subject: Dry Skin - Solutions For Cracked Heels [print this page] Cracked heals are commonly caused by dry skin and made more unsightly if the skin around the rim of the heel is thick and callused. For most people this is a nuisance and a cosmetic problem but when the fissures or cracks are deep, they can be painful to stand on and the skin can bleed in severe cases and this can lead to infection.
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 a callus. Wearing open or thin soled shoes usually make the symptoms worse. Some people tend to have naturally dry skin that predisposes them to the cracks.
Other factors that can cause calluses and cracked heels
Prolonged standing on hard floors with your weight on the same part of the foot can increase cracked heels.
Being overweight increases the pressure on the normal fat pad under the heel, causing it to expand sideways and crack if the skin is not supple and flexible.
Open back shoes allow the fat under the heel to expand sideways and increase the risk of cracks.
Some medical conditions predispose some people to dry skin, diabetes leads to less sweating, an under active thyroid lowers the metabolic rate in the body, leading to a reduction in sweating which increases the risk of skin problems. As well as skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema, lead to dry skin conditions that are difficult to get under control.
Applying an oil based moisturizing cream twice daily is really important to get on top of this problem. A pumice stone can be used to reduce the thickness of calluses and avoiding open backed shoes or thin soled shoes is important. If problems persist see a podiatrist for professional treatment for the removal of calluses and dry skin.
