By Arden Smith DPM, FACFAS, FACFAOM
If your feet are dry and flaky, it could be thyroid problems, especially if moisturizer doesn’t help.
The butterfly-shaped thyroid gland at the base of your neck goes on the fritz; it doesn’t properly produce thyroid hormones, which control metabolic rate, blood pressure, tissue growth, and skeletal and nervous system development. Thyroid problems also cause severe dryness of the skin.
When our expert podiatrists at Advanced Foot Care of Manhasset, Huntington, Coram, Woodbury, Mineola, Williston Park, Maspeth and Ronkonkoma see cracking on the feet, or if moisturizer doesn’t improve dryness over a few days, we usually refer our patients to their primary doctor to make sure the thyroids are OK.
Brittle toenails can also signal thyroid complications. Thyroid problems are more common than you might think. According to the Cleveland Clinic – thyroid pathology impacts around 20 million people in the United States, so it’s always worth conversing with your doctor to see if this is a warning sign.
