Have your feet got worse as you have got older.

There are no end of (expensive) products available, but honestly seeing a good podiatrist should be everybody’s first move. It will not cost more than the raft of products available which may well languish in the bathroom cupboard - especially as your feet grow further away from you.
Do not skimp on your feet - when they are wrong your whole well being is compromised.

Yes feet have deteriorated! I have RA in them along with other places too. I find salt water dries my skin. I put lotion on my feet after a bath or shower. If I don't my skin cracks.

I was told when I had chemo that it wouldn't affect my nails. Being of a contrary nature mine decided to go brown and my 2 big toenails loosened and were hanging by a thread. I really wish I had asked for them to be removed because they started to grow back discoloured and revolting. Not helped by dropping a can of chopped tomatoes on one of them. They have only just grown back. Just some slight discolouration on one of them now but it's taken years. Add to that, the stubborn itchy hard skin that I struggle to reach, so it takes a lot of effort for me to look after them, the nice feet I used to have are no more. Must book an appointment with someone who can reach them.

I used to think I had rather nice feet. One GP once complimented me on them when I went for advice about veruccas. Now, however, they are not so pretty. Like others my toenails are tough, and difficult to cut, a couple of them have changed shape, but I can still manage to cut them myself. I have a tailor's bunnion on one foot which is troublesome if I wear right shoes.
Ah well, these are the penalties of aging.

I have had a hard skin problem on my feet for so long. I had used everything going trying to make it better but nothing worked. The hard skin would split and it was so, so sore to walk on.
I then came across a Microplane Foot File. No need to soak your feet, just rub it gently on the hard skin areas. It is nothing short of miraculous! My feet went from thick,hard skin to smooth skin in seconds.
I kid you not.
I cannot praise it highly enough. I purchased it from Amazon for around £15. Worth every penny.

Endless nuisance! I have flat feet, arthritis, not quite properly formed toes and just to add to the fun very narrow feet, always trying to find comfortable shoes. I do go to the podiatrist regularly otherwise not sure how I would keep walking.

My feet have got worse. I have bunions (inherited, thanks Mom) and my big toe toenails went all horrible and hard and manky. I almost went through with having surgery for the bunions but the consultant said I could end up worse off so I chickened out.
I now go to a Foot Clinic and the podiatrist treats my nails . It is no more expensive than the hairdressers so I would definitely advise a visit. Well worth it.
But no more slinky sandals for me. Feet are covered up from now on.

I've bought (though yet to try) something recommended by MN people, a chiropody sponge; has anyone tried one of these?

I too have inherited bunions - very annoying - why did I waste my youth wearing 'sensible' shoes?!

I visit a podiatrist every couple of months as I was finding it almost impossible to cut my big toe nails without breaking the corners of the nail off on both feet and then having a sore toe. When he has finished, my toenails are neat and tidy, certainly ready for varnish, and there is not one bit of hard skin left. It is so worth the money to have this done. Every morning after showering I rub a generous amount of cream on my feet and pop on a pair of cotton socks. (The Podiatrist's advice - he said you can't do anything better for your feet than moisturise them daily)

littleowl I inherited bunions; the one on my right foot was a nightmare and eventually, when walking even a short distance, my toe joint felt as if it was burning. I had surgery and it was marvellous - it really helped and the bunion hasn't come back, even after ten years.

I'm happy that my feet still look reasonably good. But I do find that nice court shoes really hurt my toes these days! I stick to low heeled or flat boots in winter, peep toe wedges or flats in summer. I long to be able to wear a nice nude heel!

I have fairly nice size 3.5/4 feet, which are now getting dry . I do my own nails etc etc. Once every couple of weeks, at night, after a warm shower, I massage my feet with Vaseline, smother them actually with Vaseline, and then pull on a pair of socks and leave them on overnight. The next morning, my feet look like a teenager's. Try it - it works. Really, doing it every week will be much better, or every day for that matter, but I'm too lazy ?

My feet don't seem to have changed shape and I'm lucky not to have bunions like my mum did but I do suffer with hard skin which sometimes cracks on my heals and my nails are getting harder to cut. I do try to do a pedicure every couple of weeks in the summer - I have to put polish on as nails look awful without. I had a micro file but can't find it anywhere so last week bought a kit in Lidl when I saw it - bit like a dremel with different attachments. A new nail salon has opened locally where they do pedicures so will treat myself in the next few weeks to be ready for sandal weather!

