Cracked heels are a natural part of the human body and something we all have to deal with over our lifetime. In the past the medical profession associated cracked heals with being over weight, however whilst this is a cause its not the only cause. Dry air, improper foot care, your diet, and wearing the wrong type of shoes are all cause.
Generally cracked heels occur where the skin on the sole of the foot becomes dry and thick and will be accompanied by symptoms such as redness, itching and peeling skin. Conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, diabetes and thyroid disease may also contribute to this problem.
It’s important that you treat cracked heels to prevent those cracks getting deeper and causing bleeding and pain. If you suffer from cracked heels and are at the stage that you feel pain when walking, it’s important that you contact your doctor or the problem could become serious. If you still feel no pain when walking, it’s very easy to repair the damage and resolve the problem from the comfort of your own home.
In this section we’re going to be looking at how to remove the dead skin effectively and how to stop it coming back all from the comfort of your own home.
Removing Dead Skin
Before you start to treat your cracked heels, it’s important that try and remove as much of the dead, dry skin as possible. I would highly recommend that don’t use skin shavers or razors as these tend to cause you more problems. Cutting dead skin directly off your feet is a risky as your run the risk that you will cut too deep, draw blood and cause you more discomfort.
Dry Skin Removal
To remove dead skin, you need to focus on both dry methods and wet methods. Dry skin removal focuses on using a foot file to which you rub against the skin to remove excess skin, however I would recommend that you do this process over a few days as the skin has a tendency to get quickly irritated.
If you need help choosing a skin file, I would highly recommend that you looked at the best skin files on the market here.
Wet Skin Removal
As the name suggests, wet skin removal involves soaking the feet in liquid to soften the skin which will make it easier to remove. You can simply heat a bucket full of water to a warm temperature or you can mix glycerin with lemon juice. Both are used by dermatologists before doing any skin treatment as it has the result of softening the skin and may make it easier to work with.
Leave your feet in the liquid for a good 20-30 minutes until the skin is soft and playable and then scrub your feel with a Pumice stone using a slow back-and-forth motion to remove the dead skin. Again I would highly recommend that you don’t try and remove all your dead skin in one sitting, but try to do this over a couple of weeks.
Treat Your Feet
Once you have removed the dead skin around your heels, you need to focus on keeping your heels in a good condition. Simple moisturizing scream will keep you’re feet in good condition as long as you use twice a day.
Homemade Remedies for Cracked Heels
If you’re the type of person that does not want to go out and buy mosturising cream, but instead want take a more natural focus on your feet there are a few options that will keep your heels in great condition.
Vegetable Oil
Vegetable Oil makes a fantastic homemade moisturising cream given that it’s a hydrogenated vegetable. The oils within vegetables will slowly soak into the skin allowing for noticeably softer heels. For best results you need to focus on hydrogenated vegetables such as Olive Oil, sesame oil or condo it oil as these vegetables have the best hydrogenated oil content and make sure that you cover your feet with a clean pair of socks overnight whilst you sleep. This way you allow the oil to soak into your feet overnight.
Margosa Leaves
Margosa leaves contain huge quantities of fungicidal properties which make them great for your feet especially if they have become itchy or infected. The fungicidal properties within the leaves will help to reduce inflammation and fight any infections, however it’s important that if you’re going to crush margosa leaves and put them on your feet, you leave the past for no more than one hour, before washing them off. For best results, it recommended that you use margosa leaves in connection with a natural moisturising cream such as vegetable oil to fight infections but also heel cracked skin.
Rosewater and Glycerin
Very similar to using Margosa leaves and Coconut Oil to smooth skin and reduce infections, you can also use rosewater and glycerin mixed together. The rosewater contains antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties which will all help to reduce infections from cracked heels whilst the Glycerin will help to soften the skin and prevent cracks on your heels from developing further.
Conclusion
In this section we have looked at cracked heels and how to treat them so that those cracks do not return and most importantly do not turn into cracked infected heels. Other that mositurising your heels and feet on a daily basis, I would highly recommend that you sleep in a pair of woolen socks over night as the wool will trap the body heat in the feet and prevent moisture loss which is the route cause of cracked skin.