Smokers feet?

Is there such a thing as 'smoker's feet'?



I obviously see many pairs of feet every day and the feet of smokers are quite unique in their presentation.

Most have a an abundance of hard skin. With this I don't mean just a small patch of callus on the heel or side of the big toe.

I mean thick, yellow, wax like callus. Generally on the heel area but can be over the forefoot area, on the ends of the toes and on the side of the big toe.



I mean A LOT of callus. Excessive,. And despite it being pared off every few weeks by a professional, it returns to an identical state.

When it is pared off with a scalpel blade it comes off like peeling a potato or whittling a candle down.... sorry to be graphic!



So is this really down to smoking?

The following is a very simplified reason as to why this is happening....

Remember the feet are the farthest point away from the heart.

Every time you smoke the tobacco components absorbed through the lungs reach the heart immediately.

According to research (see ref below) there is a 42% reduction in blood flow after just one cigarette. In very basic terms your blood vessels get narrower.

Being as these blood vessels run to every single part of your body delivering the oxygen and other components vital to stay alive, you are denying each and every part of your body with nearly half of what it needs to function normally.



The effects last up to 90 minutes after each cigarette. If you smoke regularly then these effects are pretty much permanent until you are asleep.

As your feet are so far away from the heart, the heart is already working harder than other areas to get the blood to and from the area. When you smoke, you compromise this even more.

Over time this lack of blood flow starts to affect how the skin grows. Being as our skin is constantly renewed it is being renewed in less than perfect conditions.

Collagen, the essential element of the skin that gives it the elasticity and flexibility is reduced by lack of blood flow and oxygen in the blood. This is why smokers also get more wrinkles!

Less collagen = less elasticity = thicker skin = more callus on your feet.

This is just ONE aspect of how smoking can affect your feet. Each cigarette contains 4,000 different chemical elements.........

For more information.....

http://www.podiatryinstitute.com/pdfs/Update_2012/2012_38.pdf

Relationship between Smoking and plantar callus formation of the foot

Thomas J Merrill, DPM, Virginio Vena, DPM and Luis A Rodriguez, DPM