The Biggest Foot-Hygiene Mistakes Ballet Dancers Make—and What to Do Instead
Throughout her career, Richmond Ballet dancer Naomi Robinson has seen some gnarly feet on other dancers—and not just your typical bunions and calluses. “I’ve seen infected toenails and infected blisters because people didn’t use the proper hygiene all the time,” she says.
When you’ve got a crazy-busy class and rehearsal schedule, it can be easy to forget some of the boring (but necessary) steps to keeping your feet clean. But that’s just asking for trouble.
“Ballet shoes and pointe accessories can harbor bacteria like staphylococcus and fungi like trichophyton,” says podiatrist Dr. Suzanne C. Fuchs, DPM, of LuxePodiatry in Florida. If these germs enter our skin, they can cause infections that can lead to painful sores, blisters, and conditions like athlete’s foot. “These organisms thrive in warm, moist environments—and can multiply rapidly,” Fuchs says, adding that proper foot hygiene is crucial to keep them in check.
So, what exactly are the bad habits that allow those germs to get out of control? Here are the most common foot-hygiene mistakes you want to be sure not to make.
Mistake: Not airing out your shoes and toe pads
Take your flat shoes, pointe shoes, toe pads, and any other foot accessories out of your bag every night. Or store it all in a breathable, mesh bag so that they’re constantly getting fresh air (just remember to air out the bag, too!). “If they sit in a dark, moist, warm environment, they will build bacteria,” says orthopedic physical therapist Sarah Tyndall, PT, MPT, OCS, of Restore & Reform in North Carolina.
Mistake: Forgetting to wash your footwear
Although you can’t wash pointe shoes, everything else should get a regular cleaning. Robinson hand-washes her toe pads with warm water and antibacterial dish detergent weekly or biweekly, scrubbing them to get off all of the dirt and sweat. You can do the same thing with silicone toe caps and toe spacers. Robinson also puts her flat shoes in the washing machine on a cold, gentle cycle (in a delicates bag) and then lets them air dry. Since it can sometimes take a while for all of these to fully dry, she recommends having a couple pairs to swap between.
Mistake: Passing germs along
Fuchs says bacteria and fungi can easily be passed along from dancer to dancer if you’re walking barefoot on the same floors. Unfortunately, you can’t always avoid that in the studio; maybe you take modern classes, or you’re cast in a barefoot piece. If that’s the case, just be sure to wash your feet (and hands, if you’re touching the floor) right afterwards, and wear slip-on sandals in the showers and dressing rooms to limit your exposure.
One thing to definitely avoid is sharing pointe shoe accessories like toe pads or spacers, even when a friend’s in a bind. Swapping these back and forth means you’re also swapping germs.
Mistake: Letting wounds get dirty
When you get a blister or any sort of open wound on your feet, you have to be extra-careful that bacteria doesn’t end up inside—you could get an infection that could delay healing and, in the worst-case scenario, could in rare cases get into your bone or blood system, Tyndall says.
To keep everything healthy, be sure to clean the area with soap and water after taking off your shoes, giving it extra time to air out, and consider dabbing the wound with an alcohol wipe or peroxide. Once you have to put shoes back on, apply fresh Band-Aids or toe tape. Tyndall recommends colloidal bandages (also known as blister bandages, which have a soft, gel-like substance inside) to help with healing.
Mistake: Not drying your feet thoroughly
After washing your feet (daily after dancing!), remember to dry them fully afterward, particularly between the toes. Tyndall also recommends slipping off your tights and giving your feet fresh air as soon as possible after dancing. “If you have more than a 5- or 10-minute break between classes, get your shoes off and let your feet dry out naturally,” she says. And when it’s time to put on socks, she recommends toe socks to help keep your toes extra-dry.
Mistake: Ignoring your feet
If they aren’t caught early, minor foot problems can spiral out of control. Fuchs recommends inspecting your feet regularly for signs of infection or injury, while also being sure to keep your nails clean and trimmed, and moisturizing the skin to prevent cracking. “I think we can get really distracted when we’re deep into rehearsals and don’t actually see the state of our feet and what they need,” Robinson says. But a little regular TLC can go a long way.