If we inherit our feet then luckily I inherited mine from my Dad because my poor Mum had terrible feet. Hers were mainly caused by my grandmother forcing her to wear her older sister's cast off shoes although my Mums feet were bigger than her sister's . My grandmother wasnt poor so dont know why she did it. Mum ended up having to have two toes removed at different times. My Mum looked after my feet as a child and I have continued. Shoes have to be comfortable when first trying on because no wearing in for me. Because of my bad back I cant reach my toes anymore so I have a pedicure and my toenails gel painted every six weeks. Considering I wear backless sandals for at least 7 months of the year I don't suffer with hard skin on the heels. Not enjoying the numb feeling in my feet due to the neuropathy caused by the myeloma in my spine.

Another tip for hard skin and nail fungus is to smother your feet in Vicks Vapour rub overnight. Wear old socks to prevent it rubbing off on the sheets. It deals with hard skin in one treatment, though nail fungus takes a number of weeks. Does the trick, though.

I found this out when I had a persistent cold a while ago and was trying anything to get rid. It did nothing for the cold, but worked wonders on the tootsies.

Your welcome....

As with other responders, I too have always had awful feet. I was referred by the school doctor to see a foot specialist at the hospital when I was 6 years old. My toes were bent and curled over and my big toes splayed the wrong way. My poor mum was mortified as although it was the 50's and money was scarce, we always had our feet measured and wore Clarks and Start-Rite shoes. He merely said that as long as I wore shoes that were big enough and wide enough my feet would be all right.
Fast forward 60 years. Toes exactly the same except nails are so horny and tough I struggle to cut them. Must soon start seeing a podiatrist methinks. But yes, how I envy people with attractive straight toes and pretty nails.

This topic caught my eye as I've just spent the morning trying to find some help for my DH heel pain - Plantar Fasciitis.

My own feet are not too bad. Never get corns or bunions, and only a bit of hard skin in the summer when I wear sandals, and occasionally athlete's foot in the winter. They're not the prettiest of feet but I don't really expect them to be after walking about on them for nearly 70 years! I've never bothered much with pampering them but I have always worn low, well fitted and comfortable shoes. I hope they'll last me a few more years without problems as I love walking.

My Mum had the most awful feet, she had to trim her nails with a heavy duty industrial file! If mine went like that I'd resort to my Dremel.

Two years ago my feet were in a dreadful state. Both big toe nails had been damaged - one eventually came off and re-grew OK but the other was growing at a weird angle and was too thick for me to cut myself. I asked my doctor's advice when she was examining my feet at my annual diabetic review. She advised I have it surgically removed but that sounded too painful so I continued to struggle with it and wear shoes and socks even in summer. In the end, while volunteering at the winter night shelter for the homeless, I met a lovely podiatrist who came in every Saturday night to look after the men's feet. One week when she'd had a quiet evening she agreed to look at my feet at the end. She sorted out the damaged toe nail cutting it back and filing down the thickness. Last summer I was able to paint my nails again and treated myself to some new sandals. I'm really glad I didn't take my doctor's advice as it is now growing straight again too! The lady in question holds clinics in the Age Concern centre in the town. I understand her charges are reasonable because of where she holds the clinics, although I haven't needed to go to her again yet, so if money is an issue I'd advise people to enquire if there are such services in your locality.

Yes, mine have aged badly! They weren't too bad back in the day, as I've high arches and quite even toes. Now with the inherited bunions and the black big toe nail apparently caused by a trauma injury (though I've no idea what), they're not looking too attractive...

My DH, very annoyingly, has no bunions, hard skin or anything horrible on his feet.

I’ve always followed my old grans advice ...buy a good bed and better shoes....as your either in one or the other. I walk about 20/25 miles per week and am v. fussy about my feet. Trim nails every two weeks and moisturise every night ...otherwise they seem ok. Never ache or no corns or bunions! Think I may have been lucky, when they dished our feet.

I really like my feet, they are one of my best features, but do get some hard skin underneath the left one, so after a shower I regularly use a scrapper and them moisturise. I've never really worn high heels so maybe that's the reason my feet are still decent at 66 years.

I am not bothered about what mine look like (not a great joy to behold) but about the fact that they hurt like hell - one still has a broken bone, so that is a given, but the other one hurts too. I was on my feet all day yesterday rehearsing and singing in a concert and I could barely waddle when I walked to the car park. Ouch and blooming ouch!

Why not, as one poster does go to a beauty salon?
For those of you that don’t ‘need’ a podiatrist to deal with corns of other more medical problems.
A pedicure usually takes about an hour and involves soaking the feet, dealing with hard skin, sorting our the cuticles, cutting the nails, a foot scrub and a massage before polish.
Much better value than a podiatrist! You would also, probably get a coffee.
NB as I have already mentioned Beauty therapists can’t deal with the more medical concerns.

Luckygirl Hear hear!!
I was shopping yesterday (something I do infrequently these days, apart from food shopping) and my feet are stinging today.