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If you have diabetes, preventive foot care should be a crucial part of your daily life. Proper diabetic foot care includes various components:
It is sometimes necessary to introduce diabetic foot products such as creams, lotions, or special foot wash, in your daily foot care routine. We’re here to discuss why, when, how, and what are the best diabetic foot creams you can safely use.
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Yes. But let’s turn it this way: foot creams are efficient for diabetics. They’re even essential.
People with diabetes are more likely to develop numerous foot problems such as blisters, calluses, cracked heels, fungus infections, or even ulcers, feet swelling, gangrene, and others (here’s a complete list of most common diabetes-related foot problems and their causes).
Being realistic, do you really think a magic cream that cures all these problems at once even exist? No? And you’re right.
Actually they do. Or pharmaceutical companies make you think they do. But what they call “diabetic” foot creams are really just foot moisturisers that carry pretty much the same exact ingredients as any other one. Put it the “diabetic” word, and your foot cream will sell for much more money.
Now, we’re not saying diabetics should not use foot cream. All the opposite: foot cream have a very important role to play in diabetes foot care. But only if it addresses your feet’s specific problems!
Let’s forget about the diabetic foot creams and concentrate on you. First, if you’re lucky and don’t have any foot problem… well, you probably won’t need to buy any foot cream and can stop here.
If you do have foot problems, you first need to identify them. Once you’ve identified what foot problem you have exactly (hopefully with your doctor’s help!), you can start looking for the foot cream that will best address these specific problems. And you will find it right below in section 2!
Diabetic socks and foot creams can totally complement each other. In many cases, it’s actually recommended to get both because they can act differently on the same problem.
Diabetic socks have 4 main functions: improving blood flow to your feet, keeping your feet dry, preventing fungal and bacterial infections, and providing extra cushioning or padding. They’re different from regular socks, and show technical features such as non-binding tops, moist-wicking materials, anti-fungal and bacterial treatments, extra padding, and more. Diabetic socks are especially recommended when one has foot problems such as poor blood circulation, diabetic neuropathy pain, feet swelling or excessive feet sweating, sensitive or irritated skin, blisters, fungal infections, etc.
Our diabetic socks features Easy Table will help you check if diabetic socks can also address your own foot problems.
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Whether you have diabetic neuropathy foot pain, very dry skin on your feet, calluses, blisters, fungal infections, cracked heels, itchy skin, or foot ulcers… you won’t be needing the same foot cream. After having looked at dozens (if not hundreds!) of foot creams, interrogated foot specialists, dermatologists, and diabetes patients, we’ve gathered this list of best foot cream suggestions for each common foot problems among people with diabetes.
Remember: diabetic feet are very fragile, and it’s easy to aggravate a small problem. Always ask for your doctor’s advice before applying anything on your feet!
Don’t be surprised if you have dry skin on your feet. High blood sugars often cause dehydration. It’s no big deal, but you have to deal with it: dry skin can peel or crack down, get infected, and lead to much more serious problems such as foot ulcers or even gangrene. Eucerin’s advanced repair cream is the #1 pick by pharmacists and dermatologists when it comes to dry skins.
O’Keeffe’s is now a well-established and trustable moisturiser brand built by a woman whose father had diabetes and terribly dry skin! Its Healthy Feet Foot Cream has came up many times when interrogating diabetes patients as one of the most efficient moisturiser for very dry and cracked feet skin. People have also reported that it works very fast.
This foot repair salve is one of the most powerful treatment against very dry skin, especially if it has become that bad that you actually have cracked heels. It’s a salve, not a cream, so it will be more greasy than the first 2 ones. Rub it on your feet before bed and let it act all night for better results. Oh, and it’s made with 99,5% natural ingredients!
Diabetic neuropathy often starts with more or less intense foot pain. It is a very serious diabetes complication, so ask for your doctor’s advice before applying any foot cream. Chances are your health provider will first recommend you Topricin Foot Therapy Cream, one of the most efficient non-prescription foot pain relief. But if things don’t get better, you might be prescribed a stronger pain relief.
Hemp oil is a very efficient pain relief. Haley Organics has come up with this great medical grade hemp pain relief, reducing among other things, muscle, joint, and nerve damage pain, which diabetics are likely to suffer from. This cream is not only about hemp oil: it’s a well studied combination of various famous pain relief natural ingredients such as arnica, menthol, aloe vera, and more. Let’s just finish by the ultimate proof of its efficiency: 94% of Amazon clients have given it a 5 stars review!
