Clue no. 9: The bumps and cracks on your feet.
Your feet have done you many favors, and, chances are, you haven’t repaid them with kindness—instead forcing them into pointy pumps and pounding the pavement. Add the cushioning fat pads you lose with age, and it’s no wonder you have feet that are bony and bumpy, callused, and cracked.
What you can do
Exfoliate. “It’s the key for feet,” Madfes says. Scrub softened feet in the shower with a pumice stone daily, and try her superscrub regimen every other week: Mix kosher salt, a drop of olive oil, and water into a rough paste. Massage into feet and rinse. Follow with a moisturizer.
Measure up. Ill-fitting shoes make calluses and bunions worse. And because your feet spread as you age, your shoes may be too small. Get a professional fitting.
Buy shoes strategically. If the strappy-sandal trend is getting you down, take heart: There are great styles that flatter feet without revealing too much. Look for wide straps that cross in front, adding coverage and creating the illusion of a thinner, sleeker foot, suggests Meghan Cleary, shoe expert and author of The Perfect Fit: What Your Shoes Say About You. Open-toe wedge espadrilles will give you a summer look with just enough coverage and support.
