Providing Relief For Dry And Cracked Skin On The Diabetic Foot

Patients with diabetes may face a broad range of potential complications, including cracked and dry skin on their feet. Given the increasing prevalence of diabetes, it is more important than ever to have cost-effective options to address this uncomfortable facet of the disease. What can you turn to in order to provide some relief for those who have cracked and dry skin on their feet? The Lantiseptic® line of products may be your answer. Available in different sizes and for a range of problems, Lantiseptic Skin Protectant, Lantiseptic Therapeutic Cream and Lantiseptic All Body Wash are marketed by Summit Industries. One nurse has high praise for the line. “I’ve really had good experience with it,” says Joanne Valent, RN, CWOCN. “It’s a nice, cost-effective product line.” Valent has used Lantiseptic Skin Protectant for five or six years and first started using it in the home care setting. She has had success using the product to treat diabetic feet that have cracked skin and/or stage II pressure ulcers. Valent adds that the product is useful in cases in which a wound dressing is not adhering to wounds. Assessing The Benefits Of The Skin Protectant Lantiseptic Skin Protectant is an emollient ointment that offers a 50 percent lanolin formula, which is reportedly helpful in treating grade I and II pressure sores, and cracked skin. Valent cites the low cost of Lantiseptic and its ease of use as advantages. She notes once you apply the skin protectant, you can get 24 hours’ use from it and you do not need a secondary dressing. However, Valent cautions that the Lantiseptic Skin Protectant can be thick to apply so she advises telling patients to warm up packets or tubes in their pockets for easier application. When using Lantiseptic Skin Protectant, the company advises tailoring your treatment of both pressure sores and dry skin to the nature of the injury, but it does note reddened skin can clear up overnight. Although it is not intended as primary therapy for burns, the product may have adjunctive benefit for burn treatment, according to the company. Summit Industries, the manufacturer of the Lantiseptic line, says the protectant is available in 0.5-oz. packets, 4-oz. tubes and jars in sizes of 2.5 oz., 4.5 oz. and 14 oz. How Other Lantiseptic Products Can Be Beneficial Given the fact that Lantiseptic does contain a 50 percent lanolin formula, Valent says practitioners should be careful to ensure that their patients are not allergic to lanolin although she has not encountered this in her experience. If a patient is allergic, she suggests trying Lantiseptic Therapeutic Cream, which uses 35 percent lanolin. The company says the cream spreads easily to treat the dry, cracked skin one often finds on the feet of patients with diabetes. It is available in 0.5-oz. packets, 4-oz. tubes and an 8-oz. jar. Summit also offers the Lantiseptic All Body Wash, which cleans and deodorizes without rinsing, according to the company. Summit notes the product’s pH-balanced formula does not irritate sensitive body areas and the lanolin keeps skin moisturized. It is available in 8-oz. spray bottles and 1-gallon bottles.