Today, we are going to look at what causes cut under toe crease.
Perhaps you are familiar with the sweet pain that you experience under the toe creases especially if your feet have been exposed to water. If you scratch and smell your fingers, you will experience a nasty smell.
So what causes cut under toe crease? Walking barefoot, eexposure of the feet to moisture, your shoes letting in water, sweating too much to wearing waterlogged socks cause cut in under toe crease. This condition can affect all people, including children.
The skin under the toes is delicate and it cracks ever so easily. Even small kids can experience this condition because their skin is even more delicate. Keep reading to see the main causes of cuts under toe crease.
Why does the crease of my toe split? The main causes
Table of Contents
There are many foot issues to be concerned about. In other articles, we have looked at the best work boots for plantar fascia, socks for smelly feet and even insoles for flat feet.
However, one of the least talked about foot issues that many people have to contend with is the cuts under the toes, in the creases.
Toes have creased skin right where they join the ball of foot area. These creases are the flexible point, which enables you to flex your feet as you walk or run. Understandably, the skin in these creases is softer than in the other parts of the toes.
And this brings us to the causes of the cuts under toe creases:
1. Prolonged exposure to moisture
When you expose your feet to moisture too long, they are going to develop cuts in the creased area between the toes.
Usually, the skin starts turning white and the next thing you know, it develops cuts. If you wear socks that do not wick away moisture and you spend a whole day in such, you can develop cuts in the creases.
Of course, even dry skin can cause cuts in these areas. If there are these tiny fissures and then you expose your feet to moisture, the cuts will expand.
2. Inflammation
Inflammation is another cause of cracks in the skin under the toes. On the skin, there are fungi that enter the small cracks that form on the skin.
When they get in, they infect the top layer of the skin and they cause inflammation. That is how the cracked skin under the toes starts to feel swollen and painful.
If you have a weak immune system, you could experience infection of the toes. What happens is that when the cuts occur in the creased skin under the toes, bacteria, viruses and other pathogens find their way inside the blood through these small cuts.
However, since your immune system is compromised, it is not able to defend you against these invasions. As a result, you experience inflammation, which can cause serious infection in the skin under the toes.
If you continue wearing closed shoes, the skin under the toes is going to turn ashen, smelly and the wounds might even require medical attention.
3. Athlete’s foot
Athlete’s foot is a fungal infection that starts at the delicate skin between the toes. When you wear tight-fitting closed shoes, your feet become too hot and they whip up a serious sweat.
This sweat mixes with the hordes of bacteria usually found on your feet. One of the resulting conditions from this can be Athlete’s foot.
While it starts from between the toes, it is also possible for the infection to spread to the soft creased skin below the toes. If there are tiny cracks between the toes, the fungi will get inside and cause an infection.
4. Dermatological issues
Cracks in the under toe crease can also come from dermatological issues. The skin is the largest organ in the human body and it has the sacred duty to protect all the other organs.
There are both primary and secondary dermatological issues that might cause cuts in the crease below the toes. Primary issues come from the skin developing cracks and dryness in different areas.
The secondary dermatological complexities come from weather conditions, such as wetness. This wetness starts to cause cracks between the toes and under the toes.
Fungi, viruses and bacteria seem to thrive in wet conditions. Once the pathogens find themselves in the cracks, they cause infections in the skin, which will require medical attention.
5. Poor hygiene
You get back what you give. Thus, if you do not take good care of your feet, they are going to fight back with different feet conditions. If you do not clean your feet, there will be bacteria and fungi lurking in all crevices in your feet.
Taking care of your feet is very simple. Just use warm water and mild soap to clean the feet. Also, ensure you dry the area between and under the toes completely, with a clean towel. This will help to prevent the fungi and bacteria from staying in these areas.
6. Walking barefoot
Walking barefoot is a great way of grounding yourself. However, because of spending too many hours in shoes, your toe skin is already too delicate. Thus, walking on soil or hard surfaces can cause a split in the under toe crease skin.
7. Irritation
Lastly, we must speak about irritation of the area between the toes and the creased area under the toes.
Usually, irritation comes from using the wrong bathing products. If you use soaps and lotions that contain harsh chemicals, they are going to cause abrasions on the skin and these will later develop into cracks and cuts. Bacteria and fungi find their way into the skin using these fissures.
How to heal cut under pinky toe
Now that you know what causes cut under toe crease, we need to look at how to avoid these cuts. Most of the foot issues such as these ones are preventable. In this section, we shall look at the methods for how to heal cut under pinky toe.
First, cuts under the pinky toes can happen because of all the reasons that we have mentioned here. To heal the cut, just do the following:
Clean, keep dry and apply a gel
You need to clean the area under the pinky toe. The very basics of foot care must involve cleaning the entire foot and drying it completely.
Use warm water and mild soap to clean the feet. You should then use a clean, dry cotton towel to dry the area under the toes completely.
After that, position your feet in a slightly elevated position so that they can air-dry completely. You can then apply an over-the-counter gel in the morning and in the evening. Doing this for at least a week will completely heal the cut below the pinky toe.
Wear the right shoes
Wearing closed shoes is very helpful because it can prevent the cut area from attracting bacteria and fungi from outside.
Wear loose fitting shoes so that the toes are not clamped together because that will generate more heat and sweat, which are ample conditions for bacteria and fungi to thrive.
What causes cut under toe crease? Final thoughts
The under toe crease is a very delicate area and the skin is a bit thin. Thus, if you walk barefoot, if you wear wet shoes and if you sweat too much, these are good recipes for cuts in this soft area.
If you have been experiencing pain in this area, you need to keep your feet clean and dry all the time. Also, apply an over the counter gel until the area heals completely.
Always clean your shoes. Clean your insoles too. You can also treat them with antibacterial products to keep them safe.