Have your feet got worse as you have got older.

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

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...

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.

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.

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.

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....

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.

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!

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 ?

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!

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 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)

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?!

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

MicroPedi Pro rechargeable (eBay) for removing hard skin - brilliant, much better than the battery version; Margaret Dabbs foot hygiene cream (seems pricey but lasts forever so really good value, you only need a tiny blob) to soften skin (from QVC or Ideal World, can't remember which or Google search). Or try solid coconut oil, a tiny blob will go a long way.
Not sure about soaking feet in salt water, I use a moisturising bath soak and scrub with a scotchbrite - excellent exfoliator.
If you suffer from sweaty feet, a 48 hour deodorant stick or spray works wonders.

My toe nails have become so tough I can't cut them easily. Sometimes I soak them in a bowl for ages but they're not much better. I'm always buying new scissors trying to find good ones. In the summer I use dark nail polish. It hides a multitude of sins.

Having worn high heels & all sorts of weird shoes over the years ( I love shoes!!) I deserve bad feet but they are very good apart from a verruca courtesy of my DGS
I wonder if it is doing yoga most of my adult life? It gives the feet a good workout. I do always use a sort of foot emery board on them once a week in the bath.
I think it is just the luck of the draw.

Not only do I have good feet I also have toenails that are no thicker than fingernails, they are more tricky to cut as my arms are just too short and my knees can't bend so my son takes care of them for me, which he'd probably refuse to do if my feet were manky. No idea if it's genetic but my mum had awful feet and I can't remember my dad's. I said I've never worn over tight shoes or shoes that pinch but I've also never worn sensible shoes, just shoes that fitted well and were comfortable as they were soft.`

I pay £11.00 every four or five weeks at a beauty and hair salon in the village and have my toenails cut and filed and then have nail polish applied ( red because my husband likes it). The polish lasts really well and the lady at the salon seems to put a clear layer of something on them followed by two coats of nail polish and then finished with something that makes them dry quickly but she always tells me to give them 3 or 4 hours or longer if possible for them to harden properly. Which is why there is the odd vision of me walking home in my old Scholls sandals with no socks or tights even in the middle of winter. Fortunately it is less than five minutes walk from home. Much to the derision of my children I wore Scholl's sandals for about 50 years whenever possible or boots. New shoes always give me blisters. Thankfully my feet look fairly reasonable for my age , despite a flare up of plantar fasciitis under my right heel which is painful but not obvious.