Must-have shoes harm women's feet

In a bid to be at par with the latest fashion trends and get those "must-have" pairs of stilettoes, almost four in ten women actually wear the wrong-sized shoes, which in turn harm their feet.

In a bid to be at par with the latest fashion trends and get those "must-have" pairs of stilettoes, almost four in ten women actually wear the wrong-sized shoes, which in turn harm their feet, according to a study.

Women are so desperate to look good that buying the latest shoes is more important than whether there is a shoe in their size. Now, experts from the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists are urging women to favour comfort over fashion.

The Society has said that squeezing into too tight heels or slipping out of baggy ballet shoes can lead to foot problems and in some cases it may even cause more severe issues like difficulties in walking.

Almost 80 per cent of females in the study already suffer from conditions like bunions, cracked heels, corns and ingrowing nails, but 40 per cent of them have never been to a doctor for advice.

However, the trend is not uniquely seen in women, for almost 17 per cent of men have admitted that they buy ill-fitting shoes too. Lorraine Jones, from the SCP, has said that sometimes it is worth thinking carefully about the bargains on offer.