Courtesy Joe Crawford, flickr.com Sandals image:39409:2::0

Many who live in regions where winter prohibits wearing sandals look forward to the warm weather and wearing sandals.

There are those who do wear sandals with socks until snow might force some to put on boots. Sandals and socks---hmm not my "cup of tea."

Ah but when summer arrives the must have fashion is sandals and flip-flops. They can be worn when dressed up for a fancy night out, with jeans, with shorts or with a bathing suit.

Just have the toenails looking nicely groomed. If you can afford it get a pedicure, it is wonderful, and have the toenails polished. You can also give yourself a pedicure and finish it off with a pretty nail polish. Well at least for the ladies.

A toe ring or two can give a nice look also.

But where does the danger come in to your health?

Foot doctors are issuing warnings of sun exposure to the feet. They warn that with that type of footwear there is a lot of skin that is being exposed to sunlight that is not used to UV rays.
Those who wear sandals are increasing their chances of skin cancer.

The need to cover exposed skin with sunblock when one will be in the sun for long periods of time is well known to most people. Many forget about the needed protection to their feet.

As reported by Sky News, Anthony Kontos a podiatric surgeon from the London Foot and Ankle Centre said,

"The skin is very thin there. With the increasing popularity of open-toed sandals and flip-flops, feet often have an intense blast of sunlight."

Dr. Kontos said that in the last three months his clinic has seen at least two cases of skin cancer.

His advice for those who wear footwear where their skin is exposed to the sun is to coat their feet with sunscreen for protection.

He also states that skin cancer is not always on just the top of the foot. It can also occur on the soles of the foot, between the toes and also can be found under the toenails.

He points out that the signs of cancer that are normally looked for else where on the body such as moles and bruises, are often overlooked on the feet.