Cracked Heels

Cracked heels are a pretty common foot problem that can be referred to as heel fissures. They are commonly caused by dry skin and sometimes the skin around the rim of the heel is thick or callused. 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. Possibly get infected.

If the cracks are bad enough there will be pain on weight bearing. The edges or rim of the heel will generally have a thicker area of skin. Wearing open or thin soled shoes usually make the symptoms worse.

Some people tend to have dry skin that predisposes them to the cracks. People that stand at work on hard floors have a tendency for cracked heels as well as overweight people because this increases the pressure on the normal fat pad under the heel, causing it to expand sideways. If the skin is not supple and flexible the pressures to crack are high. Open back on shoes allows the fat under the heel to expand sideways and increases the pressure to crack. Some medical conditions predispose to a drying skin like autonomic neuropathy in those with diabetes leads to less sweating. An underactive thyroid lowers the body's metabolic rate and there is a reduction in sweating which leads to a dryness of skin.

Never use a razor blade or a pair of scissors to get rid of the callus. A podiatrist can remove the hard thick skin by debriding it. The splits will not heal if the callus is not removed. This may need to be done on a regular basis. Regular maintenance may be the best way to revent the problem. At The Advanced Foot Care Clinic we recommend Gormel 20, which is a cream that has 20% urea in it to help moisturize and exfoliate the dry thick skin.

So if your heels are painful and cracked and you have tried all sorts of over the counter lotions give our office a call at 419-423-1888. If you do not live in the area, you can find many products on our website that will help you. Just go to http://www.vailfoot.com/

Mango Magic is offered on our website which softens rough dry feet and it refreshes your skin. It has mineral oil, aloe vera, vit E, lanolin and urea in it to nourish your skin.