Dry cracked heels

Those long summer days spent barefoot or wearing sandals are what we all look forward to in warmer weather or while on our summer holidays. But these shoe-less days can often result in dry cracked heels. Unfortunately, as we wear shoes most of the time, switching to summer shoes may lead to dry skin and cracked heels.

While the shoes you wear are not the only cause of cracked heels, it can contribute to heel issues. There are however many other causes of cracked heels such as diet and lifestyle, and even cold weather.

Your walking stride and cadence may also play a role in how your heels support the weight of your body while you walk.

Thankfully there are plenty of ways to care for cracked heels and to keep the skin healthy. Cracked heel care can range from hydrating the skin, removing excess skin layers and possible use of heel cups which are a form of orthotic that support your heels.

 The role of dead skin in heel issues

Open summer shoes or other sandal-like shoes that have an open heel at the back of the foot may place pressure on the skin at the back of your heel and can unfortunately lead to heel issues. Types of heel issues are the deep cracks that form on the back of the heel of the foot, which results in dry skin and a cracked heel appearance.

Once these heel problems form on the back of your heels, they may cause thick layers of skin to form, which eventually enhance the amount of dead skin and dry skin on your feet.

As these layers of dead skin cells continue to add layer after layer on your heels, the heel cracks may look worse and may get more pronounced and deeper which may cause discomfort.

This may create the perfect environment for painful and discomfort in severe cases. Caring for  heel cracks should be an everyday practice that can take place in the shower or bath daily with a pumice stone, followed by a moisturizing heel balm or thick moisturizers.

Dry Skin may equal cracked skin

One of the main causes of cracked heels is quite simply, just dry skin! Moisture loss can lead to many different skin issues, and cracked heels is one of them. The best cause of action for dry skin is a good moisturizer or oil-based cream.

Ingredients such as petroleum jelly, shea butter, and other thick and moisture retaining ingredients may help with dry skin.

A lot of people can neglect their feet in their daily beauty regime and the truth is, you need healthy skin and healthy feet. Cracked heels may cause a great deal of discomfort, and with that discomfort comes a drop in confidence in most people who want to wear open sandals.

Foot care should be a part of your daily beauty regime and with a good product you may be able to help cracked heels from forming in the first place.

How to help cracked heels

The first step to help heel issues and cracked heels is a good daily foot care regime. While  there are many home remedies for cracked heels, some people may not find benefit in these and require a good moisturizer to intensely hydrate the skin on their feet.

Foot care creams with salicylic acid may help with heel issues and may help to heal dry skin.

Foot soak

A foot soak is the first step to good foot health and reducing your cracked feet hygiene. Keeping your feet clean with gentle, soft soaps is just the first step to keep your feet soft. A foot soak may help with the foundation for you to soften the heels and reduce cracking.

Allow your feet to soak for about 10 minutes in warm soapy water. This will clean them and prepare the excess skin layers for removal as the warm water will soften the skin.

Remove Dead Skin

The next step is to remove the dead skin. This may be done by using skin removal or exfoliation products that contain salicylic acid or alpha hydroxy acids. You can gently rub these products into your feet, focusing on your heels and any cracks that are evident.

The other method to remove old skin and reduce any cracks is to make use of a pumice stone, especially after a good soak in warm soapy water – the thick layers of skin on your feet should remove quite easily.

Apply a nourishing moisturizer

A good cream on your feet may help with dryness and cracking of your heels. The good news is that a good foot cream may also help your cracks to heal. Once you have applied moisturizing cream to your feet, it may help to wear socks to retain the moisture.

Socks may be one of the best ways to retain moisture in the skin on your feet – this is why the cracks on our heels begin to heal in winter times when we are wearing socks and winter boots for long periods. A good step to add to your daily foot regime may be to sleep in socks at night-time.

Frequent application of a good moisturizer with shea butter or natural oils may help to  reduce the risk of cracked skin, discomfort, and possible pain that accompanies them.

Reduce dry cracked heels

SeraLabs Cracked Heel Souffle is ideal for moisturizing your feet. The Cracked Heel Souffle with clinically-backed ingredients infused with CBD, is a lightweight yet hydrating moisturizer to help provide care to cracked heels.

The whipped formulation of this cream melts into dehydrated skin and helps the cracked skin on your feet. The advanced formula with shea butter, coconut oil, lavender oil, marula oil, infused with 300mg CBD, soothes and cares for your skin.

 

SOURCES:

 

• https://www.healthline.com/health/cracked-heel-heal
• https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/what-are-heel-fissures
• https://www.nbcnews.com/better/amp/ncna1080001
• https://www.prevention.com/beauty/skin-care/a20509027/4-ways-to-fix-your-cracked-heels-at-home/
• https://www.essexunionpodiatry.com/podiatrists-remove-cracked-heels/