Beauty expert Hannah Betts reveals the neglected body part that REALLY makes you look older – and it’s not your crow’s feet!

People often say that if you want to know a woman’s real age, look at her hands. Unlike her face, her hands have almost certainly not been treated with anti-aging potions.

This summer I realized that it is not so much my hands that betray my 53 years, but especially my feet.

I used to be able to get them done with a five minute touch up. Now they still feel dried out after a full pedicure. Your average foot cream doesn’t even come close.

My feet seem too hard, with constantly dry edges (goodbye, slingbacks); but also too soft, with blisters, not only in the spring, when I first go sockless, but all summer long.

I am not alone. A friend has had both arches collapse; another, a sandal lover, says her feet are now too monstrous to ever show.

‘Is this a 50-something thing?’ they ask me. So I ask foot guru-in-chief, podiatrist Margaret Dabbs OBE. What happens to our feet as we get older? Do we lose fat, like in our faces? Do our bones wither?

Margaret confirms that our feet can definitely age us.

“From the age of 45 to 50, many people experience a rapid decline in fitness,” she tells me. “Exercise becomes crucial. It’s important to strengthen and stretch your muscles to prevent sagging arches, painful and inflamed joints.”

Margaret Dabbs chiropodists (from £85, margaretdabbs.co.uk) now include a free 3D foot scan. From this, her podiatrists create personalised orthotics to relieve problems from collapsed arches and plantar fasciitis (pain in the heel and arch) to hard skin and tired legs.

Dabbs has 11 clinics across the UK, spread across the country. Or visit rcpod.org.uk for local podiatrists.

Beyond functionality, there are other issues. “We lose subcutaneous fat from our feet,” says Dabbs. “The skin becomes thinner and the sweat glands become less effective, resulting in much drier skin.

‘Hormonal changes, circulation problems and hot weather make it worse. Muscle weakness can lead to changes in gait, which puts a lot of pressure on parts of the feet. ‘If left untreated, dry and thickened skin can develop painful and unsightly cracks.’

She swears by filing dry feet with her stainless steel Professional Foot File (£30, margaret dabbs.co.uk). Big-hooved fanatics prefer the Microplane: The Original Colossal Foot File (£17.79, amazon.co.uk), which is essentially a skin rasp.

Soap & Glory The Heel Deal Foot File (now £8, boots.com) is the budget option and comes with three heads: a file, a polisher and a slide-out section for hard-to-reach areas.

I’m also obsessed with Ruby Hammer’s sleek Foot File (£22, rubyhammer.com ), which is now a permanent fixture in my bag.

Once filed, replenishment is required. The skin on the foot is 12 times thicker than the rest of the body, so regular moisturizers will not penetrate deeply enough or provide the necessary antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory benefits.

Margaret Dabbs London Intensive Hydrating Foot Lotion (from £20) was her first creation and remains her favourite. While her award-winning Miracle Foot Cream (from £12) is the key to overnight transformations, her Cracked Heel Balm (£18) is no less of a game-changer.

Eucerin Urea 10% Repair Plus Foot Cream (£11.50, boots.com) also gently exfoliates and repairs. Bargain hunters swear by O’Keeffe’s for Healthy Feet Foot Cream (£8.99, boots.com) for cracks. I’ve also found Gloves in a Bottle (£10.99, superdrug.com) helpful: an invisible shield that forces the skin’s barrier to hold in more moisture.

Still, my favourite new product is the Compeed Anti-Blister Stick (£4.50, boots.com), a sort of lip balm for feet that prevents shoes from chafing after you rub them lightly.

As we head into September, don’t forget your feet until spring. Working hard now means saved soles – and feet that belie your years.

RACE THERE

MY ICON OF THE WEEK

Janet McTeer

The Ozark actress, who now stars in Netflix’s new drama series Kaos, is 5ft 1in tall and enjoys her height, toning up with spin or yoga before filming. The 63-year-old says: ‘I realised early on that I was never going to be the pretty one.’ Makeup artist Isabel Concetta mua uses Clinique’s creamy Chubby Stick (£26, clinique.co.uk) on her hair to create a smoky eye.

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