Why Moisturizers Don't Help Dry Soles [DermTV.com Epi #153]



Moisturizers don't usually help fix dry soles. Well, they would if the soles were really dry but, what most people think as dry soles really isn't dry soles. Yes, the bottom of your feet look like they have white flakes, and they even have these very thin, fine, white lines, but not everything that flakes or is scaly represents dry skin. When I tell people what they really have, they're usually very surprised because it really represents a fungal infection, yes, ordinary, generic, athlete's foot. Well, no wonder that moisturizers don't work. If you use a moisturizer on any fungal infection, adding moisture to a fungal infection just makes it worse. What you really need to do to fix these dry-appearing soles is antifungals, and there are plenty of over-the-counter topical antifungals such as Lamisil or the generic ingredient in Lamisil which is terbinafine or even Tinactin and, if you want it to work the best, you want to use it also with a topical exfoliant such as glycolic acid which helps dissolve some of the dead cells that are infected with the fungus and makes the antifungal ingredients penetrate even deeper. And, by the way, this condition usually doesn't affect teenagers or people in their 20s. It's usually something that we start to see in our 30s. So the next time you think you have dry soles, think again, and instead of grabbing a moisturizer, reach for an antifungal.