Heal Your Heels

It's summer time, so it's time to show off your sexy feet.  Oh! but wait, oh horrors of horrors, you suddenly realize you have cracked heels.  Dry, cracked heels are never sexy.  You take care of yourself.  You don't wear shoes with out socks.  Ok, maybe in the 80s but that was like 30 years ago. So what do you do,? First, don't panic!

Dry, cracked heels also commonly refered to as heel fissures.  It tends to be a summer hazard, but can happen all year round.  It is the most common foot disorder and is the most commonly ignored condition.  Cracked heels are often overlooked because they do not cause an immediate health risk.  However, if left untreated it can become a rather painful problem.  Though it doesn't cause any harm, it may look unsightly and can pose a cosmetic issue.

That dry skin around the rim of your  heels leads to abnormally thickened and fissuring skin.  The sweat glands on the bottom of your foot become damaged from long periods of standing.  Those damaged sweat glands cause your heels to dry up and crack.  Overweight or obese people tend to have an increased risk of developing this nasty condition because of all the extra weight put on the legs and feet.  So if you have dry, cracked heels, the answer is stop standing around and loose some weight.

There are some underlying disorders or diseases, such as hypothyroidism, diabetes, psoriasis, athletes foot, eczema or atopic dermatitis.  Also, some people on antihistamines and diuretics can be affected with dry heels. You can also blame it on the aging process.  Another thing to look forward to, as we get older, is the sweat glands on our heels gradually become insufficient. 

So what is the treatment for this deplorable condition, well it's simple; moisturize, moisturize, and moisturize!  Here is a simple, 5 step process I tell my patients that are suffering from this offensive condition.

1. Soak your feet for 5 to 10 minutes in a warm foot bath.   I like to make a foot bath with 1 cup of milk and 5 cups of warm water.  Milk helps to soften the skin.
2. Then create a homemade foot scrub consisting of 4 tablespoons of salt or sugar in 1/2 cup of oil.  You can use baby oil, sweet almond oil, coconut or even vegetable oil.  This is a great exfoliant.
3. Massage your foot: scrub in a circular motion on the bottoms of your feet.
4. After the  foot scrub use a pumice stone to help slough off the dead skin cells.
5. End this process with a good moisturizer.