quill wrote:slparker wrote:[quote="Eremophila"
Has anyone tried Condy's Crystals? Seems you can use them to soak your feet over an extended period, to toughen the feet. There is resultant discolouration but would have to be better than blistering.
Condy's crystals (potassium permanganate) can be used as an antifungal agent in the way that you have described. To my knowledge it does little to toughen the feet. Application of methylated spirits on the feet is reputed to harden the skin against the friction of walking. It is used traditionally (that is, supported by anecdotal evidence) by soldiers - but then soldiers also used to inject betadine directly into blisters to treat them....
I doubt that application of either of these agents would substantially 'toughen' the feet; perhaps they provoke the same hypertrophy (i.e. callus formation) that walking does but the substance would have to reach the underlying dermal layers of the foot to achieve this. On balance of probability I reckon that this is a myth and nothing replaces doing increasingly lengthy walks in the boots/shoes you are intending to use for a long pack walk.
I can't speak from personal experience but I hear metho is popular with runners, gymnasts, rowers and ballet dancers as well as soldiers. This proves nothing of course but it seems popular among people who would know. I can't speak to how it works (if it does) but I do know the epidermis is only a few hundred cells thick. Regular application of metho would have no problems penetrating to and affecting the dermis. It could be the drying effect thins the epidermis and superficial dermis as water is removed, increasing direct pressure on the dermis. It's this direct pressure which stimulates callus formation.
http://www.coolrunning.com.au/forums/?showtopic=19403
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yep I agree, the epidermis is a porous layer - despite its water resistant properties. It is plausible that Condy's crystals solution to penetrate to some depth, I was probably mistaken, given that you soak the feet for an hour in the stuff for it to do its job. Nevertheless, I don't think it 'toughens' the feet though, as it is an antifungal/antibacterial agent.
I have heard of, and had been advised to use, metho when I was a young soldier. I have no idea whether it actually works any better than just wearing in your boots as I have not seen a controlled trial on it. I have anecdotally heard of other problems, i.e. cracking of the soles of the feet, blistering under the callus etc although that can happen anyway.
I sincerely doubt that it could be better at 'toughening' (whatever that means) than controlled and increasing exposure to wearing of the footwear you're bushwalking in as the callus formation will be on the areas most subject to weight and friction - the callus is the bodies normal protective barrier against friction.
That and other friction prevention modalities as mentioned above would be my choice of prevention before I would try metho... It probably wouldn't do harm but there's no way that i can see it working better than training in the boots you're intending to wear.