How long does it take for your skin to harden up?

Dan Cook

Barefooters
Feb 18, 2017
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I can currently run a few miles barefoot every other day.

How long will it take my skin to harden up to be able to run, say, 7 or 8 miles every other day?

Thanks in anticipation.
 
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Much quicker than you think! Apparently the skin on the feet is the quickest to regenerate which makes sense as it faces the most abrasion.

But I would not worry about the skin on your feet, it is more the muscles, tendons etc that need strengthening up.
Your skin does not get hard but tough and supple like good leather. My feet are softer than most women's feet but the skin is much thicker.
The other day I stepped on a screw that took out a 3mm deep chunk out of my skin and was just touching on the nerve layers. Within 3 weeks there was no hole visible, all the skin around it had been abraded away and replaced with new skin. So I could say that I grow, and lose, 3mm of skin in 3 weeks.

Hope this helps! And good luck with the increase in distance!
 
It'll get there. Sounds like you're doing fine.
 
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Depends on the surface, freshly paved path is pretty smooth compared to rough eroded asphalt or chip seal road. But like Jaqa said the limiting factor may not be your skin toughness, but the muscles, tendons, and ligaments involved in the slightly different barefoot gait. I started out on rough roads, so skin toughness was right there limiting with the rest. It probably took me half to three quarters of a year or so to get to 8 miles consistantly, just a guess, and everyone will be unique in their experience.
 
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You're all saying that it depends on 'your muscles, tendons ...'

Do you have any advice on how to strengthen these?
The only real advice anyone can give you is...take it slow and easy, don't rush it, you'll get there. You've heard of "too much too soon," right?

We each are going to progress at different speeds, some quicker than others, depending on their footwear choices prior to venturing barefoot, depending on how much effort they put into it (consistent, steady growth), depending on their patience level to not give up or rush it and get injured which will set you back and make you want to give up.

Your muscles, tendons, etc., will get stronger, just as your plantar skin will the more you do it, over time.

You're going to have to listen to your body and your feet with each step to know if you should take that next step. It's not as difficult as it sounds. It's actually intuitive the more you do it.
 
You're all saying that it depends on 'your muscles, tendons ...'

Do you have any advice on how to strengthen these?
All that TJ said!

And just to remember that nothing prepares you for barefoot running except barefoot running.
The forces generated are fast eccentric movements that really can't be replicated by anything except barefoot running.

The only 2 exceptions that I have come across are eccentric calf raises used for Achilles tendon issues, http://www.runnersworld.com/sweat-s...ning-for-achilles-tendinopathy-five-years-lat , and the balance board exercises found in "The Cool Impossible", the only good thing in an otherwise annoying book.

But both of the above will trash your lower legs so much that you will not be able to run as much. So basically you will be over-working your weakest link in your legs, and you are limited by your weakest link. Best bet is to be patient with your body, it will get stronger, and do some rolling with stick and ball on the calves and soles.

If you are the type that sits in the front of the classroom you will take 6 months (and some injuries) to "get" barefoot running. If you sit at the back of the classroom, it will take you 2 months.

Now, if only I had listened to my advice LOL
 
I'm just gonna come out and say it (others have hinted at it). Dan, it sounds like you are heading for injury. If your focus is on how quickly you can ramp up the mileage, that really worries me.

I realize, I'm on the slow end of things compared to others here. It took me close to 3 years to get to the point where I could do almost all of my running barefoot (weather permitting) at a rate of 30+ miles per week.

On the other hand, I've been running barefoot for over 20 years. I've completed several half marathons and one full marathon. I've had minor cuts and scrapes, and, have had to be careful of my Achilles tendons for a short stretch. However, I consider my injuries to be less problematic than most other runners I know (shod and unshod).

I'm repeating a lot of what others have already said, but, go slow, and listen to your body. Alternate between shod and unshod running if you want to keep your mileage up. I'm unconvinced that minimalist shoes aid the transition to barefoot running, so, I can't recommend that route. Most of all, enjoy the new experiences that ditching the shoes can bring.
 
I haven't worn conventional shoes since November last year. Since then I have been wearing Vibram Five Fingers (VFF).