Hard skin, corns, and calluses are very common among people with diabetes. They’re usually caused by shoes friction or pressure. Diabetic people are at higher risk of developing complications from calluses (mostly infections and ulcers). PurSources Urea 40% cream is the most recommended foot cream when it comes to calluses, as its very high urea concentration helps sooth and soften thick skin. But if your calluses are already quite big, orthotic footwear is probably a better solution.
Athlete’s foot fungal infection is a condition that needs a medical diagnosis. Do not treat without your doctor’s advice. Once you’ve been diagnosed and know your problem is Athlete’s foot fungus, the best over the counter treatment is Lotrimin Ultra cream. Read notice before applying.
Gold Blond Foot Powder does not address any “specific” foot condition, but it does prove itself very efficient when it comes to itchy irritated foot skin, odor-causing foot bacteria, and foot moisture problems. Sprinkle the powder over clean and dry feet up to 3-4 times a day if necessary. You can also put some inside your shoes for maximum efficiency against bad smells!
Excessive feet sweating can be a big problem for people with diabetes. To avoid bacterial and fungus infections, your feet need to stay dry. When your feet sweat all the time, it’s pretty impossible. There are several medical solutions when it comes to extreme feet sweating, such as iontophoresis or even botox injections. But before getting to such heavy treatments, try wearing the appropriate socks, or using Carpe’s Antiperspirant Foot Lotion.
We know we’ve said there’s is no such thing as “diabetic foot cream”. Gold Blond has done here exactly what we’ve criticised above: putting the “diabetic” word so that its skin relief cream sells at higher price. But it kept coming up in our researches as one of the best foot moisturisers recommended by clients and professionals. And it’s not that expensive at all. So here it is!
A tiny blister can turn into a nightmare for people living with diabetes. Because of nerve damage and lack of oxygen, foot blisters can take ages to heal and easily get infected. If you often get blisters, we recommend you first try Dr Scholl’s Blister Defense Stick, which clients have reported being very satisfied. If things do not get better, you might want to get more appropriate footwear such as blister-guard diabetic socks.
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As we said in our introduction, diabetic foot creams do not actually exist. It’s just a commercial name given to foot moisturiser or foot pain relief. If you have diabetes, you need to take extra care of your feet, and you most probably need an appropriate foot cream.
If you do not have any specific problems, any good quality foot moisturiser as the ones we featured in this article should be largely enough. The important thing being to keep your skin hydrated.
If you have a specific foot problem (cracked skin, calluses, fungus, blisters, diabetic foot pain, etc.) you will probably need a more specific foot cream that addresses that very same problem. We recommend you ask for your doctor’s advice first. In our list, you can find the best foot cream to apply for each common diabetes-related foot problems.
Of course you can. If you do not have any particular foot problem, a good quality foot moisturiser is all you need. It’s much cheaper than the so called “diabetic foot creams” and will do exactly what you need: keep your skin moisturised!
In our list of best diabetic foot creams, we have not recommended any foot cream for diabetic foot ulcer.
Diabetic foot ulcer is a very serious medical condition that needs medical care and advice. Treatments for foot ulcers are often other than creams and are not available over the counter.
If you think you might have diabetic foot ulcer, do not put anything on your foot until you see a doctor.
You need to look at what foot problem the foot cream is supposed to work on. Do you need it to moisturise? Do you need it to kill fungus between your toes? Do you need it to alleviate itching and irritation? Or to reduce sweating and foot smell?
Foot creams that promise you they can treat all these problems at once are a lie and won’t be efficient. First know what you need foot cream for. Then, look for the best in that category! A quick look at our list above should give you an idea of what dermatologists and diabetes patients have recommended for each specific foot problems.
Each foot cream will have its own notice and “how to use” advice. As a common rule, it is generally recommended to apply any foot cream and clean and dry feet. Remember how important it is to gently wash your feet daily and to carefully dry them. See our best method in our Diabetes Foot Care Guidelines. Check your foot cream notice or ask for your doctor’s advice for more details.
We hope this article has made things clearer for you. Remember never to treat a foot problem yourself when you have diabetes. It can get worst in no time. Always ask for a health professional’s diagnosis and advice.
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