As a podiatrist I’ve seen so many old foot care remedies from patients. Often they’ll swear on a treatment from grandma, aunty, uncle, neighbour or family friend swears by these old foot care remedies. But do they really work?
Today I’ll unpack the common old wives tales treatments I’ve discovered in my podiatry practice and whether they can actually help treat your foot condition.
Banana peels for warts: do they work?
Lots of families seem to have the idea that a banana peel applied to a wart on the foot is a good treatment. But sadly there is no evidence to support this. Also, it’s not the most comfortable or hygienic treatment.
Fans of this foot care remedy will instruct you to tape a small piece of banana peel to your wart and leave it on overnight. While banana skin has some minerals like phosphorous, iron and calcium, none of these are proven to prevent warts.
Another at-home remedy for warts is garlic. I’ve seen patients cutting a slice of garlic and applying the raw bulb to the foot. Which can get kind of stinky! Garlic is rich in potassium, phosphorous, manganese and other minerals, but none of these are proven to successfully treat warts.
A much better at-home treatment for warts is Wart-Off which uses salicylic acid to destroy wart tissue, without the mess and smell of garlic or banana peel. Apply Wart-Off nightly and cover with waterproof plaster. Most warts will be reduced or disappear within two or three weeks.
Ear wax for dry skin
I once had a patient who saw me after realising that her family tradition of putting ear wax on dry heels (or even lips) was not effective. I’m not sure how the theory originated, but it’s not hygienic to apply ear wax to dry skin on the body.
Ear wax is best left to do its job in your ear, and not applied to other areas of the body. You’re much better off using a urea based heel balm, a hygienic emollient, or Footlogix Cracked Heel Cream a product specifically created to treat dry cracked heels.
Sliced tomato on corns
I was pretty shocked when a patient came to see me and showed me the slices of tomato on her foot to treat her corn!
Corns are hard thickened layers of skin that form as a response to repeated friction on the foot. At home foot care remedies suggest that the acids in tomato can help soften and treat corns. But there is no scientific evidence that tomato will help with your corns. The acid from tomato can actually cause damage to your skin or lead to infection.
You are much better off coming in to see us for a corn removal treatment. We can gently cut away the corn and give you guidance on further treatment and prevention tips to stop the corn returning.
Footcare remedies for ingrown toenails
It can be tempting to treat ingrown toenails at home, and the common advice is that you can cut a v-shape
in the toenail to prevent ingrowns. However many patients cut that V in the very centre of the toenail where it is completely ineffective. The cut needs to be at the sides of the toenail where the ingrown is likely to occur.
However this can be difficult to do at home without the sterilised equipment and nail scissors used by podiatrists. So if you are struggling to cut the toenail you may make the infection worse. Make an appointment and our team can safely and hygenically cut the toenail in the right way. We’re also experienced so we tend to be faster and less painful than your at-home techniques. (And if you’re treating children, they’ll be better behaved for us too.)
Dropping heavy books on ganglions
A ganglion is a fluid-filled cyst that forms near a joint, resulting in feeling a ‘bump’ under your skin. They can occur in your hands or feet. One of the worst at-home foot care remedies is to drop a heavy book like an encyclopaedia on the ganglion to burst it. This is likely to be ineffective and cause you more foot pain. You can even break a bone this way, so please don’t do it.
We can remove your ganglion in our practice in a safe and efficient manner without the risk of incurring further foot trauma.
Cabbage leaves on plantar fasciitis
Similar to the old wives tale of using cabbage for breastfeeding mothers, the idea is that the cabbage leaves will ease symptoms of plantar fasciitis, a painful inflammatory condition that causes tenderness in the heel of the foot. There is not a lot of evidence to support the theory that cabbage leaves can alleviate foot pain.
But cabbage does have phytonutrients that may treat inflammation, and red cabbage also has quantities of the antioxidant anthocyanin. However, save your cabbage for your salads and stir fries. We can give you a detailed assessment and treatment plan, which may include stretching, orthotics, pain medication and physiotherapy.
To recap: old wives tales foot care remedies to avoid:
- banana peel or garlic on warts: use a wart removal cream from the pharmacy
- ear wax for dry heels: use Vaseline or other heel balms
- cutting a V into ingrown toenails: make sure you cut in the right place
- dropping heavy books on ganglions: see your podiatrist
- cabbage leaves on plantar fasciitis: see your podiatrist
Got questions?
Give us a call or book your podiatry appointment online.
