By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-06-22 23:25:42 | Updated at 2026-06-23 19:11:33
20 hours ago
While they might be a warm weather staple and beach bag essential, your favorite summer shoe could actually be causing irreversible damage to your feet, according to a podiatrist.
Flip flops can pose a serious danger to your feet and even result in injury if they're worn for too long or over long distances.
Hollywood's biggest A-listers may want to listen up too.
Flip flops have been declared as one of the hottest shoes this summer, with stars like Hailey Bieber, Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner all sporting the age-old trend.
Celebrities seem to be particularly loving the styles made by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's famed brand The Row as well as A.Emery.
However, they might want to put them away for good, according to Baltimore-based podiatrist Dr Mike Daniels.
'I don't tell patients that flip flops are "evil" but I do tell them that basic flat flip flops are a problem when they become the "everyday" shoe,' Daniels, who is the Chief Medical Officer at WeTreatFeet Podiatry, told the Daily Mail.
Among his own patients, Daniels said that he often sees those who wear thin, floppy flip flops the whole summer show up to his office with heel pain and tight calves.
Your favorite summer shoe could actually be causing irreversible damage to your feet, according to a podiatrist - as Hailey Bieber is seen above wearing what appears to be $560 heeled flip flops from Toteme
Flip flops can actually pose a serious danger to your feet and even result in injury, as Jennifer Lawrence is seen above sporting $750 Dune Sandals from The Row
'The most common problem I see after flip flop wearing is plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the band along the bottom of the foot that supports the arch,' Daniels told the Daily Mail.
'Flat flip flops have almost no structure or support. This results in a shortening of the stride and curling of the toes to keep them on,' he continued.
'Over thousands of steps, that strains tissues like the plantar fascia, Achilles' tendon, and the small muscles that control the toes,' Daniels said.
'Patients come in because after wearing them over many years, they have chronic pain or deformities like hammertoes and bunions that are now problematic.'
However, it's not just ligament-related issues that can crop up - the trendy shoes can also put you at risk of infection.
'There is also the exposure issue. Open flip flops leave you close to the ground with very little protection,' Daniels said.
He shared that, oftentimes, he sees patients with infected wounds due to foreign objects like splinters and shell cuts in their feet from wearing flip flops even if it's just for a short walk.
'For diabetics or people with poor circulation, the danger can be life or limb threatening in severe cases,' he warned.
Kylie Jenner was seen wearing high-heeled flip flops in April as she left a date with boyfriend Timothee Chalamet
But at the end of the day, the podiatrist knows that many people won't retire their flip flops for summer as Kendall Jenner is seen wearing them above
'City sidewalks and parking lots are not clean and that open design exposes you to fungi that cause athlete's foot, bacteria that get into tiny cracks in the skin and hot or chemical-coated surfaces that burn or irritate the bottom of the foot,' the podiatrist said.
Even more dangerous, though, could be the heeled flip flops that are also sweeping the fashion world right now.
It's yet another trend that's beloved by celebrities, including Dua Lipa and Katie Holmes, but not so beloved by podiatrists.
Daniels called heeled flip flops 'the worst of both worlds.'
'You take an already unstable, open shoe and then lift the heel,' he explained to the Daily Mail.
'This shifts your center of gravity forward and puts more pressure on the ball of the foot and the toes. This happens and you have minimal control or support around the heel and midfoot,' he continued.
'That extra height increases the load on the forefoot joints and can aggravate conditions like metatarsalgia (pain in the ball of the foot), hammertoes, and even Morton's. All is made worse by then walking on hard surfaces for long periods.'
And on top of all of that, you will still have the same problems that classic flip flops come with.
Katie Holmes appears to be a big fan of the heeled flip flop trend, too, as she appears to wear $595 brown high-heeled flip flop sandals by Malone Souliers
'I have seen more than a few patients who took awkward steps off a curb or on uneven pavement in dressy heeled sandals or heeled flip flops and ended up with sprained and even broken ankles, broken toes, or nasty blisters on the back of the heel from poorly placed straps,' Daniels said.
But at the end of the day, the podiatrist knows that many people won't retire their flip flops for summer.
Still, there are some more practical ways to wear them.
'I tell patients to treat basic flat flip flops like a swimsuit. These are great for the pool, beach, locker room, or quick trips, but not the main outfit to wear all day, every day,' Daniels said.
'Short walks to the pool, around the locker room, or quick errands where you are not logging thousands of steps are usually fine (if your feet are otherwise healthy, your circulation is normal, and you are not diabetic),' he continued.
In addition, he also supports patients who just want to wear flip flops around their house.
'For longer walks, city streets, or anything like a day at an amusement park, I strongly prefer either a supportive sandal with a back strap, or a real shoe,' he said.
'When patients switch from basic flip flops to a good sandal with a back strap and a contoured footbed, they usually report less end-of-day fatigue and fewer burning or aching sensations in the arch and heel,' he said.
'It all relates back to the fit and how it stays on your foot. If the toes are not working overtime to keep the shoe on, and the foot has more structure under it, less abnormal movements within the foot are required.'
