Cracked heels are a common foot problem that are often referred to as heel fissures. Cracked heels are commonly caused by dry skin (xerosis), and made more complicated if the skin around the rim of the heel is thick (callus). For most people this is a nuisance and a cosmetic problem but when the fissures or cracks are deep, they are painful to stand on and the skin can bleed - in severe cases this can become infected.
What does a cracked heel look like:
The skin is normally dry and may have a thick callus which appears as yellow or dark brown discolored area of skin, especially along the inside border of the heel. Cracks in the skin are usually obvious.
What are the symptoms of cracked heels:
If the cracks are bad enough there will be pain on weight bearing, that is not there when weight is off the heel. The edges or rim around the heel will generally have a thicker area of skin (callus). Wearing open or thin soled shoes usually make the symptoms worse.
What causes cracked heels:
Some people tend to have a naturally dry skin that predisposes them to the cracks. The thickened dry skin (callus) around the heel that is more likely to crack is often due to mechanical factors that increase pressures in that area (eg the way you walk).
Procedures
- Soak feet for 5-10 minutes in a warm foot bath made with 1 cup milk and 5 cups warm water.
- Create a homemade foot scrub by putting 4 tablespoons salt or sugar in 1/2 cup oil. Baby oil, sweet almond oil or coconut oil or even vegetable oil works well.
- Massage the homemade foot scrub in a circular motion into bottoms of feet.
- Scrub bottoms of feet with the pumice stone. Rinse and dry feet.
- Before you go to bed that night, try this tip from beauty guru Paula Begoun: rub a Stridex pad over dry areas of feet. Stridex, a product found in the acne section of any drugstore, contains 2 percent salicylic acid so it's a great exfoliant for the feet.
- Apply moisturizer thickly on feet (do not wash off Stridex). A super-rich moisturizer like cocoa butter.
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