Don’t Forget Your Feet
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
United States
January 1, 2016 10:24am CST
Our skin covers just about our entire bodies. It is the largest organ we have. I discovered when I was thirteen that if I abused my skin, it would hurt me. I wore a new bathing suit outside in July in SoCal for an hour. The suit exposed a small triangle of skin to the sun for the first time. The result was blisters. Never again.
Not only do I wear sunscreen, hats, long sleeved shirts and long pants all year long, I moisturize my skin daily. In the morning I apply a moisturizer with a high SPF rating to my face, neck and hands. Just before bed, I apply a rich moisturizing lotion to my hands and elbows.
But after coming back from my trip to Key West (where the humidity made my skin soft and supple), I realized that the skin on my feet felt scratchy. I guess it was the extreme lack of humidity back home in SoCal. So I have added one step to my nightly routine.
After I put lotion on my hands and elbows, I now apply a liberal amount of lotion to my feet. Then I massage it into my skin. Finally, I put on light weight cotton socks and get into bed. After doing this for three nights in a row, the skin on my feet feels like it did when I was in Key West.
How do you take care of your skin?
15 people like this
16 responses
@Drosophila (16568)
• Ireland
1 Jan 16
By moving to Ireland where the sun don't shine!
2 people like this
@Drosophila (16568)
• Ireland
1 Jan 16
@ElizabethWallace oh ya 360 degree rain no thx
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
2 Jan 16
@Drosophila Yikes. I live in the opposite extreme now, but they originally settled in Virginia where it does rain, but not as often as Ireland.
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
1 Jan 16
Many of my ancestors were from there. That may be one reason they left. 
1 person likes this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
1 Jan 16
While I was in Turkey last year I spent a lot of time lying on a sun lounger around the pool. It was in the late 30s most of the time, so I never lasted long before having to go into the pool to cool down a little. I remember a couple of days when the Sun started to make the soles of feet feel hot, so I had no choice but to put on my shoes. I would hate to get sunburn on the bottom of my feet.
2 people like this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
1 Jan 16
@LoriAMoore Since I was lay down at the time I was quite likely the get sunburn on the underside of my feet, which would be far worse.
2 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
1 Jan 16
I knew someone who did that, and her armpits. Both were very painful.
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
1 Jan 16
@LoriAMoore We need our feet, so we should take good care of them.
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (56378)
• Canada
1 Jan 16
I am very very good to my feet. I soak them in every couple of weeks and then massage some nice exfoliating lotion into them when necessary, otherwise, I just moisturize them. I have always protected all of my skin from the sun's rays, even though they are probably not as strong here in our area as they would be in your area. I even go so far as to use a sun screen product on my hair, as it can be damaged, and bleached from the sun and I don't like that.
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (56378)
• Canada
1 Jan 16
@ElizabethWallace My Dad, who farmed all of his life, had Lupus, which affects your skin, so I was taught young.
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
1 Jan 16
You are very wise, and pretty rare. Most people do not take care of their skin at all.
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
2 Jan 16
@Juliaacv Sorry about your Dad's illness, but it was wise of him to pass on his concern about sun damage.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (502812)
• Italy
2 Jan 16
@ElizabethWallace I agree, a healthy elastic skin is important and I never forget my feet, only when thy hurt we realize how much they are important.
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
1 Jan 16
Excellent. It is too important to ignore.
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
2 Jan 16
@LadyDuck This is true of many parts of our bodies. We take them for granted until we are reminded. Hope my reminder warns a few people.
1 person likes this
@fawkes62 (1276)
• United States
2 Jan 16
Mainly I put lotion on my hands at night. I then start to put lotion on where ever I get dry skin in the winter, but my hands are always the worst. I put sunscreen on in the summer but tend to forget in the winter, but as we get so little sun it isn't as big a deal as in your area.
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
2 Jan 16
Sun damage can occur when the day is cloudy, so apply it anyway for safety.
1 person likes this
@DianneN (254926)
• United States
2 Jan 16
Living in cold New England for most of my life, I have learned to take care of myself from the top of my head to the tip of my toes. As far as feet are concerned, I get regular pedicures, moisturize, and if necessary, use a rich, exfoliating moisturizer. No problems. I always use a 50 sunblock, especially here in FL.
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
2 Jan 16
Hey, I was in Florida from the 10th to the 22nd. But much further south. Used heavy sunscreen all over exposed skin while I was there. Did not tan at all. 
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
16 Feb 16
i l iv e in So uhern Califorina ahd have verydry skin so I use a lot of lotion on feet legs and arms jergens b ut its really a great lotion and it does work to.
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
2 Jan 16
Great. This was my goal in writing this piece. I hope others pay attention too.
@changjiangzhibin89 (17244)
• China
2 Jan 16
You really have a way with using skincare products .
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
2 Jan 16
It is not by accident. I respect my body, since I do not have a second hanging in the closet.
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
1 Jan 16
This is excellent. I am sure your feet are very grateful for the care.
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
2 Jan 16
But you do use sunscreen elsewhere, I hope. You have very fair skin, which is both beautiful and easy to burn.
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
1 Jan 16
You live very far north, so this may be all you need.
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
1 Jan 16
Reflected light is more intense. I wear sunglasses even when there are clouds or there is fog. Blue eyes need extra protection.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (190003)
• Boise, Idaho
2 Jan 16
I read somewhere that Doris Day used to put vaseline on her feet at night and then put socks on and go to bed.
@DeborahDiane (40851)
• Laguna Woods, California
3 Jan 16
I use a lot of moisturizer on my skin, too. In addition, I add a generous amount of olive oil to my bath water several times a week and, in between, I rub it directly into my skin.
