Feet on Fire?

After spending time outdoors, ever notice that your feet are “feel like they are on fire?” Did you remember to put sunscreen on all the sun exposed parts, except your feet? There are important reasons to make sure you never leave your feet unprotected from the sun again!

Feet are an often a neglected area of the body when thinking of sun exposure. The consequences of forgetting to cover your feet can be not only painful, but also dangerous! Sunburn can be especially painful on the tops of ankles, feet and toes because skin is very sensitive there. You experience similar symptoms as with any burn; pain, redness, swelling, and eventually peeling or blisters. Sun burns are caused by ultraviolet (UV) radiations resulting in skin inflammation. The symptoms can start within 30 minutes of exposure, so always be sure to put on powerful sunscreen! UVA and UVB refer to different wavelengths in the light spectrum. UVB is more damaging to the skin and is more often the cause of skin cancer. Both UVA and UVB are also responsible for premature aging of the skin, wrinkles (photoaging) and sunburn. While sunburns to the feet are painful they can have, more devastating effects on your feet.

Sunburns can cause or exacerbate long term detrimental effects, including several different types of soft tissue tumors of your feet, which can be categorized into benign or malignant. Benign tumors are ones that may need to be biopsied to confirm their status. If these need treatment they usually heal uneventfully and biopsies do not reveal any cancerous cells. These benign tumors can include: eccrine poroma, ganglionic cysts, glomus tumor, intractable plantar keratoma, mucoid cyst, pigmented villonodular syntovitis, plantar fibromatosis, and synovial cysts. Malignant tumors of the foot are ones that are cancerous, and can be very dangerous if not treated quickly and properly. The malignant tumors of the feet include: malignant melanoma, kaposi’s sarcoma, and squamous cell carcinoma.

One treatment that is frequently used for lower extremity burns is the application of aloe lotion to soothe the burn. This can be applied as frequently as you would like, and is recommended to be applied at least three times per day while the burn is still in an active or acute phase. If the skin is blistering, or you feel you may have suffered third degree burns, you should seek medical attention. You should also be aware of any signs of heat stroke or heat exhaustion, as these can be a very serious systemic illness that can affect the functioning of your body and in severe cases of sunburn may lead certain organs shutdown!

Remember, apply suntan lotion to your feet and legs whenever you expect them to be in the sun for any extended period of time.

The purpose of this blog is to raise awareness about common conditions associated with the foot and ankle. Any advice given, whether medical or legal, is an opinion. For legal counsel or podiatric care, one should see their local podiatrist or attorney. More information can be found at my website www.michiganfootdoctor.com