Conclusions No conclusive recommendations were possible due to wide variation in study quality , method ologies and outcome measures .
A synthesis of available literature suggests that treatments containing urea as a primary active ingredient have been the most research ed .
Background Xerosis , literally dryness of the skin , of the foot is a common condition encountered clinical ly , which can lead to discomfort and predisposition to infection .
Currently , there are no evidence -based recommendations on which moisturiser formulations best alleviate xerotic symptoms .
The aim of this review was to guide clinical practice in the treatment of primary and diabetes related foot xerosis , by identifying from the existing literature the most effective ingredient or formulation of topical treatments for symptoms of primary foot xerosis in the general population .
Xerosis of the feet: a comparative study on the effectiveness of two moisturizers.
The treatment for xerosis ( dry skin ) is the repeated use of moisturizers to hydrate the skin . Their use is based on sound evidence of the importance of maintaining the skin 's water content . Although the skin on the plantar surface of the foot is very thick , it is highly visco-elastic and copes with high levels of frictional , compressive and shear stresses applied to it by being supple and well hydrated . Problems arise when the skin becomes dry and loses its elastic properties . Fissures can occur which are often painful and can act as portals for infection . This article describes a double-blind clinical study to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of two commonly used moisturizers and to see if one was significantly better than the other at hydrating the skin of the feet . The two creams used were Aqueous Cream BP and CCS Foot Care Cream .  Skin hydration levels were measured before any application of moisturizer and again after two weeks of twice daily application . Results showed that the regular use of both moisturizers had a significant hydrating effect on the skin . However , CCS Foot Care Cream had a significantly greater hydrating effect than Aqueous Cream BP
Conclusions No conclusive recommendations were possible due to wide variation in study quality , method ologies and outcome measures .
A synthesis of available literature suggests that treatments containing urea as a primary active ingredient have been the most research ed .
Background Xerosis , literally dryness of the skin , of the foot is a common condition encountered clinical ly , which can lead to discomfort and predisposition to infection .
Currently , there are no evidence -based recommendations on which moisturiser formulations best alleviate xerotic symptoms .
The aim of this review was to guide clinical practice in the treatment of primary and diabetes related foot xerosis , by identifying from the existing literature the most effective ingredient or formulation of topical treatments for symptoms of primary foot xerosis in the general population .