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Yellow Feet: Explained

Have you recently noticed your feet turning yellow? Perhaps it’s subtle and confined to a few areas, or maybe it’s an alarming, bright tint that covers your entire feet, and you need some clarity about the seriousness of the situation. The truth is, yellow feet can either be harmless or a sign of an underlying condition that needs medical attention.

Why Do I Have Yellow Feet? 

It’s important to notice other skin changes when assessing your yellow feet. Your skin could be waxy, thick and dry, or the entire foot could be yellow instead of just a section. Some of the most common conditions associated with yellow feet include: 

Calluses

Calluses are one of the most common causes of yellow feet. They are patches of hardened, yellow-tinted skin typically noticed on the weight-bearing areas like the soles of the feet and the fat pads in the plantar area. More specifically, calluses usually form on the ball of your foot, the bottom of your heel, the bottom of your big toe, or the side of your foot.

Jaundice

Not a standalone foot condition, jaundice can affect children and adults and target any part of the body. The yellowing of the skin is caused by high levels of bilirubin, or a bile pigment formed by the breakdown of red blood cells. Additional jaundice symptoms can vary depending on the cause. Infection-related jaundice can include flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills and abdominal pain. But jaundice can also result from more serious circumstances, like contracting hepatitis or liver disease.

It is unlikely you have jaundice if the rest of your body, or the whites in your eyes, are not yellow. It is very rare for jauntice to occur in the feet (it usually occurs in the eyes).

Carotenemia

Many foods we eat contain carotenoids, which are red, orange or yellow pigment in colour, and are found in such foods as carrots, turmeric and squash. Most foods that contain carotenoids are full of nutrients and considered a part of a healthy diet; however, excessive consumption of these foods can give you yellow skin, including making the bottom of the feet yellow!

Side note: food can affect our feet in many other ways! Check out how dietary health can lead to gout and the best and worst foods to eat for arthritis.

Concerned About Your Yellow Feet?

A chiropodist at Toronto’s Feet First Clinic can help you care for your feet, no matter what condition you’re suffering from. If it’s foot-related, we’ve got you covered.

Contact us at 416-769-FEET (3338) or use our online booking form to book an appointment.

Third body image by mali maeder from Pexels!

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Carolina Charles

Patient Relation Coordinator (She/Her)

If you’ve been to the clinic before, chances are you had the pleasure of meeting Carolina! Carolina’s daily goal is going above and beyond to make sure patients are always completely satisfied. Having worked in the podiatry industry for 22 years, Carolina brings a wealth of knowledge pertaining to client service, insurance policies, and procedures.​ She steers the ship to make sure everything runs smoothly on the daily. Carolina is known for spicing up every outfit with her signature costume jewellery.