Can anyone recommend something to stop the skin on my feet crackin and tearing skin. Its really a pain, someone recommended dipping them in vinegar, will this work?
I was waiting for that from someone!! Jeees! You can get a product called Heel Balm that may help. If its itchy and sore, try something called Daktarin. Other than that, I'd recommened cleaning them regularly, drying them properly afterwards and using a moisteriser to keep the skin soft. Especially after training. Something with Peppermint or Tea Tree oil in it is ideal.
Hmmm when u say Cracking skin, are you talking about blisters and the like caused by training on wood etc floors in bare feet? If you are, then Surgical Spirit can help with toughening skin (same idea as vinegar but slightly better). Eventually your feet will get a thick layer of extra skin, callousing basically, which will mean that they don't crack or blister anymore.
Yeah i was actually talking about blisters and stuff from training on wood floors. medical alcohol eh???
I did 11 years of ballet training, the last 5 of which was professional schooling. Dancing on point can cause dreadful blisters on the toes. I now do karate instead, and those blisters have moved from my toes to the soles of my feet! We used to use surgical spirits on our toes with the rational that it would toughen the skin up, as lots of martial artists recommend. The only problem with this was although the skin was tougher, when we did get a blister, although less frequent they used to be more painful as more skin would be taken off because it was thicker and tougher. During my training, I met a professional dancer who recommended that I used a herbal ointment called Zambuk instead. This is a dark green, herbal ointment in a green and white tin that I used to rub into my feet every day. This made the skin more rubbery and flexible without it going soft, and as a result I got a lot less blisters from pointe work. The bonus is that the ointment also enables quicker healing. Maybe this would also work for MA’s?
Definitely need to toughen the skin, to take the abuse of training. 4 step process. 1.) Take a week off from training. 2.) Fly to Hawaii. 3.) Walk up and down the sandy beaches. 4.) Repeat as necessary. Ok, maybe just using a medicated foot cream would work. Alot of good suggestions so far. How about soaking in salt (actually magnesium sulfate) water...like Epsom http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20000804.html
