occurs.
Melanie: What about exfoliating and soaking our feet? There’s all kinds of foot baths on the market, and if we’ve had a long day of going to an amusement park or walking around on vacation, you right away think you want to soak your feet and maybe even use a pumice stone or exfoliate. Is this the best idea?
Dr. Ucciferri: Sometimes it can be. Again, so much of a good thing can be good. I explain to patients that when you come home and if you’ve been out and about, and you’re hot and sweaty, and you feel beat up, soaking is a good way to just make them feel better. It doesn’t physically do anything for the foot besides just make it feel better. But overdoing it can cause dryness of the skin, believe it or not. Over soaking can create skin fissures and also even possible infections sometimes, depending on how much soaking you’re doing. So I tell patients you can soak a little bit, but always moisturize afterwards to make sure that your skin maintains the proper amount of moisture. I also explain to patients just take care regarding exfoliation. You don’t want to overdo it. I’ve had patients come in with abrasions from exfoliation. When you soak your feet, if you want to take a loofa or a pumice stone and to kind of rub it against your foot for a few seconds just to get some of the dead skin off, that’s appropriate. Although if you’re diabetic or have a systemic disease, it’s a good idea to check with your physician before doing anything like that.
Melanie: In just the last few minutes, Dr. Marco, your best advice for healthy summer feet, which would equal happier feet. And what about when our feet swell? So cover both those things and wrap it up for us.
Dr. Ucciferri: Yes. Regarding the foot swelling, if it’s a chronic issue regarding the foot, it’s a good idea to follow up with your primary care doctor because it can be related to a systemic medical problem. But if it’s just a bit of swelling, I explain to patients to elevate their feet. You can ice on anti-inflammatories, and also, compressive stockings can help tremendously with swelling of the feet. As far as foot health in the summer, just take care. Like I said, the biggest issue I find is having patients with sunburn on their feet. So just because it’s your foot, you should also take care of it, just like the rest of your body. Also, use protective shoes for going to the beach and being on their feeta lot. And give your feet a break. Make sure you use a sneaker or some type of sports device in between the times that you’re walking with sandals or barefoot.
Melanie: Thank you so much. It’s great information. You’re listening to SMG Radio. For more information, you can go to summitmedicalgroup.com. That’s summitmedicalgroup.com. This is Melanie Cole. Thank you so much for listening.