Abstract

Inflammation is a natural part of the body’s immune response acting against invading organisiums. Unfortunately, the inflammatory process can also be triggered by otherwise innocuous substances (allergens) or by other tissues of the body itself (auto-immune processes). There are many inflammatory skin conditions which may manifest themselves within the skin. As a podiatrist is important to recognise the more common inflammatory skin conditions as they may manifest on the lower limb and be able to give advice to the patient on skin care and make appropriate referrals, when necessary. This object of the paper is give an overview on the common inflammatory skin disorders likely to be encountered in podiatric practice and briefly review emollient and steroid therapy which are commonly used in the treatment of these conditions.