I managed to build up to 30 miles in VFF but I don't really like wearing them for running. Main reason is I sometimes get foot tendon pain in VFF but this goes away if I run proper barefoot.

In other words, in VFF my skin is pain-free but it hurts my tendons. Barefoot no tendon pain but occasional cuts, due to landing better than in VFF. This is backed up by what I've read elsewhere.

I don't really care about the cuts except that they force me to stop running or put the VFF on, which I don't want to do.
 
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Superglue is your friend ... always carry a small tube of it with a bit of zinc oxide athletic tape for bigger injuries ... instant cut repair kit.

Excellent suggestion! Would you put it on the wound, or would you put in on the tape to stop it coming off?

I've tried tape already (without superglue) but it comes off in less than a minute.
 
The idea is to apply superglue to the wound. The tape goes on top, on the dried superglue, for additional protection. I usually just use superglue. Of course, the usual disclaimers apply. The wound should be clean, and any bleeding should have stopped.

Please read up on this - there are quite some articles on the medical use of superglue for wound closure out there - read them so you know about the limits of this technique. It does not work well on really deep cuts, large area injuries, and injuries in areas near joints.

That said, it works really well on those typical annoying small cuts in your sole.
 
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The idea is to apply superglue to the wound. The tape goes on top, on the dried superglue, for additional protection. I usually just use superglue. Of course, the usual disclaimers apply. The wound should be clean, and any bleeding should have stopped.

Please read up on this - there are quite some articles on the medical use of superglue for wound closure out there - read them so you know about the limits of this technique. It does not work well on really deep cuts, large area injuries, and injuries in areas near joints.

That said, it works really well on those typical annoying small cuts in your sole.


When the wound has already scabbed over the next day I would prefer to use tape if possible, but I just can't get it to stay on. Do I need to wrap it around several times, or use different tape. I've tried duck tape and Zinc Oxide tape but it falls off straight away. Am I missing something obvious?
 
IF you're carrying a pack with supplies, you might want to carry some antibiotic ointment or similar to apply before you add the glue or tape. You don't want to seal up germs inside the wound. But that's just the mom in me, I guess.
 
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The idea is to apply superglue to the wound. The tape goes on top, on the dried superglue, for additional protection. I usually just use superglue. Of course, the usual disclaimers apply. The wound should be clean, and any bleeding should have stopped.

Please read up on this - there are quite some articles on the medical use of superglue for wound closure out there - read them so you know about the limits of this technique. It does not work well on really deep cuts, large area injuries, and injuries in areas near joints.

That said, it works really well on those typical annoying small cuts in your sole.


I tried the superglue tonight. I have a small cut, about half a centimetre long and not very wide or deep. After my warm-up it started to bleed so I put some superglue on. It dribbled a bit but seemed to cover the cut.

Went to a 3.5 run barefoot. By the end it had started to bleed again (just). The layer of superglue was quite thin. Is there a way to make it thicker?
 
I'm not an expert on first aid with superglue, but superglue is not a coating type of adhesive. It is designed to be thin, very low viscosity and stick 2 objects together like the 2 sides of a cut. It is also quite brittle so excessive bending will eventually cause it to fail, like 3500 steps. Sounds like the glue did its job.
You could always try superglue gel, its thicker and can be easier to work with on some jobs.
Edit- super glue does not stick that well to very wet surfaces. It does need moisture to cure though. So you probably should make sure the area being treated is pretty dry.
 
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Update:

I thought I would share an update as to how I have been progressing.

Early April my maximum barefoot was 2 miles.

Now my maximum is 6.5 miles and running 20 miles per week. I haven't ran in VFF for several weeks and get very few cuts.

As well as gradually increasing the mileage, I am also seeking out rough, sharp paths to practice landing gently.

I hope to be able to run the Nottingham HM on 24th September. I'm not too concerned about the time but I am determined to be barefoot.

To achieve this I feel I should be running 25 miles per week including a 9 mile long run by mid July and 30 miles per week including a 11 mile long run by the end of August.

Thank you everyone for your advice and comments to date.
 
Awesome! Sounds like you are right on track! :barefoot: