If your heels are painful and cracked, give your feet a rest. Your cracked heels may be the result of standing for prolonged periods of time on hard floors, according to DermNet NZ. If your doctor approves, soothe your cracked, painful heels at home using over-the-counter remedies and home care.
Causes
Cracked heels may occur because of prolonged pressure on the foot or a host of other reasons. Conditions that may be contributing are dry skin; palmoplantar psoriasis, a skin condition that affects the soles of the feet and the palms of the hands; open-backed shoes that do not provide the foot with adequate support; and obesity, which puts additional pressure on the heels. You may notice a callus on your skin, which may dry out and crack when additional pressure is placed on the heel.
Home Remedies
Rub rough areas with a pumice stone to remove hardened, painful skin from the heels. Do not use a razor or other sharp tool to remove the skin, however. Removing or peeling away the hardened skin may cause an infection, especially if the razor is not sanitary or too much skin is removed.
Over-the-Counter Remedies
Choose a foot balm that contains at least 20 percent urea, which helps retain moisture in the feet, according to the article "I Want Happy Feet" in "Reader's Digest Australia." Other active ingredients that may help include saccharide isomerate, salicylic acid and alpha-hydroxy acids. Slather the heels with the foot balm three times a day to keep them from drying out.
Doctor's Remedies
A doctor may debride -- or remove -- some of the hardened skin on the heel to promote healing. If cracks are painful and deep, your doctor may strap the heel tightly to encourage the cracks to close. Your doctor may prescribe orthotics or heel cups to wear in your shoes to eliminate the pressure that is causing your heels to crack. The orthotics redistribute the weight on your foot so the heel is no longer receiving the bulk of the weight.
Expert Insight
To effectively eliminate cracked heels at home, the Foot and Ankle Center of Washington recommends moisturizing the heel before bed, placing a sock over your foot to seal in the moisture, then sloughing away dead skin with a pumice stone in the morning. Repeat the process until the skin on the heels is smooth.
Member Comments