Dry Skin on Feet - Why?

Why is the skin on the feet more prone to dryness? Here are the reasons:

1. Less Sebum: Sebum is the oil in our skin. It is secreted by the oil glands. Sebum plays an important role in keeping our skin hydrated and break-outs-free.
The soles of the feet have NO oil glands. The top of the feet have oil glands, but way fewer than the other parts of the body. Lower amounts of sebum (and zero sebum in the soles of the feet) means less hydration for the feet - because remember how we mentioned that sebum plays an important role in keeping our skin hydrated.

2. Barefeet: Walking barefoot strips our feet of their natural moisture. We need skin's natural moisture to keep it hydrated and prevent attacks from environmental irritants Loss of natural moisture leads to dry and dehydrated skin.

3. Sweat Glands: Feet contain more sweat glands than the rest of the body. So our feet tend to sweat more. Sweat is essentially water loss. This also adds to dryness and dehydration of the skin.

4. Constant Pressure: Our feet are under constant pressure - they carry our body weight. Standing and walking are all hard on our feet - and can lead to dry, callous skin (thick and dry) forming on our feet.

5. Wrong Footwear: Incorrect-sized footwear and footwear that does not support the arch of the feet well, add undue pressure to the feet. It can lead to cracking and dryness of the feet.

6. Sweaty Socks: We already know from point 3 (above) that our feet tend to sweat more than the other parts of the body. Sweat is essentially water loss - loss of hydration. When we continue wearing sweaty socks, there is no room for fresh air - and this leads to more sweating - which is nothing but more loss in hydration.