When Autumn comes around, one thing I am usually quite thankful for is to be able to revert to closed shoes and not have to worry about my unsightly feet. Ironically, in the winter my feet, and more especially my toenails recover and are usually in good shape. Then when it is time to dig out the sandals again, I seem to be afflicted with another big toenail infection, with the result being that I have to sport toes with no nails or nails in various stages of regrowth for the entire summer months. Let's face it running and pretty feet are not compatible. For women this is more of a problem when tempted by those tempting strappy sandals, the effect is quite obliterated by the ugly toenails. Over the years, I have learned some tips on how to doctor my own feet and cover up unsightly nails.

Toenails
Toenails really are the ugliest bit of a runners' anatomy, they become thick and horny, yellow or black. However, they play a very important role in protecting our toes and without them you sure know about it. The first rule with toenails is to keep them as short as possible, but without cutting them too low so that they hurt. You also need to cut them round and not square across if you are prone to ingrown nails, which then causes infection. If your nails are too long, you can either get a progressively black toenail, or worse still an infection will set in underneath the nail. In both scenarios you will lose the toenail. An infection is evident when the toe becomes swollen, red and very tender and typically throbs. The first thing you have to do is get rid of the infection and sometimes blister fluid that has built up under the nail. The most effective way to do this is to bathe your foot in a very warm water solution doused with domestic bleach or Betadine. You then need to take a thick needle which you have disinfected and insert it gently under the nail where the infection appears to be most concentrated. When you have released the pressure in the correct spot a lot of watery liquid, blood and some pus will come out from under the nail. Continue to soak the foot in the antiseptic solution after you have performed this little operation. You might have to repeat the process 2-3 times a day for a few days. Once the infection is gone the nail will be loosened and you may slowly begin by cutting it away from the skin.

This process may seem like pure torture, but at this stage the pain will have disappeared. Your exposed toe with no nail might be a little tender for a day or two, but quickly some hardened skin forms a protection over the nail bed area. Some runners prefer to hang onto their nail as protection for as long as possible. I have found that if you keep your old nail then the new one has difficulty to grow, and often the nail growth is stunted regrows funny ridges because the old nail is hampering growth. The result is that you are left without a new nail for even longer. The growth of a new big toenail can be anything from 3 to 6 months. What I have found is a good tip for covering up, is at first to stick a plaster over the toe when it is still very raw looking. Then with dark nail varnish colours you can paint a trompe- l'oeil effect to cover up, which can be very effective. If you are experiencing recurrent black toenails or infections, be sure to inspect the toebox of your shoes and make sure that the surface covering your toenails is of supple material and ample enough to not cause any compression. I have had the misfortune of a favourite model of shoe being updated with an added hard plastic flashy band to be culprit of toenail miseries. If you have recently bought your shoes, instead of throwing them away you can cut away any offending bit or make a slit in the toebox to relieve pressure on the toenails.

Rough skin and calluses
Running also hardens the skin of your feet and you might find you have lots of rough skin and ridges forming around the toes and on the sides of your feet. There are many different kinds of kits available in pharmacies from pumice stones to sophisticated foot graters. What I have found to be the most effective, is first to bathe the foot in very hot water for ten minutes and then with a blunt throwaway razor to gently razor away the skin build-up. If you develop a callus in one particular spot, it may be due to excessive friction caused by your shoes and you may have to consider a different model.

Athlete's foot
Athlete's foot is a fungus infection of the skin that most often occurs in between toes, typically cracks occur between the toes, sometimes accompanied with a white scale. The main symptoms include dry and itchy lesions. To treat athlete's foot you should ask your local pharmacist for an anti-fungal powder or cream treatment. As with warts this fungus thrives on warm moist conditions and sweaty feet and can be picked up from walking barefoot in public places.

Warts
A tiny little wart on your foot if not seen to, can mushroom within a very short space of time and become very large painful. Warts are extremely contagious and can be picked up from public swimming pools, public changing rooms etc. They thrive in moist places. Unfortunately most remedies that can be purchased over the counter do not work, so if you suspect you have a wart consult a podiatrist without delay, as it can hamper or stop you from running.