When winter arrives, friends with diabetes tend to use hot water bags or electric blankets to keep warm, but sometimes a small foot burn can end up with the risk of losing a toe, or even a foot. What causes such a terrible consequence? Diabetic patients due to poor blood sugar control often complicate the nerve abnormalities and varying degrees of peripheral vascular disease at the end of the lower limbs, which is not easily detected by patients when trauma occurs and can easily cause infection, ulcers, and deep tissue destruction; in addition, due to vascular disease in the lower limbs, resulting in blood flow disorders, making it difficult for wounds to heal, which will eventually lead to amputation of diabetic patients, which is often referred to as diabetic foot. So, how should diabetic friends take care of their feet in winter? First, you should get into the habit of checking your feet every day. Insist on daily inspection of both feet, including the soles, toes, toenails and toe tips, focusing on the deformation site. When checking, pay attention to good light, and when there is difficulty in checking the soles of the feet, you can check in a mirror. Look for signs of dry, cracked skin, various injuries, abrasions, blisters, bruises, corns and calluses (calluses), ingrown nails, ingrown nails, redness, ulcers, infections (including mycotic infections), etc. If redness and pain are found, you should go to the hospital as soon as possible. If you have vision problems, you should ask your family to help check your feet. Second, you should learn the correct way to wash your feet. Soak your feet in warm water (below 38 degrees) for 10 to 20 minutes daily, however, do not over-soak your feet. The water temperature should be determined by feeling it with your elbow, or with a thermometer. Wash without soap or use a neutral soap that is less irritating. After washing, dry the water, especially between the toes, by rubbing with a loose, clean, light-colored towel and check for bleeding and oozing. Keep the skin of the foot healthy in order to prevent dry and cracked skin, each time after washing the feet, apply some skin cream or cream. Also massage your feet properly, and be careful not to apply the care cream between your toes or on ulcer wounds. Third, toenails should be trimmed correctly. Choose a special tool for trimming nails, it is not advisable to use scissors or general nail clippers, and try to use them exclusively. When cutting toenails, you should pay attention to ensure that you can see clearly, trim straight, both sides with a file in the same direction to file the toenail flat, avoid cutting too deep on the edge to prevent ingrown toenails, infection. Don’t let your toenails grow too long and don’t go to public bathrooms for pedicures. Finally, choose comfortable shoes and socks to protect your feet. Before wearing shoes each time, check whether there are rough seams or foreign objects in the shoes, and try not to wear sandals with exposed toes or barefoot shoes. Buy shoes in the afternoon or evening, and when buying shoes, try on both feet with socks on and move slowly. For new shoes, you should take them off after 20~30 minutes of wear to check if there are any pressed red areas or friction marks on both feet. Start with 1~2 hours of wear per day and gradually increase the time you wear shoes to ensure that potential problems are detected in time. Comfortable socks are also very important. Try to choose socks made of natural materials, such as cotton thread and wool, etc. Socks should not be too small or too big, the top opening of socks should not be too tight, otherwise it will affect the blood circulation of the feet, the internal seams of socks should not be too rough, broken socks should not be worn, otherwise it will cause damage to the feet, and socks should be changed daily. When heating in winter, special attention should be paid to: do not be too close to heat sources such as heaters, try not to use foot warmers, electric blankets, if used, be careful to wrap the foot warmers with fabric to avoid direct contact with the skin of the foot, electric blankets should be preheated before going to bed, after going to bed is appropriate to turn off the power in a timely manner. In addition, you should also pay attention to quit smoking, do not use chicken eye cream to treat corns and calluses on your own, and do not get a pedicure in a public bathroom. Sugar lovers, please remember that when there is any problem with the foot, you should go to the endocrinology department or diabetes specialist in a timely manner.