Do your feet often hurt? Do you find yourself experiencing random skin conditions on your soles? That means you might need to wear a bigger shoe size.

How do you know if they’re too tight? Well, if you absolutely cannot fit your feet inside with a pair of thick socks, that’s the telltale sign. Practicing this might make you look fashionable, but do you really want the appeal of smaller feet in exchange for all the problems that it brings? We think not.

Wearing tight shoes can make your feet ache. Not only that, but they can cause countless other conditions and infections that you’ll have to deal with. Some of them are even a bit stubborn, so you’ll need more time to get rid of them.

If you simply cannot give up on wearing tight shoes, there are a couple of things you can do to help yourself and your feet.

Do You Wear Your Shoes Right?

Wearing the right shoe size is more important than you think. People often don’t worry about how their foot is going to fit into a pointy shoe at all. The same goes for shoes that are a size too small.

If your shoes fit a bit too snuggly, you’re guaranteed to hurt your feet. And no, we’re not just talking about experiencing some foot pain. Things can become much worse than that. Poorly fitting shoes will ensure you face many problems, but there’s a solution to that.

Make sure you’re not at risk of even a sprained ankle by following a few simple steps we’ll go over later on. Trust us that they’ll make your shoe-wearing experience much better. Yes, one of the solutions is just wearing your own size. However, if that isn’t an option,you must get creative.

Effects of Wearing Ill-Fitting Shoes

Again, the common problems with the wrong shoe sizes are countless. Foot pain is going to be the least of your worries. But fret not, the injuries are easily treatable. Still, that doesn’t mean we encourage you to continue this practice. So, let’s take a look at only some of the things that can happen.

Besides the obvious foot pain, ingrown toenails aren’t unheard of. If your shoe puts any pressure on your big toe, whether it’s because it’s narrow or one size too small, your nail might start growing inwards. This means inflammation and nail pain. You’d definitely want to avoid that.

Other common issues are corns and calluses. A callus is simply thickened skin caused by excess pressure on a specific part of your skin. They are similar, but corns are smaller and can be inflamed.

We’re sure you’ve heard of the infamous athlete’s foot. This is yet another thing you can have, along with any other kind of infection, such as the nail fungal infection. Fungal bacteria cause athlete’s foot, and they love damp environments. Tight shoes will make your feet sweat more, making them the perfect breeding ground for pesky germs.

You aren’t only susceptible to skin conditions. Foot deformities, such as the bunion, can happen as well. People usually blame genetics for having bunions, but they’re also a result of wearing tight shoes.

There are many other things you’re at risk of, so let’s talk about how to take better care of your feet.

How to Take Better Care of Your Feet

So, we’ve established what can happen when you find yourself wearing the wrong shoe size. Now, are there any steps you can take to take better care of your feet? Of course!

We have to mention the obvious, which is getting a new pair of shoes. Shoes that fit you perfectly will be much better for your health. However, if you’re unable to do that, or simply don’t want to, there are other things you could be doing.

Shoe stretchers are amazing, but they work best on leather shoes because that’s a natural material that’s easily susceptible to change. However, you can’t stretch your shoes a lot. They will stretch them a little bit, and maybe that will be just enough for you.

Make sure you keep up with your foot care regularly. Merely washing your feet won’t cut it. Find masks and creams that will hydrate and protect your skin. Another thing you can do is trim your nails regularly and ensure your feet aren’t sweaty often. Hence, you reduce the risk of bacteria spreading.

Conclusion

We know that fashion sometimes requires you to wear shoes that are a bit too small. Maybe you have a larger foot, and you want it to appear smaller. However, none of those things are worth it.

To further minimize any possibility of injury, make sure you don’t wear your shoes around the house. You can spare your feet a little bit that way. If you have to wear them, make sure they fit you well. Nobody is going to see what you’re wearing inside, so there’s no need to make a fashion statement.

There are a plethora of skin conditions that accompany wearing tight shoes. Still, none of them are deadly or incurable. Some of them might be a bit pesky, but there’s a cure for everything you might end up enduring. We suggest you don’t put your feet through that pain to begin with.