Dry Skin

canadian_girlguide

I am heading to India in September to volunteer until christmas, I am sure this is going to sound creepy but I am really worried about my feet.

Eczema and dry skin runs in my family (thank god I didnt get the worst of it) and I am very worried about my feet cracking. As it is, my feet get very dry and cracked in the summer and require well above average amounts of attention.

The obvious way to avoid this is to wear running shoes but I dont think that is going to happen for an entire 3 months.

I know in some places the air quality/environmental factors make things like dry skin less or more of a problem. I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas on how Indian climate affects these types of problems, or on how to battle them while there without having to spend an hour everyday soaking my feet!

thanks!

PeakXV

Hello Canadian girlguide welcome to IndiaMike.

Our family has dry skin too and I've found that the Canadian winters are far more hazardous to feet cracking then anything Indian climate can ever throw at you. I should think Himalayan Hiking would be worst case for that sort of ailment,

That said, it might be good to stay away from the caffeine drinks(very bad for dry skin) which come at you a mile-a-minute in the subcontinent and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate yourself with lots of water, fruit juices etc. etc.

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Tapestry

I find the dessicated air of the US and Canadian winters to be much harder on my skin than living in India. Whenever I am back in North America my skin just dries and dessicates and I feel like I'm having all the moisture just sucked out of me by the incredibly dry air. In India the sun may be intense and there may be smog, etc, but the air just doesn't get as dry as it does in North America. But I don't have excema, so I'm not sure about those extenuating circumstances.

shashank.aggarwal

feets do crack a lot in India..but thats primarily due to heat and rough conditions..

There is cream by name 'Krack' which is easily available on most of the medical stores...just apply that to your feet and it does the trick...

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birds

I have occasionally cracked heels from walking too long on chappels. I use Footcare Cream from Himalaya. It is not tested on animals, contains no triclosan, a tube cost only Rs25 (about 0.50 dollar cents), doesn't smell bad, doesn't stain and is very effective.

Nick-H

I like the Himalaya stuff too. I think it has got honey in it --- smells like it

Recently Mrs N used just glycerine, applying it to her feet and then covering with green light-cotton socks (I mention the colour, just in case it matters ) overnight. Result: lovely soft skin.

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DeewanaMastana

Hi Cdn Girlguide, I have dry skin too and Indian climate is much better for this than Canadian climate. Generally, there is a lot of humidity in the air in India (well, I have to ask where you are going) and skin does not dry that much.

As for feet cracking up, yes that will indeed happen. Most times, I think you'd be wearing sandals/slippers and noot shoes, its just more comfortable that way. But there are ointments which control it very well. These are available in any medical shop.

If you don't mind, what volunteer work are you doing and where are you going? I hope you have a great time!

Aishah

I used to have very bad excema in Oz and NZ but since coming to india, eating unprocessed foods etc. it has completely disappeared. In the dry weather, particularly if it is hot and depending on where you are travelling, heels can crack terribly. Since I live in a very hot, dry place the only thing that solves this problem for me (and I am probably sticking my neck out here because i don't think many people will be doing this!!) is to always wear outdoors cotton socks with my sandals or shoes. Pa rticularly here, where it is very sandy and dusty, i never get cracking heels, dry skin on feet etc. and I wear these socks all year round. I find they provide more comfort for the soles of your feet when wearing sandals as the sand doesn't creep between your skin and sole of shoe, thus preventing sandpaper effect on your feet. Also I use Himalaya Foot Cream at night. I wear slip on towelling scuffs without socks around home - never bare feet to the floor. I think if you are here just a short time you wouldn't have too much problem with the bare feet thing but i was doing this when I first arrived and the heel cracking started. Since I went into the sock regime, no probs.!

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SitaParityaga

I have the same problem, CG. Both at home (in the middle of summer and winter) and in India (at all times)

After many years of really ouchy problems, I have become more proactive in prevention with good results.

Not wanting to spend an hour a day on this is really a big deal to me too. And I refuse to wear big old clunky athletic shoes in a hot climate. It's flip flop time, for the most part.

The Krack and Himalyan products aleady mentioned are wonderful: especially if you make sure to use them everyday, but especially at night. The Krack is a silicone-y thing that actually works better than it sounds. Here in California, I have found "Krack" plastic booties! Put them on overnight, and feet are dancing the next morning.

I know you know the score already, having this "challenge" shared with family. Somehow I'm more lax back home about the disciplne of feet, but in India, it seems more of an issue, and can really effect one's mobility.

Many years ago, an Ayurvedic doctor gave me a ball of twigs and brown gummy subtance that cured cracks overnight. No one knew what the cure was made of.

GoanCanuck

Really depends on which part of India you are heading to. If you are going to Southern India then you will not have too much of a problem due to the high levels of humidity. I have never had cracked feet at any time in Goa but every time I go to Delhi or Punjab my feet really crack up.

Nick-H

Do give your feet a good scrub* with a hard brush when ever you shower, or, at least daily. You might even like to use a pumice stone.

If you do not let that layer of hard skin form and dry out, you will not get cracks.

Takes but a few minutes.

*you'll want to anyway when you see what colour they are after going out on the Indian streets !

canadian_girlguide

Wow, thanks everyone for the great advice!! I will be sure to pick up some of the creams, they sound great. Hopefully with that and using socks at night it will help, although I am not to vain to wear socks in sandals if it comes to that, lol. Maybe be I will be a lucky one where it goes away!

To answer a couple peoples question, I will be in Pune (have also seen it writen as Poona) working in the Mobile Creches. I will be staying at Sangam which is a center run by the international Girl Guide/Scout organization.

machadinha

Err, green socks, remember

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Aishah

I don't wear socks indoors or at night inside - only when I go outside, also they are thin cotton obtainable in Australia and i am sure in Canada - I think Girl Guides wear blue uniforms in Oz!!!Or maybe that's Girls Brigade! Also i never wear thick clunky athletic shoes here - lightweight, loose sandal types and you are never that hot on the soles on the feet even when temps are over 40's. And yes, do do the pumice thing on your feet at soaking time as Nick suggests) because the hard skin becomes painful for walking on later. I've had all this stuff happen to me at some time here! Good luck.

birds

And the occasional visit to the beauty parlor to get a good pedicure also helps. In India pedicures are cheap and can be had for about Rs.100 at small outfits to Rs. 250 at more luxurious places. Even the five star hotel beauty salons rarely charge more than Rs.400. In my experience the smaller the place, the more effort they make.